Install, configure and play content using LG SmartShare and SW DLNA software

Using LG SmartShare Plus technology, it is possible to wirelessly transfer multimedia content from computers, tablets or smartphones to the TV. The content is received using SW DLNA, also developed by a Korean manufacturer.

General description of SmartShare technology

SW DLNA is a technology that enables DLNA-enabled devices connected to the same network to exchange media content. Currently, this technology is supported on almost all devices.

SmartShare is a proprietary LG application. It is even called a shell in SW DLNA.

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

Installing and configuring the LV SmartShare program

To set up your 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 unpack the archive and run the setup.exe installation file. Installation takes place in standard mode and should not be difficult. Throughout this process, you only need to press a few keys (Install, Continue, Confirm and Finish). After the installation is complete, you need to 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 “Options” and wait for a picture with a blue alert “ON” 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 should 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 on the left, select the “Connected device” tab. Open DLNA server with Smart Share icon.

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

DLNA setup using Windows Media

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

• “Allowing remote access to the player”;
• “Automatic permission for devices to play user media.”

The process will be completed. Next, on the TV, go to the Smart Share menu and look at the files in the shared folders: Music, Videos and Pictures. When setting up a server using a WM player, only 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 own movie folder to Windows Media follows the following algorithm:

1. You need to open the WM player and click on the left button “Arrange”. The cursor should be placed on the “Library Management” 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 appears with standard and added folders. You can add other folders or delete existing ones.

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

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

https://youtu.be/KNbaRai5cAU

Playing Content with LG SmartShare

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 a 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 start the desired movie or song.

The procedure is complete. All materials from folders open on a computer or mobile device will be visible in the tabs with media content.

If the DLNA server is not visible on the PC, but SmartShare was configured there correctly 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 restart the external device and TV. You also need to make sure the TV is connected to the router.

To control media playback using SmartShare from your computer, you need to:

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 be done inside the program itself.
3. To play media files, 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 also has other interesting features – for example, you can make a list of media files to run in turn.

Potential problems and solutions

When playing content using SmartShare technology, the following problems may occur:

1. The computer does not see the TV, and the TV, on the contrary, does not see the external device . It is necessary to make sure that the computer and TV are connected, which should be carried out using the same router. Temporarily disabling your antivirus or firewall on your PC might help. After that, you should restart the devices.
2. During the playback of large movies, everything freezes, slows down . This difficulty may lie in insufficient Internet speed. Typically, this happens while watching movies over a Wi-Fi network. Possible solutions to 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 setting up LG SmartShare and SW DLNA software is actually much faster than described in the article. The setting needs to be done only once, at the very beginning, then only adding new media files. With a good Wi-Fi speed, problems with content playback are almost impossible.