Not totally video related, but relevant to what we author and what the industry is doing.
Tech Alliance on 'Digital Living' to Be Unveiled
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A group of 145 global electronics companies plans to announce on Tuesday an alliance to support the development of computers, home electronics and mobile devices that share digital content with one another.
The group, to be called the Digital Living Network Alliance, aims to develop the fledgling market for electronic devices that can easily send and share music, movies, television programs across the home.
The alliance will publish guidelines for building compliant consumer electronics, and will establish a seal of approval for products that meet those guidelines. A logo for certified products will be available early next year.
Details of the announcement are to be disclosed during a news conference to be held on Tuesday. An early glimpse of the group's plans, however, were briefly made public on Monday on the group's new Web site (http://www.dlna.org).
The creation of the alliance comes exactly a year after Intel Corp. (INTC.O: Quote, Profile, Research) and Sony Corp. (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) teamed up to promote a shared vision of consumer electronics.
Their organization, which had been called the Digital Home Working Group when it remained a less formal body, rapidly expanded as companies sought ways to tap into growing interest in digital content like music and video in the home.
"We pretty quickly realized that if everybody produced proprietary products here you have a missed opportunity," said Bob Gregory, an Intel executive on the group's board.
Despite early successes with portable music players that connect to home PCs, the notion of a "digital home" promoted heavily by companies like Intel has been mostly a mirage.
Fewer than 6 percent of Internet-connected homes have connected their home stereo or game console to their home computer network, according to a poll by The Diffusion Group, a Plano, Texas-based market research and consulting firm.
Part of the blame lies with marketing missteps by electronics companies that have mistaken consumer interest in the idea of a networked home with real demand for pricey products like networked DVD players and digital media adapters, said Michael Greeson, The Diffusion Group's president.
"When you see interest, that doesn't mean there's necessarily going to be immediate demand," Greeson said. "So much of it depends on ease of use. So much of it depends on whether or not there's compelling content that needs to be moved around the home."
SETTING A PLAN
The Digital Living Network Alliance includes companies that make PCs, mobile phones, and other consumer electronics.
The group is a collection of odd bedfellows. Members Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) and Nokia (NOK1V.HE: Quote, Profile, Research) are fierce competitors in developing software for mobile phones, while International Business Machines Corp. (IBM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ.N: Quote, Profile, Research) slug it out over computer sales.
Yet by agreeing upon standards, developing a logo, and supporting "plugfests" where devices from various companies can be tested for interoperability, the group hopes to create a major opportunity for all of its members.
Though PC companies have developed standards for audio, video, and networking, few consumer electronics products work with one another, a barrier the group is eager to address.
"Digital living extends that idea to reach beyond the home and to include sharing content while traveling, from the office, or any other possible scenario outside the home," the group said on its Web site.
Products based on the group's guidelines, which will be updated when new standards are developed, are expected to appear in the second half of the year, the group said.
Tech Alliance on 'Digital Living' to Be Unveiled
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A group of 145 global electronics companies plans to announce on Tuesday an alliance to support the development of computers, home electronics and mobile devices that share digital content with one another.
The group, to be called the Digital Living Network Alliance, aims to develop the fledgling market for electronic devices that can easily send and share music, movies, television programs across the home.
The alliance will publish guidelines for building compliant consumer electronics, and will establish a seal of approval for products that meet those guidelines. A logo for certified products will be available early next year.
Details of the announcement are to be disclosed during a news conference to be held on Tuesday. An early glimpse of the group's plans, however, were briefly made public on Monday on the group's new Web site (http://www.dlna.org).
The creation of the alliance comes exactly a year after Intel Corp. (INTC.O: Quote, Profile, Research) and Sony Corp. (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) teamed up to promote a shared vision of consumer electronics.
Their organization, which had been called the Digital Home Working Group when it remained a less formal body, rapidly expanded as companies sought ways to tap into growing interest in digital content like music and video in the home.
"We pretty quickly realized that if everybody produced proprietary products here you have a missed opportunity," said Bob Gregory, an Intel executive on the group's board.
Despite early successes with portable music players that connect to home PCs, the notion of a "digital home" promoted heavily by companies like Intel has been mostly a mirage.
Fewer than 6 percent of Internet-connected homes have connected their home stereo or game console to their home computer network, according to a poll by The Diffusion Group, a Plano, Texas-based market research and consulting firm.
Part of the blame lies with marketing missteps by electronics companies that have mistaken consumer interest in the idea of a networked home with real demand for pricey products like networked DVD players and digital media adapters, said Michael Greeson, The Diffusion Group's president.
"When you see interest, that doesn't mean there's necessarily going to be immediate demand," Greeson said. "So much of it depends on ease of use. So much of it depends on whether or not there's compelling content that needs to be moved around the home."
SETTING A PLAN
The Digital Living Network Alliance includes companies that make PCs, mobile phones, and other consumer electronics.
The group is a collection of odd bedfellows. Members Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) and Nokia (NOK1V.HE: Quote, Profile, Research) are fierce competitors in developing software for mobile phones, while International Business Machines Corp. (IBM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ.N: Quote, Profile, Research) slug it out over computer sales.
Yet by agreeing upon standards, developing a logo, and supporting "plugfests" where devices from various companies can be tested for interoperability, the group hopes to create a major opportunity for all of its members.
Though PC companies have developed standards for audio, video, and networking, few consumer electronics products work with one another, a barrier the group is eager to address.
"Digital living extends that idea to reach beyond the home and to include sharing content while traveling, from the office, or any other possible scenario outside the home," the group said on its Web site.
Products based on the group's guidelines, which will be updated when new standards are developed, are expected to appear in the second half of the year, the group said.