Jun 19, 2017 DLNA is an old standard but still used it seems now to be more often referred to as UPnP. It is however poorly supported on the Mac but there are indeed various programs for the Mac and I have tried some of them myself. I have also tried DLNA between Windows and a TV that allegedly supported it but this was a complete failure. Apr 19, 2020 It's a little less intuitive than Emby or Plex, but (unlike DLNA competitor PlayOn) can run servers on both Windows and Mac. If this one isn't for you, you could consider Universal Media Server. FireStream by Cyaneous, Inc., a commercial UPnP/DLNA media server for macOS with advanced transcoding capabilities, per-device profiles and native Mac media organization. ArkMS by Arkuda Digital, a full-featured UPnP/DLNA media server for macOS to stream video, music and pictures to UPnP/DLNA/Samsung Link compatible devices from Mac.
Some DNLA software aka. UPnP software includes the ability to 'transcode' video and/or audio files from one format to another. So if you have a mixture of DNLA clients which do not all support the same format it can convert the files for those that need it. You may want to take this in to consideration when choosing a DNLA package for your Mac.
Dec 11, 2017 Option One: Enable the DLNA Media Server Built Into Windows. RELATED: Wireless Display Standards Explained: AirPlay, Miracast, WiDi, Chromecast, and DLNA There are many different pieces of software that can function as DLNA servers, but you don’t need to.
For instance, I can browse and play the files using my Android tablet with the DLNA software for Android installed. The built-in DLNA server can be disabled at any time. Disable the built-in DLNA server. Press Win + R shortcut keys on the keyboard to open.
Before I get on to DNLA I would say that DNLA is old, poorly supported, poorly featured and I would advise if possible to avoid it. There are other approaches which you may decide are better for you but if not then move on to the DNLA answers below.
Firstly, other non-DNLA approaches. The premier approach for doing multi-room audio is to buy a Sonos system. With this you either buy Sonos speakers e.g. Play:3 or you buy a Sonos Connect which allows you to plug in to an existing amplifier. Sonos supports all the audio formats supported by iTunes including Apple Lossless which is going to be the best format to use if possible. While Sonos is the market leader there are other brands offering similar solutions. Examples of other similar systems to Sonos include Logitech Squeezebox, Roku SoundBridge (discontinued), an Apple TV3 or TV4, etc. All these support Apple Lossless and all allow different rooms to play different tracks at the same time.
Dlna Media Server Software
A second approach is to use Apple's AirPlay standard, many AV Receivers now support AirPlay if you have a network interface on your AV Receiver which these days is either standard or an option on most. iTunes would then stream directly to the AV Receiver using the AirPlay standard.
A third similar approach is to get one or more AirPort Express WiFi base-stations, these have an audio out connector, you AirPlay from iTunes to the AirPort Express and it outputs via its audio connector to the attached audio device which could be speakers or an AV Receiver.
Now there is a limitation with AirPlay, a single iTunes can only output via AirPlay the same content to one or more AirPlay destinations, if you want to play multiple different music tracks at the same time then this is where Sonos and similar solutions win hands down. The iTunes however can be a Mac, or Windows, or an iPhone, or an iPad.
Moving on to DNLA. You are probably going to find many DNLA servers for the Mac are either discontinued, or semi-discontinued in that they have not had a recent update and therefore may have problems with newer versions of OS X, or only work with some clients, or do not do Transcoding well or at all. In other words like DNLA as a whole it is rather a mess. You will therefore find that you may have to buy a commercial DNLA package although this will be still cheaper than say buying a multi-room Sonos setup. I would advise testing the trial versions, make sure to remove each before trying the next.
With no particular sentiments, have a look at the following.