Experimental Branch Update: DLNA Playlist Support for VLC and Smart TVs

[Jstudner]

The experimental branch of Nomad now includes basic DLNA-style playlist support using standard .m3u files served directly from the ESP32-S3.

This is an early feature, and your feedback is incredibly valuable, especially if you're testing with a Smart TV or dedicated DLNA client!

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How It Works

A new endpoint /playlist.m3u has been added to the ESP32-S3 backend. This serves a structured M3U playlist file containing:

• Movies from the /Movies directory
• Show Episodes grouped by subdirectory (e.g. /Shows/GravityFalls/)
• Music from the /Music folder

The generated playlist includes streaming URLs pointing to the device’s IP (typically http://192.168.4.1 when in SoftAP mode), and keeps all episodes of a show together for easier viewing in VLC or a media player. (sorts alphabetically, but separated by directory)

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📡 Limitations

This setup does not support true DLNA auto-discovery (SSDP), due to the technical limits of the ESP32-S3's SoftAP mode:

• ❌ No UDP multicast support (required for SSDP)
• ❌ Smart TVs and VLC will not automatically detect the server
• ✅ However, you can manually open the playlist in any compatible client

If you're on a PC, laptop, or phone:

How to Use with VLC

1. Open VLC
2. Go to Media > Open Network Stream
3. Enter: http://192.168.4.1/playlist.m3u
4. Hit play!

This will stream all detected media directly from the SD card on the ESP32-S3 over WiFi. It will start from the top and play them in order, but you can select specific items and watch them individually. It also filters all .py and .jpg file types out so the jpg cover images and img.py script don't show up.

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Smart TV Support

Due to the discovery limitations mentioned above, Smart TV compatibility is still experimental.

I currently don’t have access to a Smart TV for testing, so if you’re able to try this with your device:

Please open an issue or discussion with details on what worked and what didn’t!
Even screenshots/pictures of your TV UI would be incredibly helpful.

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Future Plans: Nomad Studio

The next major version, possibly titled Nomad Studio , will run on more powerful hardware:

• 🎥 4K video support
• 📶 Dual-band WiFi
• 🌐 Real SSDP-based DLNA auto-discovery (with proper responses to M-SEARCH)
• 🧠 More robust media parsing and content-type handling

This will allow true DLNA compatibility with Smart TVs, VLC, and media players, without needing manual URLs. Auto discovery would be awesome, but I don't believe it is possible using softAP on the esp32. A new announcement will be up in a bit about a potential work around for the standard version of Nomad though.

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Contribute / Testers Wanted

This feature is still very new, and I’d love to hear what works and what doesn’t.

If you’ve tested this on:

• Smart TVs
• Android or iOS media players
• VLC or Kodi
• Anything else

Please open an issue or pull request with logs, screenshots, or suggestions!

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Thanks for supporting Nomad and helping push the boundaries of what's possible on the ESP32-S3

— Jackson Studner