Communications and Technology Industry Research

With more and more consumers demanding simple yet robust management for their digital content on various devices, including mobile phones and desktop PCs, manufacturers are designing their products using industry standards to ensure interoperability.

 

For example, network protocols developed by the Digital Living Network Alliance are quietly gaining momentum because they allow home network devices to connect seamlessly. ABI Research (News - Alert) recently examined media networking software frameworks and projected that devices complying with DLNA standards and/or Universal Plug and Play will account for more than 2.7 billion shipments by 2012.

 

“Universal Plug and Play enabled the first phase of the home network market by helping consumers connect their PCs to routers and gateways for Internet sharing,” ABI analyst Michael Wolf said in a statement. “DLNA, a software framework which uses UPnP as well as other higher level standards, is going to help the overall home network market move beyond basic connectivity to link a variety of devices to the network and enable new connected entertainment use-case scenarios.”

 

The recent approval of UPnP by the International Standards Organization made it an officially approved standard.

 

“The new battleground in the delivery of entertainment services in the home spans the entire dwelling and crosses service domains,” Wolf said. “Cable, mobile, satellite, and IP-based providers have all begun to back these important software frameworks as a way to extend their reach from single-point devices to multiple devices, to enable ‘anytime and anywhere’ consumption of content.”