First, I think it would be helpful to clarify some things. These are things that I have found out through hours of research and experimentation. They are also fundamental to the success or failure of a network of DLNA devices and really should be made much more apparent to consumers of DLNA products. Until DLNA implementations evolve into more robust and complete devices that "just work", I believe frustration and disappointment will remain widespread.
DLNA certification is not an all or nothing guarantee. Just because both the NAS 110 and your Samsung TV have the DLNA logo doesn't mean that everything your TV is technically capable of playing will play through the DLNA service. If only it were that easy. DLNA Certified products cover a wide range of capabilites and so, there are twelve different DLNA device classes in three categories. "The DLNA Certified logo tells you that the product you’re looking at meets DLNA certification testing requirements. That means it has proven it can connect with other DLNA Certified devices." (quoted from dlna.org) So the only guarantee provided by the DLNA logos are that your TV and NAS 110 can say hi to each other, not that they are able to play all manner of media that might otherwise be possible. Essentially the NAS 110 is a basic network server that runs DLNA media server software in order to stream media to DLNA clients, or renderers, such as your Samsung TV. The capabilites of the devices and the DLNA media server software itself are often quite different. All parts of the chain must support a particualr file or format and it must be implemented through the DLNA model in order for it to work.
An explanation of the DLNA media format model and the specific subset of formats that DLNA devices might support can be found here. DLNA certification only requires at least one format from those listed be verified to work. Thus, the DLNA logo on the box is potentially misleading. Basic details about a product's DLNA certification, including which formats were tested, are available in a searchable database. According to dlna.org, the BlackArmor NAS 110 1TB (ST310005MNA10G-RK) has only officially been certified for MPEG and WMV as far as video playback is concerned. However, the NAS 110 is actually able to play more media types but it's essentially trial and error to figure out which additional file types/codecs work. The latest firmware update (1000.1081) added a much improved media server, although introducing new issues like not displaying file extensions! I have found that DivX/XviD, H.264, MPEG2, MPEG4(ASP), and WMV9 video formats all play for the most part. As for audio, MP3, MPEG-1/2, AC3, AAC are also generally supported by the NAS 110. Keep in mind there are specific variations within even these types of codecs that may not play.
"Media Service Upgrades
WiDMS 2.0 Media server upgrade, more robust than ever
Media Files can now play from any folder
Eliminated Drag and Sort
Added new media file type to the supported list (*.m4b, *.rmvb, *.rm,
*.m4v, *.divx, *.xvid, *.mkv, *.mts, *.flv using open source “ffmpeg”
library)"
The second point of clarification is that an AVI file is just a container that holds audio and video steams. Each of those streams are encoded with a particualr codec. The codec is what ultimately determines whether a file is compatible with your devices or not. This table gives a concise overview of all the various media file container types and which particular codecs they are capable of holding. As you can see, the AVI file format is very general and can actually contain many different types of streams. So saying the videos are AVI files doesn't really give any specific information about what type of audio and video streams they contain and therefore if they should be compatible. I use VLC to determe the actual codec information of most files, it can be found under the "Tools" menu. You will need to verify which codecs were used to created your AVI files and beyond that you may even have to consider the resolution, framerate, bit rate, and various other encoding options that may or may not be supported.
By now, one might think this is too complicated and frustrating...and I would say for the average consumer, it most definitely is. This is where the DLNA guidelines are working to reduce the number of variables involved to make the challenge of interconnecting devices manageable. "Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) is helping put an end to that frustration. A collaboration of the world’s leading consumer electronics, PC and mobile companies, DLNA has created design guidelines for a new generation of DLNA Certified products that can work together — no matter the brand." (again, quoted from dlna.org) Unfortunately, guidelines still allow for plenty of room for incompatibility...at least in my experience. FYI my home network of devices consists of two LG "Netcast" TV's, several computers (four XP, one Vista, two Win7), NAS 110 1TB as a shared network drive and media server, Nero MediaHome Essentials DLNA server software running on the Vista PC, and even my Samsung Vibrant which has the AllShare DLNA app. But hey, they're all DLNA certified...right??
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