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+What is Rygel?
+=============
+
+Rygel is a home media solution that allows you to easily share audio, video and
+pictures, and control of media player on your home network. In technical terms
+it is both a UPnP AV MediaServer and MediaRenderer implemented through a plug-in
+mechanism. Interoperability with other devices in the market is achieved by
+conformance to very strict requirements of DLNA and on the fly conversion of
+media to format that client devices are capable of handling.
+
+Important facts and features
+============================
+
+  * Based on GUPnP.
+  * Written largely in Vala language.
+  * Provides APIs to ease the implementation of AV devices.
+  * Export of on-disk media:
+    * Tracker plugin.
+    * MediaExport plugin: Recursively exports folders and files specified in the user configuration. This plugin supports all types of URIs that gio/gvfs and gstreamer can handle.
+  * Export of media hierarchies provided by external applications through
+    implementation of D-Bus MediaServer spec. Applications that utilize
+    this feature are:
+    * DVB Daemon
+    * Rhythmbox
+  * Export of GStreamer pipelines as media items on the network, specified
+    through gst-launch syntax in the user configuration.
+  * Audio and Video Transcoding: source format could be anything GStreamer's
+    decodebin2 can handle but output formats are currently limited to: mp3, PCM
+    and MPEG TS. Fortunately the transcoding framework is flexible enough to
+    easily add more transcoding targets.
+  * Standalone MediaRenderer plugin based on GStreamer playbin element.
+  * Export of media players that implement MPRIS2 D-Bus interface, as
+    MediaRenderer devices. Known implementing applications are:
+    * Rhythmbox
+    * VLC
+
+Requirements
+============
+
+  * Build-time:
+    * Core:
+      * gupnp
+      * gupnp-av
+      * gstreamer
+      * gio (part of glib source package)
+      * libgee
+      * libsoup
+      * libmediaart
+      * vala (not if building from release tarballs)
+    * Preferences UI:
+      * gtk+
+    * MediaExport:
+      * sqlite3
+      * gupnp-dlna
+  * Run-time:
+    * Definitely needed:
+      * gst-plugins-base
+      * shared-mime-info
+    * Might be needed (depending on your usage and media collection):
+      * gst-plugins-good
+      * gst-libav
+      * gst-plugins-bad
+      * gst-plugins-ugly
+
+To build without gstreamer, use:
+  ```--with-media-engine=simple```
+This will also disable any plugins that use gstreamer.
+
+References
+==========
+
+  * http://www.dlna.org
+  * http://www.upnp.org
+  * http://www.gupnp.org
+  * http://www.vala-project.org
+  * http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_server
+  * http://www.upnp.org/specs/av/UPnP-av-MediaServer-v2-Device-20060531.pdf
+  * https://wiki.gnome.org/Projects/Tracker
+  * https://wiki.gnome.org/Projects/DVBDaemon
+  * https://wiki.gnome.org/Projects/Rygel/MediaServer2Spec
+  * http://www.mpris.org/2.0/spec/
+