2. The WD TV Live is a DLNA Player and a DLNA Renderer. JRiver is a DLNA Server, DLNA Controller and DLNA Renderer. How you mix and match them is up to you!
See http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/DLNA and http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Media_Network
If you use JRiver as the Server then you can use the WDTV as a Renderer (controlling it from the JRiver interface) or as a Player (using its own interface to browse the Server and play media).
You don't actually need a separate box such as the WD TV if you've got the PC that runs the media server connected to the TV and you're happy with controlling it that way.
OK, I'll have to read up on that tomorrow, but in the meantime...[gross simplification warning!]
If JRiver is the server, then you press play on JRiver (either at the computer, or a remote connected to the computer, or an iPod or something), and the WDTV will put it on the screen?
If WD is the player, then it will access the all of the files in the JRiver server. For this, you'd use the WD remote and use the WD menu system etc?
Do you have to select any menus/options to switch between either option, or does it figure it out? i.e. if you press play on the WD it will automatically be acting as the server? How about sending video from the computer to the WD (using JRiver as the player)? Do you select the WD as the device? Is it a zone?
Can the WD access and watch something off the server (watching on the TV), while I play something else on the computer? Two things at once I guess.
I should have mentioned, my computer is in one room and the WD is in a room at the end of the hall, so the WD will most of the time be drawing on the media on my computer.
Thanks for all your help!