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Author Topic: How to connect Sony 40HX850 TV to MC  (Read 3503 times)

AMTuring

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How to connect Sony 40HX850 TV to MC
« on: December 01, 2012, 01:05:46 pm »

I have just bought that DLNA capable TV but I don't know how to get it connected to MC to stream the library of videos imported into MC.

Does anybody nay experience with this TV?

I keep on reading the wiki, but all the information is quite spread over different sections and I cannot find the appropiate answer.
Thanks.
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MrC

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Re: How to connect Sony 40HX850 TV to MC
« Reply #1 on: December 01, 2012, 01:30:58 pm »

It is always difficult to find the exact formats supported by any given DLNA device, as vendors provide little, or worse, incorrect information.

It seems like your model supports the video formats mentioned here:

   http://www.sony-asia.com/support/faq/512215

so you'll need to ensure MC is converting formats in the DLNA server.

Under Tools > Options > Media Network :

   - Enable the Use Media Network to share this library and enable DLNA.
   - Under Advanced, check all three DLNA options
   - Under Add or configure DLNA servers..., click the Add button under and select the Sony BD/TV option.  Then, remove the Generic profile for now (you can add it later).

Now Restart MC, and then browse via your TV to find your content under its home media (or equivalent) area.
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AMTuring

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Re: How to connect Sony 40HX850 TV to MC
« Reply #2 on: December 01, 2012, 04:18:36 pm »

THanks,

I've follow your procedure but I cannot get my Sony TV detect any MC service. It does detect other deivces over the local network (my PC, the Windows Media Server on my PC, my NAS, ...), but nothing about the MC.

I keep on struggling with the TV configuration.

Regards.
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MrC

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Re: How to connect Sony 40HX850 TV to MC
« Reply #3 on: December 01, 2012, 04:24:22 pm »

So you don't see the Sony under Playing Now in MC ?

If you do, try steps 4 onward:

   http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/DLNA#Sony_Bravia_Setup
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AMTuring

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Re: How to connect Sony 40HX850 TV to MC
« Reply #4 on: December 01, 2012, 06:19:41 pm »

Hi MrC,

Thanks for your help:

1) My Sony TV is not appearing under "Playing Now" section. Instead I get the following items:

> Player
[Folder icon] Playing from Main Library
    > Main Library
    > Z210 (my PC)
    > Add Library...

2) On the other hand, I followed the steps explained in the link you provided me. Nothing special happens.

3) I don't know if it has anything to do with this problem, but clicking on the "Tools" > "Options" > "Media Network" > "Access Key" (trying to get a access key for the Gizmo phone application) I got the following error message:
"Library Server could not be registered with JRiver.
You need a connection to the internet and it can not block outgoing http connections from Media Center."

Could it be any kind of conflict with anti-virus software in my PC?

Thanks.

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MrC

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Re: How to connect Sony 40HX850 TV to MC
« Reply #5 on: December 01, 2012, 06:52:00 pm »

Access Key is for Library Server, not DLNA.

It could be that your firewall or A/V software is blocking MC's DLNA.

Since I don't know about the Sony Bravia TV's DLNA capabilities, I can't respond definitively on this.  It may not support using MC as the controller, so it wont' show up as a DLNA zone in MC.  Some DLNA equipment only allows the device itself to control DLNA playback; in this case, from the TV you'd have to navigate its menus to the DLNA area, and then control playback from there (DishNetwork's DLNA, Home Media, works this way - no zones appear in MC to push content to the set-top box).
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AMTuring

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Re: How to connect Sony 40HX850 TV to MC
« Reply #6 on: December 02, 2012, 05:01:21 pm »

Hi MrC,

I finally I managed to get my Sony TV connected to MC, but life is not that easy.

It took me a couple of softwaer restart and switch off/on of the TV to succeed. And it takes a very long time for MC to detect the TV.

Thank you very much for your help.

If I'm not bothering you too much, I'd like to ask you please one more question:
What I see at the TV menu (when connected) is a very simple, not very usefull selection menu. There are some categories I don't understand (Albums, Cinema, ...) and I didn't set. I have organized all my videos on the PC-Hard Disk in a sensible folder structure for me, and I expected to see that same structure on the TV menu to browse and find things.
Is there anything missing with my library configuration. I haven't done anything special with libraries, just importing into MC the folders with the files of interest to me.
The same happens with the "Gizmo" applications I have just installed on my Android tablet.

Under the "Playing Now" section I can see the Sony TV and a folder with a "Main Library" and all computers and NAS devices attached to my local network. Clicking on any of those icons MC gives me 3 options, being the main one to "Load Library" with the effect of "unload" the current library: What does it means?

Sorry if I'm pestering you.

Regards.

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MrC

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Re: How to connect Sony 40HX850 TV to MC
« Reply #7 on: December 02, 2012, 05:15:00 pm »

It appears you've made nice progress.

DLNA views are customizable under:

  Tools > Options > Media Network > Add or configure DLNA servers...

Select the server you are using (if you have more than one) and then click Customize views...

You can configure view schemes here almost identically to how you'd customize views in MC elsewhere, with the caveat that some DLNA devices use a somewhat hardcoded browse scheme.  Generally MC views are built on the media's metadata that it imported, or you've added/modified.  So the views don't generally follow the filesystem structure.  You can make a view that does this if you desire...

See if adding some new browse categories, or modifying the existing ones result in changes on your TV.  I don't recall if you need to restart MC each change, but certainly need to have the TV re-browse so that it obtains the new set of entries.
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AndrewFG

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Re: How to connect Sony 40HX850 TV to MC
« Reply #8 on: December 11, 2012, 03:12:30 am »

And it takes a very long time for MC to detect the TV.

What MC version are you running? MC17 tended to be slow on network discovery, but MC18 is a lot better.

Try downloading the UpnP developer tools http://opentools.homeip.net/dev-tools-for-upnp and run the Device Spy tool to see how quickly it discovers your Tv. If Device Spy has problems finding the Tv then you have a connectivity issue (that could be either wi-fi dropouts, loose connections, a routing problem, or an a/v or firewall software blocking problem). But if Device Spy finds your Tv quickly then you have an MC problem...

Edit: see also this post http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=76297.msg517345#msg517345

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AndrewFG

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Re: How to connect Sony 40HX850 TV to MC
« Reply #9 on: December 17, 2012, 09:01:51 am »

By the way...

I suppose that you do know that in your Sony TV's setup for its networking functions, you have to explicitly enable the Tv's Renderer function. As they ship, out of the box the Tv's Renderer function is diasbled...

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