“Consumers increasingly desire ways to connect their various home entertainment devices and distribute digital media content around their homes,” says digital home practice director Jason Blackwell. “Without standardization, that is a nightmare. Fortunately, specifications developed by the DLNA, which are based on the UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) standard, enable easy, seamless connections in a wide and growing range of consumer electronics devices.”

As of today, more than 5,500 devices, including products bearing many famous brand names, have received the DLNA seal of approval. Digital TVs are a huge part of this growth, with more than 170 TVs certified in the first six months of 2009 alone.

Blackwell expects the inclusion of DLNA support in the upcoming Windows 7 operating system to give DLNA a further push into the living room and beyond. “You could, for example, use a computer running Windows 7 to push a sequence of stored photos out to a digital picture frame,” he says. “Much of this new Windows functionality will be implemented through the new version of Windows Media Player, which will have a ‘Play to’ command, allowing the user to choose among several DLNA-networked playback devices to display a particular video or other media file.” Windows 7 is scheduled to make its public debut in October.

The next phase of this developing market will see increased participation by broadband service providers, with set-top boxes and gateways becoming an important part of the home network.

The new ABI Research report “Home Network Software Technologies and Markets” evaluates the main home networking software standards. In addition, it presents forecasts for UPnP- and DLNA-certified devices. Also included is a discussion of the direction each of these technologies is taking as the home network continues to evolve.

It forms part of the Home Networking Research Service.

ABI Research provides in-depth analysis and quantitative forecasting of emerging trends in global connectivity. From offices in North America, Europe and Asia, ABI Research’s worldwide team of experts advise thousands of decision makers through research and advisory services in eight key practice areas. Est. 1990. For more information visit www.abiresearch.com, or call +1.516.624.2500.

Audinate has created the world’s first truly compliant IP over Ethernet networking solution for the professional Audio/Visual (AV) industry. Having solved the problem of transporting high quality real-time media over standard multi-use TCP/IP computer networks, Audinate’s networking solution, Dante(TM), provides a high performance media transport that is tightly synchronized, with sub-millisecond latency. Audinate’s patent-pending networking solution provides a no-hassle, self-configuring, plug-and-play digital audio network that uses standard Internet Protocols. Dante is a scalable solution that works on both 100Mbits and 1Gigabit Ethernet.

“Audinate brings a level of performance to the marketplace above the existing CobraNet standard,” said Mark Pinske, General Manager of Media Matrix, Crest Audio and Architectural Acoustics. “Contractors should take advantage of Dante’s higher bandwidth, lower latency and trouble free configuration that is now available to them.”

Audinate’s solution simplifies network installation due to its innovative automatic device discovery and system configuration capability. With this capability, specialized skills are no longer needed to set-up and manage an audio and video media network.

“Peavey’s MediaMatrix solution is recognized as one of the market leaders of large scale networked audio systems in stadiums, airports, casinos, hotels, theaters, education and government facilities,” said Lee Ellison, CEO of Audinate. “We are thrilled that Peavey continues to broaden the adoption of Audinate’s solution across their product offering.”

About Audinate
Audinate is a leading provider of media networking products and solutions that deliver professional quality audio and video over Ethernet. Using Audinate’s patent pending networking solution, digital media networking just got easy. Audinate’s solution has been licensed by customers across the AV industry and can be found in installations and live sound applications globally. Audinate offices are located in US and Australia. Visit www.audinate.com for the latest news and information on the company.

"Play to" and "Print to" functions let users send content to a rendering device such as a digital photo frame, TV or printer. This extends the traditional concept of players and servers to add a third device, digital media controller. Digital media controllers are useful for sending photos, video and audio to display devices which have inaccessible or no integrated controls. An example is a mobile handheld device or PC pushing content from a networked attached storage (NAS) server to a networked digital photo frame in another room using "Play to" functionality. "Print to" products let users send photos from a remote server to a printer.

DLNA expects to certify the first "Play to" and "Print to" products in the first quarter of 2009.

Products which successfully complete the DLNA Certification & Logo program are granted use of the "DLNA CERTIFIED" logo. This signifies to consumers that the product has been tested with the reference devices and the DLNA developed Conformance Test Tool (CTT) as well as meets DLNA Interoperability Guidelines. More than 3,100 products have been certified by DLNA since the inception of the certification program in 2005.

"DLNA product certification continues to gain momentum with vendors worldwide," says Scott Smyers, chairman of the DLNA board of directors and senior vice president of Sony. "Today’s announcement is another example of how we are continuing to expand our Certification programs to address the applications most important to consumers’ digital living experience."

"The connected home product category is driven by DLNA," says Kurt Scherf, vice president and principal analyst of Parks Associates. "Expansions to the DLNA Certification program announced today add even more value to the home networking marketplace, by ensuring devices have been thoroughly tested in accordance with the DLNA Interoperability Guidelines, and adhere to a robust set of widely accepted industry standards."

About DLNA

Members of Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) share a vision of an interoperable network of personal computers (PC), consumer electronics (CE), mobile devices and service providers in and beyond the home, enabling a seamless environment for sharing and growing new digital media and content services. Founded in 2003, the group established and maintains a platform of interoperability based on open and established industry standards that, when used by manufacturers will support the sharing of media through wired or wireless networks. More than 240 multi-industry companies from around the world have joined DLNA, committing the time and resources necessary to achieve their vision. DLNA’s 2009 Promoter Members include: Access, Awox, Broadcom, Cisco, Comcast, HP, Huawei, IBM, Intel, Kenwood, LG, Macrovision, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, NXP, Panasonic, Philips, Pioneer, Samsung, Sharp, Sony and Toshiba. Additional information about the alliance, its participating companies and membership benefits is available at www.dlna.org.

SANTA CLARA, Calif., December 15, 2008 – HomeGrid Forum, a global, non-profit trade group promoting International Telecommunication Union’s Standardization Sector (ITU-T) G.hn standardization efforts for next-generation home networking, today announced that ITU-T has successfully Consented the PHY and architecture portions of the ITU-T G.hn specification at its Geneva meeting held at the United Nations, December 1-12. The ITU is a global standards body that is under the auspices of the United Nations. Comprising more than 185 member countries, the ITU sets standards for global networks. This Consent demonstrates significant momentum for G.hn and helps establish one global networking standard for the exploding digital home market.

“We applaud ITU’s success in achieving this major milestone,” said Matthew Theall, president of HomeGrid Forum. “This achievement allows chipset providers to begin design of silicon which will be used to create new products that will form the foundation for next-generation whole-home networking. HomeGrid Forum continues to be committed to driving the rapid and broad adoption of G.hn technology in the consumer electronics, PC, and service provider markets.”

The G.hn standard is aimed to deliver a single unified technology for the wired home network that addresses key issues for service providers, electronics manufacturers, and consumers alike. Through one worldwide standard, G.hn will unify the networking of content and devices over any wire — coax cable, phone, and power lines. With it, ITU enables service providers to deploy new offerings including IPTV more cost effectively; allows consumer electronics manufacturers to provide powerful devices for connecting all types of entertainment, home automation, and security products throughout the house; and greatly simplifies consumer purchasing and installation processes.

“There’s a clear market need for a unified networking approach,” said Malcolm Johnson, director, ITU’s Telecommunication Standardization Bureau. “We appreciate the efforts of the HomeGrid Forum in bringing about commercial products that effectively deliver on the promise of G.hn, and look forward to continued cooperation between our two organizations to help streamline the provision of advanced, multimedia services in homes throughout the world.”

HomeGrid Forum members share their extensive technical and marketplace expertise to make well-vetted and impactful G.hn technology contributions to ITU-T. On December 19th, the organization will host a webinar covering the consent and its implications for the consumer market. The event will begin at 10am PST. For additional details on the webcast, please visit https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/110360035. HomeGrid Forum is also actively developing compliance and interoperability test programs for the G.hn standard.  These programs will simplify the development, purchase, installation and use of HomeGrid Forum-Certified products through the entire ecosystem of silicon providers, service providers, CE companies, PC companies, retailers, and consumers.  Finally, HomeGrid Forum continues to seek new members that can help drive the success of G.hn. To learn more about becoming a HomeGrid member, please visit www.HomeGridForum.org/join.

About ITU
ITU is the leading United Nations agency for information and communication technology issues, and the global focal point for governments and the private sector in developing networks and services. For more than 140 years, ITU has coordinated shared global use of the radio spectrum, promoted international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, worked to improve telecommunication infrastructure in the developing world, and established the worldwide standards that assure seamless interconnection of a vast range of communications systems.

ITU also organizes worldwide and regional exhibitions and forums bringing together the most influential representatives of government and the telecommunications industry to exchange ideas, knowledge and technology for the benefit of the global community, and in particular the developing world.

From broadband Internet to latest-generation wireless technologies, from aeronautical and maritime navigation to radio astronomy and satellite-based meteorology, from phone and fax services to TV broadcasting and next-generation networks, ITU is committed to connecting the world.

About G.hn
The members of the ITU-T’s G.hn Rapporteur Group are creating a specification for a single MAC/PHY technology which can run over coaxial cable, phone lines, or power lines. G.hn participants include service providers, consumer electronics and information technology manufacturers, and component and intellectual property providers from around the world.

About HomeGrid Forum
HomeGrid Forum is a global, non-profit trade group promoting the International Telecommunication Union’s G.hn standardization efforts for next-generation home networking. HomeGrid Forum promotes adoption of G.hn through technical and marketing efforts, addresses certification and interoperability of G.hn-compliant products, and cooperates with complementary industry alliances.

A lower cost CobraNet-based solution, CobraNet LE technology helps to lower the barrier of entry into networked digital audio over Ethernet for those customers who are still developing traditional analog audio networks.

Read the full press release: Cirrus Logic’s CobraNet LE offers cost effective CobraNet solution for wall, ceiling speakers

At the touch of a button, you can then:

• Access videos, music, and photos stored on your PC
• View Picasa Web Albums
• Play your favorite YouTube videos

Links:

• From the desktop to your TV (Google Desktop blog)