With Windows 8 and Avast Internet Security I could stream data to my Smart TVs using Windows Media Player.
With Windows 8.1 and Avast Internet Security I cannot stream data to my Smart TVs using Windows Media Player.
I have downloaded the latest version of Avast.
I have checked the Avast Firewall settings for all Windows Media Player related applications and have set them to Friends In/Out and All Connections - this made no difference.
With Avast disabled I can stream data to my Smart TVs using Windows Media Player.
This suggests to me that there is some incompatibility between Windows 8.1 and Avast.
Same problem here, also with a Sony Blu-ray player (smart). Strangely enough, Real Player seems to be working fine on Roku 3 to stream movies from my PC (with Windows Networking In and Out set in AIS Firewall) but the Sony Blu-ray, which has, in the past, connected via Windows Media Player, cannot connect to the server unless I turn Avast IS firewall off. With firewall off, no problems from the Blu-ray player, but as soon as I turn it on, no connection to the server any longer. This, however, is with Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 not Win 8.1, so it isn’t a problem with Win 8.1 but with the firewall and Windows Media Player as a network service.