Connect KD-49XD8305 to PC

[willowozzy1]

We've just bought a new Android TV and I was hoping to be able to view photos stored on my PC through the TV.  Can this be done without using an HDMI cable?  Thanks

[rooobb]

AFAIK (but I do not use it anymore) Kodi can access resources on the network via SAMBA protocol, but if you get a request of user/password it is because you shared that with specific permission or do not shared anything (so just what Windows shares automatically for administration purposes and obviously is protected).

You should check and share the folder that you want you r tv to access. DLNA do not require it beacuse it assumes that you want to access those contents freely... but could be dangerous in term of security... whoever breach your network can access your multimedia contents

[royabrown]

Right, we press on.

I looked up serviio on Google, but it seemed the site had been hacked, as the Download' operation went to some scam site instead, and the main entry said there had been an error, But 'Version 1.8 released' seemed fine, and I downloaded the software and installed it without further incident.

Then the Console would not load, giving the error 'Shell_NotifyIconGetRect not found in SHELL32.dll' or words to that effect. Maybe this entry point is only found in later Windows versions?

But the alternative, browser-based Console load worked fine - even though, as far as I can see, it is referencing the same local copy of the Console - and I was able to teach it my Picture folder.

After which, serviio (Vista-PC) showed up just fine in the Album app on the TV, and I could at last view my pictures!

In Kodi it was more complicated (of course), but I eventually found Serviio (Vista-PC) lurking under uPNP devices, added it, and opened it under Pictures, where it now appears.

But no pictures were shown when I chose it. I could now see Actions/View Slideshow ungrayed, and I could choose it, but still nothing appeared,

Tantalisingly, there is a tiny circle in the middle of the right hand margin with a thumbnail I recognise as possibly one of the pictures in the folder (it is a ship), but other than that, nothing.

So Album can now see my pictures - hooray, so serviio wins the day, as per the advice above.

But Kodi still can't - and I don't know if this is a missing add-on, a misconfiguration, or a bug 😞

[royabrown]

---

@rooobb wrote:

AFAIK (but I do not use it anymore) Kodi can access resources on the network via SAMBA protocol, but if you get a request of user/password it is because you shared that with specific permission or do not shared anything (so just what Windows shares automatically for administration purposes and obviously is protected).

You should check and share the folder that you want you r tv to access. DLNA do not require it beacuse it assumes that you want to access those contents freely... but could be dangerous in term of security... whoever breach your network can access your multimedia contents

---

Yes! The folder was shared, but not with Everyone, I just shared it with Everyone, did not get asked for User/Password, and pictures appeared on the entry for my Picture folder in Kodi, under the original smb:/ access. And when I went in, there they all were. I can even start a slideshow.

i still can't see them under Serviio (Vista-PC), though.

And that hat little circle with a thumbnail of one of the pictures in has become a fixture on my screen now, even though I have shut Kodi down.

What put it there, and how do I get rid of it?

Edit: Looks like it got bored and went away of its own accord eventually. I'd still like to know, though.

[Anonymous]

@royabrown

Oh wah - Just went to serviio.org and it did go to a scam page.  Refreshed a few times and it directed me back to what it should be. 

[royabrown]

Wah indeed. Firefox blocked a redirection, and Avast! didn't trigger.

But I've run a full scan with Malwarebytes since, just to be sure nothing piratical swarmed aboard from that experience, and it does not look like it has, here.

But you would do well to do the same virus check...

[rooobb]

@royabrown just tried out Kodi only for you, I do not know very well the new interface but it seems indeed that it is not able to navigate the picture on a uPnp server. It just show one picture for any folder in it... 

[willowozzy1]

I can finally see my photos on my TV from my PC!  Not sure how it happened but I'm not using serviio or Kodi or anything else!  Just changed the share on the folders to Everyone as previously suggested, checked I could see my PC in Network Settings, Home Network and then went to Albums on main screen and hey presto - There they all are!  Only problem now is how to work out a way to do a slideshow as it is very slow scrolling through one at a time!!! Thanks everyone for looking into this and sorry I kicked off a can or worms!

[royabrown]

---

@rooobb wrote:

@royabrown just tried out Kodi only for you, I do not know very well the new interface but it seems indeed that it is not able to navigate the picture on a uPnp server. It just show one picture for any folder in it... 

---

Thanks, rooob. Just my luck that my first use of Kodi ran straight into a bug 😞

[Jonnie1266]

Hi,

I have just read this thread and I have to say that I was bewildered to say the least

Just create a Home Network on your PC and, as you say, allow to share with all devices on the network - hey presto photographs are viewable on the telly ! Also on any Blu-ray player, Play Station and in my house a Panasonic Blu-ray recorder just because it can.

Smart Home Networking (DLNA) allows you to watch the contents on Server equipment connected on the same network from Client equipment. You can share videos, photos and music stored in the DLNA Certified media server (such as a PC with Windows 7 installed etc.) Equipment can be either assigned as client or server depending on what you want to see on what device. It is this same functionality that enables watching recorded programmes from a downstairs recorder on an upstairs television for instance through the network regardless of HDMI connections.

I think people are too quick to download apps and unrequired software these days LOL

Pleased you have cracked it any way

Edit: P.S. I am sure my television has slide show and time interval between slides in the options menu when you are on the relevant screen. Can you check this ?

Regards

[royabrown]

---

@willowozzy1 wrote:

I can finally see my photos on my TV from my PC!  Not sure how it happened but I'm not using serviio or Kodi or anything else!  Just changed the share on the folders to Everyone as previously suggested, checked I could see my PC in Network Settings, Home Network and then went to Albums on main screen and hey presto - There they all are!  Only problem now is how to work out a way to do a slideshow as it is very slow scrolling through one at a time!!! Thanks everyone for looking into this and sorry I kicked off a can or worms!

---

Yes, making the share Everyone seems to be what does the trick - makes the user/password check go away, and lets you at your photos by smb (Samba), with no servers needed.

And as above, it looks like the server/Kodi option is actually buggy 😞

i now know how you get a slideshow option in Album - in the Action Menu - but if you try Kodi again, to the point where you hit the user/password test before, you should now find that's not in the way any more, and you can get into the folder with the pictures, after a brief load up of the metadata.

. And here, in Kodi, you can run a slideshow, with the option on the left hand side, I get to this by going down to the second row of pictures, and going left - if you do this on the top row, you hit the icon that takes you out, instead.