diff --git a/src/Jellyfin.Plugin.Dlna/Didl/DidlBuilder.cs b/src/Jellyfin.Plugin.Dlna/Didl/DidlBuilder.cs
index 150fb49..9160d8a 100644
--- a/src/Jellyfin.Plugin.Dlna/Didl/DidlBuilder.cs
+++ b/src/Jellyfin.Plugin.Dlna/Didl/DidlBuilder.cs
@@ -239,6 +239,17 @@ public class DidlBuilder
         writer.WriteFullEndElement();
     }
 
+    private string sanitize(string input)
+    {
+        var valid = input.Where(ch => System.Xml.XmlConvert.IsXmlChar(ch)).ToArray();
+        if (valid.Length == input.Length)
+        {
+            return input;
+        }
+        _logger.LogInformation("Sanitized: {0} (was: {1})", valid, input.Where(ch => true).ToArray());
+        return new string(valid);
+    }
+
     private void AddVideoResource(XmlWriter writer, BaseItem video, string deviceId, Filter filter, StreamInfo? streamInfo = null)
     {
         if (streamInfo is null)
@@ -1009,7 +1020,7 @@ public class DidlBuilder
             writer.WriteStartElement("upnp", "artist", NsUpnp);
             writer.WriteAttributeString("role", "AlbumArtist");
 
-            writer.WriteString(name);
+            writer.WriteString(sanitize(name));
 
             writer.WriteFullEndElement();
         }
@@ -1023,7 +1034,7 @@ public class DidlBuilder
     {
         try
         {
-            writer.WriteElementString(prefix, name, namespaceUri, value);
+            writer.WriteElementString(prefix, name, namespaceUri, sanitize(value));
         }
         catch (XmlException ex)
         {
diff --git a/src/Jellyfin.Plugin.Dlna/PlayTo/PlayToController.cs b/src/Jellyfin.Plugin.Dlna/PlayTo/PlayToController.cs
index 4d822e2..9105d46 100644
--- a/src/Jellyfin.Plugin.Dlna/PlayTo/PlayToController.cs
+++ b/src/Jellyfin.Plugin.Dlna/PlayTo/PlayToController.cs
@@ -386,34 +386,38 @@ public class PlayToController : ISessionController, IDisposable
             ? null :
             _userManager.GetUserById(command.ControllingUserId);
 
-        var items = new List<BaseItem>();
-        foreach (var id in command.ItemIds)
-        {
-            AddItemFromId(id, items);
-        }
-
         var startIndex = command.StartIndex ?? 0;
-        int len = items.Count - startIndex;
-        if (startIndex > 0)
-        {
-            items = items.GetRange(startIndex, len);
-        }
-
-        var playlist = new PlaylistItem[len];
-
-        // Not nullable enabled - so this is required.
-        playlist[0] = CreatePlaylistItem(
-            items[0],
-            user,
-            command.StartPositionTicks ?? 0,
-            command.MediaSourceId ?? string.Empty,
-            command.AudioStreamIndex,
-            command.SubtitleStreamIndex);
+	var playlist = new List<PlaylistItem>();
+	var first = true;
+	foreach (var id in command.ItemIds) {
+            var item = _libraryManager.GetItemById(id);
+            if (item?.MediaType != MediaType.Audio && item?.MediaType != MediaType.Video)
+            {
+		continue;
+            }
 
-        for (int i = 1; i < len; i++)
-        {
-            playlist[i] = CreatePlaylistItem(items[i], user, 0, string.Empty, null, null);
-        }
+	    if (startIndex > 0) {
+		startIndex -= 1;
+		continue;
+	    }
+
+	    PlaylistItem? playlistItem = null;
+	    try {
+		playlistItem = CreatePlaylistItem(item, user,
+		    first ? (command.StartPositionTicks ?? 0) : 0,
+		    first ? (command.MediaSourceId ?? string.Empty) : string.Empty,
+		    first ? command.AudioStreamIndex : null,
+		    first ? command.SubtitleStreamIndex : null);
+	    } catch (System.NullReferenceException) {
+		_logger.LogError("{0}: could not create playlist item.", item.Path ?? "<unknown>");
+	    }
+	    first = false;
+
+	    if (playlistItem != null)
+	    {
+		playlist.Add(playlistItem);
+	    }
+	}
 
         _logger.LogDebug("{0} - Playlist created", _session.DeviceName);
 
@@ -509,15 +513,6 @@ public class PlayToController : ISessionController, IDisposable
         return info.IsDirectStream;
     }
 
-    private void AddItemFromId(Guid id, List<BaseItem> list)
-    {
-        var item = _libraryManager.GetItemById(id);
-        if (item?.MediaType == MediaType.Audio || item?.MediaType == MediaType.Video)
-        {
-            list.Add(item);
-        }
-    }
-
     private PlaylistItem CreatePlaylistItem(
         BaseItem item,
         User? user,