DLNA is a widely used, popular media sharing protocol for instant multimedia sharing across devices irrespective of the hardware/software platform they are running. To get DLNA working we need a server, which catalogs and serves the multimedia content for consumption, while a client consumes the content supplied by the DLNA server. MiniDLNA is a fast, simple to configure and easy to use DLNA server which can be installed in minutes on the Raspberry Pi, however it has limited features.

Plex Media Server is yet another powerful DLNA multimedia server, the good news is - we now have a working Raspberry Pi port of Plex home theater as RasPlex. RasPlex enables users to enjoy multimedia content across every DLNA capable client on their home network, utilizing the Plex Media Server's friendly user interface.

We have already setupped the Raspberry Pi to download files from internet and share them wirelessly over network acting as an NAS. Now it's time to further enhance this functionality to share multimedia content (audio/video/images) using DLNA protocol so our Raspberry Pi can act as an self contained multimedia downloader and server.

Enabling DLNA allows compatible networked device like TV's, cellphones, music systems and computers to enable seamless sharing and playback of digital media between devices. DLNA uses Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) for media management, discovery and control. Follow the instructions ahead to install and configure popular Linux DLNA server utility MiniDLNA on Raspberry Pi running Raspbian.

Imagine the fun of mirroring your computer, smartphone or tablet screen to a large display without requiring any wires or messing with configurations, WiFi Direct (Intel’s WiDi) is one such technology amongst many like DLNA and AirPlay which are already available in many mainstream consumer products like Sony Bravia displays and Android, iOS devices. To make things standard the Wi-Fi Alliance has now introduced the Miracast wireless display standard, Miracast will be the standardized protocol for devices and displays to connect easily and start streaming in few seconds, ensuring full compatibility between various devices and vendors.

To get things started nVidia the manufacturer of leading mobile chip Tegra has announced that devices powered by their platform will get incorporated with Miracast enabling users to stream pictures, HD videos, and high-performance games effortlessly without lag. A video demonstration of this technology is posted below.