Install, set up and play content with LG SmartShare and SW DLNA software

With the help of LG SmartShare Plus technology, it is possible to transfer multimedia content to the TV from computers, tablets or smartphones via a wireless connection. Content is received using the SW DLNA program, also developed by the Korean manufacturer.

General description of SmartShare technology

The SW DLNA program is a technology that enables devices connected to the same network and supporting DLNA technology to exchange media content. Currently, almost all devices support this technology.

SmartShare is LG’s proprietary application. It is even called a shell when working with SW DLNA.

The technology provides easy access to musical materials, videos, photos from one device. With this application, you can send your favorite media files from computers, tablets, laptops, smartphones directly to your TV. This does not require any wires. Previously, for such data transfer, you had to connect to a TV using a cable, but now it is enough to download and install a licensed program.

Installation and configuration of the LV SmartShare program

To set up a computer or smartphone to work with the SmartShare application, you need to make sure that both devices (TV and external media) are connected to the same cable or Wi-Fi network (to the same router). You will also need to install SmartShare PC SW DLNA software. You can download LG Smart Share
from the official website .

General scheme of installation and configuration

After downloading, you need to unzip the archive and run the setup.exe installation file. Installation takes place in standard mode and should not cause difficulties. This process requires only a few keystrokes (“Install”, “Continue”, “Confirm” and “Finish”). Once the installation is complete, launch SmartShare on your desktop and follow these steps:

1. In the main window, select any of the items: Movie, Photo or Music.
2. At the top right, you need to click “Settings” and wait for the picture with the blue “ON” notification to appear.
3. Go to “My shared files” after clicking on the corresponding button on the left. You will see that the standard Windows shared folders have already been accessed. To make other folders available, they must be added to this list. To do this, press the key with the folder at the top right.
4. In the TV menu, go to the SmartShare item and select the “Connected device” tab on the left. Open the DLNA server with the Smart Share icon.

The setup process is complete. Setting up Smart Share for LG TV: https://youtu.be/VhHc6nq90Es

Setting up DLNA using Windows Media

First, the Windows Media Player (abbreviated as WM) is launched, then you should go to the “Stream” tab and check the two boxes:

• “Permission of remote access to the player”;
• “Automatic permission for devices to play the user’s media.”

The process will be completed. Next, on the TV, go to the Smart Share menu and watch files in the shared folders: Music, Video and Pictures. When setting up the server using the WM player, only the standard folders will be displayed on the TV. In order not to resort to copying the necessary media files into standard folders, you will need to add your folders to the library – then they will appear on the TV. Adding your movie folder to Windows Media follows this algorithm:

1. You need to open the WM player and click on the left button “Organize”. Hover over “Manage Libraries” and select “Video”.
2. In the new window, click on the “Add…” button. Select a folder with media files on your PC, select it and click “Add Folder”.
3. A list with standard and added folders will appear. You can add other folders or delete existing ones.

All media files from the folders will appear on the TV in the DLNA server that was created using the standard player.

The convenience of this method is that there is no need to install special programs.

https://youtu.be/KNbaRai5cAU

Playing content with SmartShare LG

After completing the setup process, it’s time to launch the media content. For this you need:

1. Go to SmartTV and select SmartShare.
2. On the new model with webOS, select SmartShare, go to the “Connected Devices” tab and select the server created on the PC.
3. Open the required folder and launch the desired movie or song.

Procedure completed. In tabs with media content, all materials from folders open on a computer or mobile device will be visible.

If the DLNA server on the PC is not visible, but SmartShare was configured correctly there and the TV and the computer are connected to the same network, then you will need to disable the antivirus or firewall. After that, you need to check the SmartShare settings and reboot the external device and TV. You also need to make sure that the TV is connected to the router.

To control media playback using SmartShare from your computer:

1. Right-click on the SmartShare icon in the lower right corner and open it.
2. In a small window, you will need to make a choice between video, photo and music, but such switching can also be done within the program itself.
3. To play media files, you need to right-click on the selected file, click “Play with” and select the name of the TV.

The playback process will start on the TV, and on the computer in the window that opens, it will be possible to control the playback process.

There is no need to search for content directly on the TV. The program has other interesting features – for example, you can make a list of media files to run them in turn.

Possible problems and solutions

The following issues may occur when playing content using SmartShare:

1. The computer does not see the TV, and the TV, on the contrary, does not see the external device . You need to make sure that the computer and TV are connected, which must be done using the same router. Perhaps temporarily disabling the antivirus or firewall on the PC will help. After that, you should restart the devices.
2. During the playback of large movies, everything freezes, slows down . This difficulty may lie in the insufficient speed of the Internet. As a rule, such cases occur while watching movies through a Wi-Fi network. Possible ways to solve the problem:
   • connection with a network cable;
   • using an external hard drive or flash drive;
   • connection using an HDMI cable.

The process of connecting and configuring SmartShare from LG and the SW DLNA program in reality is much faster than described in the article. The setup needs to be done only once, at the very beginning, in the future only by adding new media files. With a good Wi-Fi speed, problems when playing content are practically excluded.