Echo and DLNA

[shortcut3d]

I've avoided using Homegroups and DLNA for HTPCs in the past. However, this means I've been using a guest account on my NAS to add media on the extenders. Complex passwords were a bust to setup on the Echo (especially since they crash and have to be setup again). So in an effort to increase security on my NAS and to simplify HTPC setup I was considering DLNA.

DLNA vs Shares? Opinions? How?

[grinchy]

How were your complex passwords a bust on the echo? I'm using a NAS with custom accounts via extenders and have no issues...

[shortcut3d]

How were your complex passwords a bust on the echo? I'm using a NAS with custom accounts via extenders and have no issues...

Unfortunately, my Echos have crashed and reset multiple times, so I have to enter complex passwords using the IR remote repeatedly. The poor IR compounds the problem. I was basically looking for an easier way to recover from these outages.

[RyC]

Google extender login script tool, will that do what you're trying to do?

[grinchy]

How were your complex passwords a bust on the echo? I'm using a NAS with custom accounts via extenders and have no issues...

Unfortunately, my Echos have crashed and reset multiple times, so I have to enter complex passwords using the IR remote repeatedly. The poor IR compounds the problem. I was basically looking for an easier way to recover from these outages.

OK- so it sounds like each time you have crash/reset, you're losing the extender profile which then you have to re-pair/re-setup credentials and you want to avoid that. I guess you've already been down the route of trying to figure out why/how it's happening? I've had good luck with my Echo and haven't had this happen...

That said, you could use login scripts for the extender accounts (as RyC mentions) - still requires setup, but would be done on the PC end, per extender. I've used it and it's pretty simple/painless. I don't use it anymore as my NAS sleeps and if the share isn't accessible at time of login, then the mapping obviously doesn't happen.

[shortcut3d]

Yeah, I tried to improve the stability of the Echos. Right now they are acceptable. I'm not sure if it correlates with the change from STP to UTP cables. The 320 Echo still crashes. The 304 seems to not find the HTPC every so often. This is not a problem if the Echo is simply powered off and on. However, if the Extenders are checked on the HTPC WMC instance, then the profile is reset.

I'll look into the login script.

So WMC extender instances just can't pull media from a DLNA server?

[grinchy]

Yeah, I tried to improve the stability of the Echos. Right now they are acceptable. I'm not sure if it correlates with the change from STP to UTP cables. The 320 Echo still crashes. The 304 seems to not find the HTPC every so often. This is not a problem if the Echo is simply powered off and on. However, if the Extenders are checked on the HTPC WMC instance, then the profile is reset.

I'll look into the login script.

So WMC extender instances just can't pull media from a DLNA server?

Unless there's some sort of WMC add-in, I believe the answer is no. Extenders build and consume their content through WMP's libraries...

[foxwood]

Yeah, I tried to improve the stability of the Echos. Right now they are acceptable. I'm not sure if it correlates with the change from STP to UTP cables. The 320 Echo still crashes. The 304 seems to not find the HTPC every so often. This is not a problem if the Echo is simply powered off and on. However, if the Extenders are checked on the HTPC WMC instance, then the profile is reset.

I'll look into the login script.

So WMC extender instances just can't pull media from a DLNA server?

It's been a while, but I'm pretty sure I was able to use "PlayTo" in Windows Media Player to "push" content to my Linksys extender. It's not a feature that I ever used, but I remember trying it out at some point.

[shortcut3d]

I ended up reorganizing my shares on the NAS, so that I could enable the Guest account for media shared with extenders.