UPnP questions

[cat6man]

There is a UPnP setting in the web admin.
What is this used for?
I see that the latest HDTV-capable media players will
operate wtih UPnP (e.g. IOdata linkplayer2).

Exactly what is UPnP?
How does it enable playing back video?
Can it be used (assuming someone built a client that way)
to let us record with BTV from the client device????

[cat6man]

bump...........

anyone out there (including Snapstream folks) want to
give this one a try?

[bnflaherty]

the uPNP deal is a server component that will display the recordings for devices that can attach to uPNP network devices...

Go ahead and enable it -- and see it it works!

[cat6man]

i assume i'd need a UPnP media client to use it though, right?.....i only
have a mediaMVP right now which doesn't use UPnP.

i'm looking at getting an IODATA linkplayer2 (or JVC variant next month)
now that i have just gotten a HDTV.....it can play back TS and mpg up to 1080i over hdmi..... believe it supports UPnP today

one more question though that gets to the crux of my query:
does UPnP set a framework for
us (i.e. BTV) being able to control recordings and delete recordings
remotely (assuming the client is set up to do so)?
in other words, could UPnP be a platform on which partner companies
could build client devices to interwork with BTV?
.....sort of like the BTV-over-MVP plugin but with full liveTV, etc.

[bnflaherty]

it basically gives access to other devices the recordings -- fairly simple... Makes the BTV machine a Media Server -- the uPNP function is not to control BTV at all..

[nanook105]

It would be nice to have a running list of devices that people have gotten to work with BTV's UPnP server.

I have a govideo 2730D, but I have never tried to connect it to BTV. Maybe I'll give it a shot this weekend.

[JoeDornan]

Also, it would be nice to see a list of software one can use on other computers in the house to stream the contents from the BTV server. I think nero makes a software UPnP "renderer" as they're called.

Cheers,
-joe

[montego]

I'm using a D-Link DSM-320 and the BTV UPnP server works well with it. One bad thing is that fast-forward/rewind won't work because D-Link uses some sort of proprietary code that is not UPnP compatible. Also, I cannot get files that I've run through IGCutter using SmartChapters to play without hanging, although they work fine when playing directly through BTV on the PC. So, I'm stuck watching shows with commercials. The files do look good on the DSM.

As far as other server software, TwonkyVision 2.9 seems to play the files OK. I could not get the TVersity or the D-Link media server software to play BTV files over the DSM. My DSM is upgraded with the latest USA firmware and server.

[Mobious]

Isnt UPnP a REALLY big security problem?

[funchords]

Originally Posted by Mobious

Isnt UPnP a REALLY big security problem?

Like any network feature, don't expose it if you aren't using it. The risks were overblown a few years ago.

I'm pretty careful about what I run, and I do run UPnP.

[Mobious]

I guess it would be ok if you didnt enable UPnP on your router...or what ever your gateway is to the internet..

[funchords]

Originally Posted by Mobious

I guess it would be ok if you didnt enable UPnP on your router...or what ever your gateway is to the internet..

If you felt like that was a risk.

It's like anything else. There are specific issues, they get generalized, and then the whole thing gets trashed in the rumor mill. See the below article for some facts.

http://www.sans.org/resources/malwarefaq/win_upnp.php

To compare, ftp has a number of known exploits -- but it's still well used. Apache, even with a long list of vulnerabilities, is the most popular web server around. UPnP has just gotten a bad rap.

UPnP announcements traverse the firewall sometimes because its broadcast on the segment. Your own systems broadcast beyond your gateway (by default), but there is a registry entry that can limit the scope of that (see the DownloadScope mention in the above linked article). Even without that entry, most firewalls will block the next logical step -- which is a connection to whatever it is that is responding (or that you're responding to).

UPnP on the router (or gateway) invites your OS and other UPnP-enabled programs to open the necessary ports to allow <B>incoming</B> traffic. (Some people are under the false impression that if they don't enable UPnP, their programs cannot make an outgoing connection to phone home.)

In my house, where users only have "Limited User" privileges and I install all of the software, I feel that it is safe and easier to run with UPnP open. If I don't trust the OS or program that might open a port, it doesn't get installed.

If I was in the situation where I didn't have that level of control, I would not run with UPnP open.

[Mobious]

Great thanks for the info! From what I gather from the link you provided the "Major" problems with UPnP have be fixed.. I might just start using it..

What benifits could I see if I enabled it with BTV?