Microsoft to enable Windows 8.1 Play To for non-certified DLNA devices

Windows 8 Play To features are great for sharing content to DLNA devices but it very frustrating when you select a DNLA device and it won’t work with Play To because it’s not been certified by Microsoft, many mainstream devices like Sonos’ systems are not certified and therefor will not work with Play To. It looks like Microsoft are removing the restrictions after receiving “overwhelming feedback”. In a post on Microsoft forums (as tweeted by @barbbowman) Microsoft say they have listen to feedback and in the coming months Windows Update will deliver the change meaning you should be able to share content via the Devices charm to any UPnP/DLNA render and not just the ones certified by Microsoft. It’s a very welcome change and just what we discussed on this week’s TDL Show. Microsoft certify DLNA devices to ensure a consistent experience but I think it’s better to be able to use any DLNA devices on your network and at least have the choice.

Hi folks. I wanted to update the community on a change that was driven based on the overwhelming feedback we heard. In the coming months, a Windows Update will come down which reverses the policy on media renderer devices not certified for Windows. Specifically, the Devices charm will (by default) show all media renderer devices, even those not certified for Windows.

Keep in mind, devices not certified for Windows 8 may not be compatible with modern formats used by websites and apps in the Store or playback controls such as volume, skip, or seek.

Thanks again to those who provided feedback in a constructive way. Keep it coming. We’re listening