Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) Essentials
Enabling bridges between services within a connected home

By: Bruce Bahlmann - Contributing Author (your feedback is important to us!)

Created: April 1, 2007

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In the case of DLNA, bridging devices is more 'opportunity based' in that it merely requires the presence of two or more DLNA capable devices on a home network. Today's BSP service bridges are much more formalized and require specific devices, applications, and back office coordination. So, building a DLNA service is created dynamically as the result of one DLNA device discovering another DLNA enabled device or application. The advent of DLNA means it is less likely that  STB is going to remain the bridge it once was. However STBs will have DLNA which will allow them to access other networked components within the subscriber's home and gain access this associated content. DLNA could be thought of as a look-ahead opportunity for BSPs, such that as they place DLNA equipment in the home, over time it will be used rather than immediately. However, where DLNA leaves off is where BSPs may find low hanging fruit. Currently DLNA creates an island of networked media within the home – just begging to be taken to the next level. The following represent some ways that BSPs could embrace DLNA, expand its current vocabulary, and extend its uses outside its 'currently' restricted domain:

• BSPs need to continue engaging with the standards group to ensure that their devices placed in consumer homes adhere to DLNA. The key is not to build proprietary silos of BSP specific features, but rather push the envelop of DLNA capabilities that would increasingly leverage their penetration of premium high definition content throughout the home.
• BSP provided user interfaces need to discover other DLNA equipment available on the consumer home network such as a THX receiver and give consumers the option to route the sound of their television programming through the THX sound system rather than the television speaker system. Today, this is haphazardly implemented by the consumer muting the sound on the television, picking up the remote control of the stereo, and then going back and forth between controlling sound and changing channels with different remotes. However future DLNA systems could do this with a single “system” remote.
• Like networked Personal Video Recorders (nPVR)s, BSPs could extend DLNA by hosting ultra reliable virtual DLNA devices such as a media server that offer consumers such benefits as lifetime storage for media, continuously updated DLNA capability, even restricted sharing or bridging between two or more homes whereby reducing the need to send around photos or movies to relatives as they can just join the family’s “DLNA community” which is provided by the BSP network. I envision DLNA could become platform of choice to circulate and manage family friendly media. I would prefer this implementation over services such as Flickr or Snapfish etc. because it would allow me to use my plasma to watch home movies or view photos in high definition rather than huddle around a laptop or computer in the office. The more expensive the DLNA component, the more likely a BSP could lease such a virtual device to consumers and with the introduction of v1.5 there are increasingly more devices which could be provided "virtually" by BSPs.
• BSPs could be the first to implement DLNA on their phone service or provide translation bridges between DLNA and other lower bandwidth communications such as ZigBee to further open up the home for increasing innovation. The thinking here is that if BSPs can't be the main bridge, they can be the earliest adopters as well as the enabler for other communications within the home that can further extend DLNA as well as other services to come which will be built upon it.

Conclusion:

I view DLNA as an opportunity for BSPs to assert themselves as the masters of media within consumer homes at a time when CE is beginning to open up their 'treasure chest' and expose all their goodies for someone to finally pull it all together into one cohesive system. The key here is that the television (or home theater system) is still the center of entertainment and represents the highest quality viewing (experience) within the home. In recent years the PC has challenged that occasionally (for specific forms of personal and portable media), but it just can’t deliver the same entertainment quality. DLNA creates the bridge for these personal and portable media to flow back into the television and home entertainment system where they can be enjoyed to the fullest extent possible. While portable media will still have its place as does the PC, true audiophiles and videophiles see all the dust settling around more traditional uses for CE devices like the stereo and the television – DLNA only modifies these devices slightly by extending them. Perhaps in my lifetime, we will see a company step forward and enable consumers to buy the equipment they want to buy while allowing them to control everything from their favorite remote. I believe DLNA has the capability to be that fundamental cornerstone that will lead to simplifying the interoperability of devices and media applications within the home.

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References used in this article:
1) http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/2003-09-25-dell-cover_x.htm (CE margin statistics)
2) http://www.parksassociates.com/research/reports/tocs/2006/connected-ce.htm (CE network statistics)
3) http://www.itfacts.biz/index.php?id=P5473 (CE market statistics)
4) http://www.infonetics.com/resources/purple.shtml?ms07.cpe.4q06.nr.shtml (CPE statistics)
5) http://www.crmbuyer.com/story/55967.html (Home network statistics)
6) http://www.census.gov/prod/1/pop/p25-1129.pdf (HH statistics)
7) http://www.csun.edu/science/health/docs/tv&health.html (TV statistics)
8) http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/recs/appliances/appliances.html (Stereo statistics)
9) http://www.thegamefeed.com/news-53b5980e30e0e559340f71895998f4de.html (Gaming statistics)
10) And, of course, Bird-Eye.Net World Broadband Directory

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