MiniDLNA 1.0.24 - 1.7 (18-Feb-2012)

[RMerlin]

Manual download link: http://www.lostrealm.ca/wdlxtv
You can also find it in the built-in WDLXTV Addons Manager.

IMPORTANT: Also requires ffmpeg.app.bin, also available either from the Addons Manager or from the same page!

Written by Justin Maggard
WDLXTV build and app.bin packaging by RMerlin.

See http://sourceforge.net/projects/minidlna/ for more information on minidlna, or http://www.lostrealm.ca/wdlxtv for access to the latest WDLXTV version of it.


Introduction
MiniDLNA (aka ReadyDLNA) is server software with the aim of being fully compliant with DLNA/UPnP-AV clients.

MiniDLNA will allow you to share your media files located on a USB disk plugged to your WDTV, making them available to DLNA clients over your network, such as Windows Media Player 12 (Windows), iMediaSuite, MediaLink Player Lite (iPod/iPhone), or even other DLNA compliant devices such as the Sony PS3.


Requirements

• WDTV Live or WDTV Live Plus running the WDLXTV custom firmware version 0.4.3.1 or newer.
• ffmpeg.app.bin (available from the Addons Manager or from my website)
• USB disk plugged to the WDTV to host external app.bin files
• For full configuration support through the WebEnd Configurator, WDLXTV newer than 0.4.3.2 is required, else you have to manually configure MiniDLNA over SSH.

Installation
Copy the minidlna.app.bin file to the disk connected to your WDTV, then reboot to have WDLXTV load the application. The USB disk *must* remain plugged at all times to use MiniDLNA!

To enable it, go through the Webend, click on WDLXTV Config. Go to the Apps tab, then scroll down to the MiniDLNA section. Version 0.4.3.1 will give you a checkbox to enable/disable MiniDLNA, while newer version will also give you access to various options that can be changed from there.

To stop/start MiniDLNA, go to the main Webend page, and click on "Minidlna" under Plugin Daemons on the left menu.


Configuration
You must tell MiniDLNA which path it can scan for your medias. WDLXTV 0.4.3.3 and newer can do so through the WDLXTV Config page. Users of 0.4.3.1-0.4.3.2 must log in using SSH, and edit the file located at /tmp/minidlna.conf. To make that file survive reboots, copy it to /conf.

Note that you must restart MiniDLNA every time you change something in its configuration.

Known issues

• You CANNOT use a location in /tmp/media/usb/USB* if you expect this to start at boot. You MUST enable early mounting (.mnt) from the webend.
• MiniDLNA fails to update itself when you change the configured media_dirs. You have to force a database rebuild.
• MiniDLNA fails to detect media changes that occur while it's not running. You have to force a database rebuild.
• MiniDLNA can index and stream network mouted filesystems, but not detect any change made to them. You have to force a... you know the drill.

Changelog

Changes in v1.0.18-1.0:

• Initial release, based on MiniDLNA 1.0.18.

Changes in v1.0.18.2_CVS-1.1:

• Automatically retrieve the device serial number
• Compiled latest CVS version, which has improved support for some Sony and Samsung devices.
• Fixed bug in MiniDLNA where the default presentation_url would use the service port instead of port 80.
• At boot time, wait to give more times for net mounts to be available.
• Added option to rebuild the DB at boot time

Changes in v1.0.18.2_CVS-1.2: (this version wasn't widely released)

• Improved start/stop script

Changes in v1.0.19_CVS-1.3:

• Based on MiniDLNA post-1.0.19 CVS
• Added package metadata required by WDLXTV's Addons Manager

Changes in v1.0.19.3_CVS-1.4:

• Based on MiniDLNA 1.0.19.3 CVS
• Fixed package metadata errors
• Recompiled using new dev environment
• Updated various libraries such as FFMPeg (now uses 0.6.3).

Changes in v1.0.21 - 1.6:

• Updated to 1.0.21. Release notes:
  http://sourceforge.net/projects/minidlna/files/minidlna/1.0.21/ .
• ffmpeg libs no longer bundled, please install ffmpeg.app.bin.

Changes in v1.0.24 - 1.7:

• Updated to 1.0.24. Release notes:
  http://sourceforge.net/projects/minidlna/files/minidlna/1.0.24/ .
• Static linked with libogg and libvorbis (should fix incorrectly built app.bin)
• Static linked libFLAC as the version in WDLXTV is broken, causing MiniDLNA's scanner to hang when it finds a FLAC file.

[NoSubstitute]

Great work, RMerlin!

Any hope it will ever support streaming NFS-linked content? Or is that a limitation of the original code?

[RMerlin]

Great work, RMerlin!

Any hope it will ever support streaming NFS-linked content? Or is that a limitation of the original code?

Try it out. I suspect there's a chance it might work, just let me know how it turns out. One possible problem would be if the NFS mount is set after minidlna gets started, in which case you might need to restart minidlna manually for it to properly index the content.

[ggffnn]

hi Rmerlin:
now the problem is that when i try to list my media files i can't find anything.
the log says : "upnpsoap.c:1370: warn: SoapMethod: Unknown: X_GetFeatureList
[2000/01/01 00:28:27] upnpsoap.c:1418: warn: Returning UPnPError 401: Invalid Action
[2000/01/01 00:28:27] upnpsoap.c:1370: warn: SoapMethod: Unknown: X_GetFeatureList
[2000/01/01 00:28:27] upnpsoap.c:1418: warn: Returning UPnPError 401: Invalid Action
[2000/01/01 00:28:28] upnpsoap.c:1370: warn: SoapMethod: Unknown: X_GetFeatureList
[2000/01/01 00:28:28] upnpsoap.c:1418: warn: Returning UPnPError 401: Invalid Action
[2000/01/01 00:28:28] upnpsoap.c:1370: warn: SoapMethod: Unknown: X_GetFeatureList
[2000/01/01 00:28:28] upnpsoap.c:1418: warn: Returning UPnPError 401: Invalid Action
"
any help?

Thanks

[RMerlin]

Did you set media_dir to point at your media?

What DLNA client are you using to browse?

[seewdlxtv]

Thank you for the great Job!! @RMerlin!

Now the MKV movie play flawlessly!!! Twonky Mediaplayer DID NOT PLAY at all! With my Samsung Ln46c630.
XboM$ 360 now saw the MP4s even if it can play them... code error= go BUY SP3!!

I did update to fw 0.4.3.1... Meet a little prob (Solved by Rmerlin ) : http://forum.wdlxtv.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=1967&p=19235#p19235

If you use 0.4.3.1 like I did. It is a little bit hard for a newbee to make it work if especially you did had try or use MediaTwonky whit is web interface =aka== http://wdlxtv(ip):9000
You have to manually edit /tmp/minidlna.conf and copy it to /conf once or every time you reach a "satisfactory" setting; like it is recommended! by

Code: Select all

cp /tmp/minidlna.conf /conf/minidlna.conf

(don't forget to restart minidlna in webend wdlxtv.)

For my use minidlna is not stable as twonky. I did have to power recycle 2 time or 3?.
1stime wdlxtv free on the tv but network and minidlna still working? (I have only minidlna app as app working: 1 app working on wdlxtv)
2ndtime minidlna still reading but losing the control of movie playing on the tv... no stop or fforwardetc... can not change to another one. Turned off tv. After tv restart no minidlna ==> minidlna was down!!

Result:
It might be my Samsung who make it crazy?? Samsung is kind of weird like all proprietary stuff that have their hown "free stuff" ( Macs OsX is free Compare to Win$Os Ubuntu cost me the time to install it! ) : it had a free DLNA to put on windows.

Conclusion for now: (After 12hrs... it is not a coclusion )
I adop it for now!
Overall Minidlna work flawlessly!! No prob with 360 It can read only divx n some mp4(2soundChannel).

Note: It will take time to have all your movies to appear in the minidlna. But If your "media_dir=" are correct then you should something appear in 1 min after minidlna is start.
you can also change your database of minidlna to your minidlna app is (remember a post of B-rad.cc about twonky dbase to app location). Certainly save mem of your wdlxtv and will not limite the size of your db??
#db_dir=/tmp/minidlna
db_dir=/tmp/media/usb/MEMOREX/minidlna

@ RMerlin : what do you think about db_dir? in /tmp or in one of the /tmp/media/usb?? I ABSOLUTELY like the ability of modifying it!!!
Minidlna seem recreate the db every time you restart it? Everytime I restart it I have to wait for showing all my movies... I don't but if you have 10000 pics n folders...

@ggffnn you should check/post your "media_dir=" line so RMerlin can help you. Common "syntax error" dont forget to put a "/" at the end of your line!! The absolute soluce: /tmp/media/ or /tmp/media/usb/

Like it x1000 than Twonkymedia!! (for mkv)
Have fun DLNA user!!

[RMerlin]

DB location: actually, if you leave it to the default value (/tmp/minidlna), it will put the database on the same drive where you have the minidlna.app.bin, under the .minidlna_data/ directory. The db will not reside on the WDTV itself.

I also had a few weird cases where, sometimes after a reboot the database would be rebuilt from scratch, and other times it wouldn't. Not sure why, could be because minidlna was started before the disk was actually available for media scanning, or minidlna not properly closing its database on exit, causing it to be corrupted on next reboot.

minidlna.conf: once you copy it to /conf and you reboot, any subsequent reboot will use that file - no need to recopy it again. /tmp/minidlna.conf will point to /conf/minidlna.conf.

Hopefully the next release of WDLXTV ain't too far away. The newer WEC that will ship with it will have the required features to allow completely configuring minidlna through the web page.

Samsung's DLNA support is indeed quirky. I have seen a lot of people having trouble with it and other commercial DLNA servers such as Mezzmo. That is where a WDTV will give you a much more stable platform for streaming.

As for TwonkyMedia and mkv support... It must be something specific to the app.bin version being distributed in these forums. I copied the TwonkyMedia version WD uses with the WDTV Live Hub, ran it on my WDTV Live, and it had no trouble streaming a 5 mins MKV video to my desktop.

[RMerlin]

I did some finetuning and troubleshooting over the weekend, looking over the code. MiniDLNA has quite a few annoying limitations:

- If you change your media_dirs locations, you have to rebuild your database from scratch or else MiniDLNA will never know.
- Network mounted filesystems will work in my next release, however MiniDLNA is unable to detect any change done
to a networked fs, you have to rebuild your database from scratch to update it.
- If you do any change to your local (USB) medias while MiniDLNA is not running... guess what? Database rebuild required

Those limitations are in the MiniDLNA code itself. The author has been made aware of them in the past, and has shown little interest in improving that behavior. And I have little motivation in rewriting large portions of it to fix it myself, to tell the truth. So, the next version of the app.bin will offer an option to make MiniDLNA rebuild its database every time you start it. Next version is also based on the latest CVS snapshot, which include improved Samsung and Sony BD device support.

[RMerlin]

New version now available - see the original post for details.

[seewdlxtv]

THANK!!! for the new version will update the old one
Thank you RMerlin for This quick answer about my previous post!
And the info about the db and the minidlna.conf:

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# ls -l min*
lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root           33 Dec 31 16:00 minidlna -> /tmp/mnt/AEC3-1E07/.minidlna_data
lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root           19 Dec 31 16:00 minidlna.conf -> /conf/minidlna.conf


I did some test this week end... when I did have time!

Regarding the "/" for "media_dir=" (@ggffnn) apparently it is just a option... but if you put one that should be the correct syntax.

==>RMerlin is Quick! Already a new version! If reboot doesn't help minidlna to restart/start then do as follow.
Here is what I do when minidlna start but show no item or video:
If you check your "media_dir=" and they are good then I recommand you to manually ssh and delete all files and art_cache folder in the folder /tmp/minidlna/

My wdlxtv fw 0.4.3.1 freeze if minidlna read all my video library?? But it had any issue if it read only a little portion. (will test the new version later on all the library)
I checked at art_cache in /tmp/minidlna/ and take a look:

/tmp/mnt/AEC3-1E07/.minidlna_data/art_cache/tmp/media/usb/USB1/2E44C6B044C67A5B/Movies/Documentary/Earth 2007 BRRip H264 AAC-SecretMyth (Kingdom-Release)

by wdlxtv IP: in the album art; I can find those kind of folder with a little jpg that is the ico of the movie...

\\wdlxtvip\memorex\.minidlna_data\art_cache\tmp\media\usb\usb1\023053C13053B9FD\MovieH264\scifi\Street Fighter - The Legend Of Chun-li 2009 BDRip H264 5.1 ch-SecretMyth (Kingdom-Release)

@RMerlin: Is there a parameter like "album_art=no" to set in minidlna.conf to disable this feature?? I don't like it on the wdlxtv. It is not at all a quad core! and I just need it to share my library without "cool" superficial stuff. (note: I don't say it is this feature that make minidlna freeze in my case but that can be nice to be able to disable it)
I did set in minidlna.conf: "album_art_names=no" but whenever a jpg and a movies have the same name then pic with all path is created in "art_cache". I Try google but no success either.

It is possible that my usb memory stick (memorex lol) fat32 can't support those kind of album art. ==> wdlxtv freez with fs fat32: too complex and too much level of folder?? I have only 200 to 300 movies on a usb hard drive (most of us have more than 1 hard drive ). I like to keep every movie in his own folder (because of sub pics...) with category folders...

Thank you so much for you time to work on this project!!