DLNA/UPnP Control
Overview
Control DLNA/UPnP MediaRenderer devices (smart TVs, speakers) on the local network. Uses async_upnp_client library for SSDP discovery and SOAP-based device control.
When to Use
- Need to discover and list DLNA devices on LAN
- Play media URLs on smart TVs or DLNA speakers
- Control playback (play, pause, stop, seek)
- Query current transport/position status
- Set default device for simplified operations
- Build CLI or Python API for DLNA device control
Core Pattern
1. Device Discovery
from async_upnp_client import SsdpListener
async def discover_media_renderers(timeout: float = 5.0) -> list[DeviceInfo]:
"""Discover all MediaRenderer devices on network"""
listener = SsdpListener()
await listener.async_start()
await asyncio.sleep(timeout)
devices = []
for usn, location in listener.unique_locations():
device = await listener.async_get_device(location)
if device and "MediaRenderer" in device.device_type:
devices.append(DeviceInfo(
name=device.friendly_name,
udn=device.udn,
location=location
))
await listener.async_stop()
return devices
2. Media Playback Control
from async_upnp_client import AsyncUPnPClient, AVTransport
async def play_media(device_url: str, media_url: str, title: str = None):
"""Play media URL on DLNA device"""
async with httpx.AsyncClient() as client:
device = await UPnPDevice.async_get_device(device_url, client=client)
av_transport = device.service("urn:schemas-upnp-org:service:AVTransport:1")
# Build DIDL-Lite metadata
metadata = f'''<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<DIDL-Lite xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
xmlns:upnp="urn:schemas-upnp-org:metadata-1-0/upnp/">
<item id="0" parentID="0" restricted="0">
<dc:title>{title or 'Media'}</dc:title>
<res protocolInfo="http-get:*:video/mp4:*">{media_url}</res>
</item>
</DIDL-Lite>'''
await av_transport.action("Stop", InstanceID=0)
await av_transport.action("SetAVTransportURI", InstanceID=0, CurrentURI=media_url, CurrentURIMetaData=metadata)
await av_transport.action("Play", InstanceID=0, Speed="1")
3. Transport Status Query
async def get_playback_status(av_transport) -> dict:
"""Query current playback state"""
info = await av_transport.action("GetTransportInfo", InstanceID=0)
position = await av_transport.action("GetPositionInfo", InstanceID=0)
return {
"state": info.get("CurrentTransportState"), # PLAYING, PAUSED, STOPPED
"position": position.get("RelTime"),
"duration": position.get("TrackDuration")
}
Quick Reference
| Action | Method |
|---|
| Discover devices | SsdpListener().unique_locations() |
| Play | AVTransport.action("Play", InstanceID=0, Speed="1") |
| Pause | AVTransport.action("Pause", InstanceID=0) |
| Stop | AVTransport.action("Stop", InstanceID=0) |
| Seek | AVTransport.action("Seek", InstanceID=0, Unit="REL_TIME", Target="01:00:00") |
| Volume | RenderingControl.action("SetVolume", InstanceID=0, DesiredVolume=50) |
| Status | AVTransport.action("GetTransportInfo", InstanceID=0) |
Common Mistakes
| Issue | Fix |
|---|
| SSDP timeout | Increase timeout to 5-10s; check firewall allows UDP 1900 |
| Play fails silently | Verify media URL is accessible from TV network; check content type |
| Wrong content type | Match protocolInfo to actual MIME type (video/mp4, audio/wav) |
| Device not found | Use exact UDN or IP:port from discovery; check device supports MediaRenderer |
CLI Framework
Use Click for CLI:
import click
import asyncio
@click.group()
def cli():
"""DLNA/UPnP Media Controller"""
pass
@cli.command()
@click.option("--timeout", "-t", default=5)
def discover(timeout):
"""Discover DLNA devices on network"""
...
@cli.command()
@click.argument("media_url")
@click.option("--device", "-d")
def play(media_url, device):
"""Play media URL"""
...
Dependencies
dependencies = [
"async_upnp_client>=0.36.0",
"click>=8.0.0",
"httpx>=0.25.0",
]
