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HWNDarkside · (This post was last modified: 2016-10-27, 14:55 by HWNDarkside.)

Hello,

I've got a Minix Neo U1 set up with an external HDD containing only DVD rips each in their own folder. All the films have been catalogued using Kodi/The Movie Database. UPnP is enabled. It's also connected via HDMI to my smart TV. The library and playback are 100% working through the HDMI connection and it looks very nice too.

I have 3 android devices, all with Kodi running, all with UPnP activated using exactly the same settings. I've also set up BubbleUPnP to check connections.

Here's where I'm slowly losing the will to live...

Tablet 1 - last night the library worked perfectly. I could stream the films perfectly. It was visible to the Minix (and Smart TV). Job done. Today - it can't find the server and the Minix is not available in the UPnP browser. I can see the BubbleUPnP though and stream films through it.

Tablet 2 - cannot find the Minix library in file browser at all. Minix does not see the tablet either, but my smart TV does! But I can see the BubbleUPnP and stream films through it. It can see Tablet 1 though!

Tablet 3 - I can see Bubble and stream, but not Kodi. My Smart TV can't see the tablet.

Smart TV - sees Minix, Tablet 1, Bubble and something called Kodi (Localhost) whatever that is.

Why is this so unreliable? Why can one device see another but not vice-versa? Why would UPnP simply stop working when no changes have been made?

I wanted to give the kids a simple interface to access their films on their tablets but this just isn't working.

Any help would be appreciated as I'm about to bin the whole thing off and go back to VHS Big Grin

kinggo · 2016-10-27, 16:12

because upnp/DLNA sucks. Just like HDMI, all is great in theory but when you really need it to work.....
And while you really can't avoid that with smart TV you don't need it for tablets. Did you try with samba? Once you set it up it won't make any difference to your kids.

HWNDarkside · 2016-10-27, 17:47

Thanks for your reply.

Samba = SMB? I thought that was for Windows?

What I don't understand is why Kodi on each tablet can see Bubble, but can't see Kodi.

HWNDarkside · (This post was last modified: 2016-10-27, 18:34 by HWNDarkside.)

I've just reinstalled Kodi across all 4 devices to start from scratch. This time Minix can see all 3 tablets - yay! But only 2 of them can see Minix!

The 2 tablets that work - I streamed films on both. Job done. Then I closed Kodi on both, reopened and.... one of them now can't connect to network server or locate the Minix under UPnP devices!! The other still plays films.

I turn off the one that plays films, turn it back on - now it can't connect to server, but Minix still shows it under UPnP devices!

The Smart TV can see all 4 devices!

For added spice now only 2 of the tablets can see BubbleUPnP!

That's me done - this makes no sense!

Quick edit - BubbleUPnP just appeared. So now all 3 tablets can see Bubble - but none can see Minix!!!

Atreyu · 2016-10-27, 19:35

Well, my answer yo your struggle would be the same as kinggo.
You really don't need upnp/dlna.

Why not just use a basic share and connect to that?

HWNDarkside · (This post was last modified: 2016-10-27, 19:49 by HWNDarkside.)

Thanks for your reply Atreyu

What do you mean by "basic share"? My understanding (which is limited!) was that Samba was a Windows-based server?

I want to use the Minix/USB drives as the server, not a PC.

**Tinwarble** · 2016-10-27, 20:21

Samba does not = SMB.

SMB is a Windows share protocol, as where Samba is the open-source implementation of SMB.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samba_(software)

HWNDarkside · 2016-10-27, 20:34

ok - thanks

So do I need to set up samba on the minix, and then use Kodi on the tablets via the SMB option?

Apologies for all the questions, I'm now firmly out of my depth :-)

kinggo · 2016-10-27, 22:02

In theory, yes. But since my setup is way more different and I'm running kodi on my smart TV with USB disks plugged in and other drives are plugged in router with NAS and I access them with samba from kodi on TV and other file managers I'm really not willing to try and set up samba on kodi just to see if I than can acess it from my tablet on which I even don't have kodi. Big Grin

But yes, you should run samba server on minix and then configure tablets to access that server. This http://kodi.wiki/view/Adding_video_sources should help you with that. I configured my samba shares on router the same way. Unfortunately, can't help you with first step.

HWNDarkside · 2016-10-27, 22:07

Thanks Kinggo - I'll give that a try.

I'd still like to know why UPnP is such a fail in Kodi though - I bought the box for the sole purpose of using Kodi to share the content.

kinggo · 2016-10-27, 22:16

UPnP is just fail. It has nothing to do with kodi. Each device and each OS have something specific that sometimes don't work with the other. Manual configuration with static IP's is always more reliable solution. And for home networking with few devices it's not that complicated at all.
Just a few numbers that follow certain logic.

glass_rain · 2016-10-27, 22:38

That is so true!! ROFL I used the SMB as my fix... dropped the exchange on a laptop that is used for research/maintenance and accessed the smb, saved, and... vou°la streams...

Sent from my XT1650

HWNDarkside · 2016-10-28, 16:04

Hello again,

I downloaded Samba Server onto the Minix and set it up to share the films folder on the USB drive.

When I try to add this folder on a tablet in Kodi it cannot see the server under "Windows network (SMB)" or "Add network location" so I can't add it the library.

HWNDarkside · 2016-10-28, 16:34

I've binned Samba for the time being - I've no idea what I'm doing lol.

If I fire up BubbleUPnP on the Minix and point it at the films folder all the Kodi tablets can see it and access the films.

Obviously this just presents a long file list in the library with no fanart etc (one of the reasons I wanted to use Kodi) - but it at least it works.

I know it's suggested above that this isn't an issue with Kodi itself, but this suggests to me it is. If it can't detect it's own software/server but can detect Bubble there's something wrong.

kinggo · 2016-10-28, 17:42

(2016-10-28, 16:04)HWNDarkside Wrote: Hello again,

I downloaded Samba Server onto the Minix and set it up to share the films folder on the USB drive.

When I try to add this folder on a tablet in Kodi it cannot see the server under "Windows network (SMB)" or "Add network location" so I can't add it the library.

Isn't samba already installed on minix? You just have to enable it in settings. And give you minix a static IP.