How to Set Up a Home Media Sharing Network with a Digital Media Player

My wife and I had been searching for a while to find a solution as to how to view our movies and other media in our living room. Our computer stores all of our media files, but it is a pain to sit at the computer desk to watch a full length movie, or to go through pictures. We wanted the capability to play our movies, and movies from services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Videos, in our living room. We were also looking for a way to bring the internet to the living room without having to go buy a whole new television for thousands of dollars. We found a simple solution called a digital media player for under one hundred dollars, and have been really pleased. For the purposes of this how-to, I will be giving instructions based on the media player we purchased, the Sony SMP-N100 Streaming Player with Wi-Fi, and our Windows XP system using Windows Media Player 11.

Items You Will Need:

1. A digital media player with DLNA support
2. Audio/Video Cable (HDMI, Component, etc.)
3. Ethernet Cable (wired connection only)
4. Security Key (wireless connection only)
5. Windows Media Player 11
6. External Back-up Hard Drive (optional)
7. Movies, Music, and Photos

Make sure when you are selecting a digital media player, try to find a model that supports all of the programs you would like to utilize. For example, if you are going to use a service like Netflix, then make sure the media player you select supports it. You will also need to confirm that the player your are purchasing supports the file formats (.mp4, .mp3, mpeg, etc.) that you intend to use. Most video files are in .MKV format, so it is important to make sure the player you are taking home will play these! If not, you will be in for a long trip back to the electronics store to find a player that will work.

After you have purchased your media player, follow these steps to set it up on your network:

1. Set the media player in the location it will be utilized.
2. Hook up the media player to the television with the cable of your choice (we chose to go with HDMI).
3. Plug the power cable into a surge protector or wall outlet if you are feeling brave.
4. You will need to connect the player to your home network. If you are going with a wired connection, you must plug one end of an Ethernet cable into your digital media player, and the other end into your network router or modem. If you are going with a wireless connection, then after hooking everything up it is time to turn on the power.
5. Turn on the television and select the proper input, and you should see the menu system of your digital media player. Find the settings option, or setup option on the menu system. There will be an option for setting up your connection to the network. Most media players will automatically find what connection is available and present you with options. The Sony I set up searched for a wireless connection then asked for the WEP key to connect to our home network. The WEP key is an access code that connects different devices and computers to your network. Contact your web service provider if you do not know your WEP key and they should be able to help you. After entering your WEP key or similar security key, this will connect your media player to your network, but there is still another step to complete before you will be able to access your private content from your home computer in your living room.

Setting up a DLNA server on your computer:

First you will need to have Windows Media Player 11. If your computer did not come with it, then a simple free download is available on the internet. Once installed, or if you have it, open Windows Media Player 11 and select the "Library" tab. One of the options is "Media Sharing", click on that and an options window will pop up. You must select the box where it says, "Share My Media", which will then activate other options. If you have completed the above steps of connecting your media player to the network, you should see your device listed in the box of potential devices to share media with. Click on your media player that is listed and click "Allow." This will give your media player access to videos, music, and photos stored on your computer. Now when you turn off and turn on your media player again, you should see an option to connect to your home media network.

My wife and I have been enjoying streaming our movies in our living room, and have been loving every minute. Our kids really enjoy watching Netflix, and it has saved us a bundle instead of buying a new internet television.

Sources:

Digital Media Player Guide

Cnet.com