The DLNA future
Right now, the list of named DLNA-certified devices remains tiny.
It stood at just 47 in August 2006, when it took in eight digital media servers, 11 laptop PCs and six desktop PCs; four digital media players; seven HDD/DVD recorders; six LCD TV sets; three digital media adapters; and just two network-attached storage (NAS) devices.
However, the present list looks to be almost double the size of last month's. There now seems to be many more PCs and NAS devices, because, we think, a number of manufacturers (mostly Japanese, with Sony out front) have successfully put through the certification process a number of batches of entire product ranges. And Japanese consumers, it would seem, are the first to start to appreciate the benefits that DLNA can bring users of digital media.
Throughout the rest of 2006, the plan is to help make members' lives easier by providing compliance-testing tools and interoperability-test plans that should prevent too many nasty surprises when products come together at the quarterly plugfests testing sessions.
Even more important, the aim is to make content-protection guidelines available before the end of the year. These should help bring into the fold many more content providers - if they're confident that their rights will be protected under DLNA.
Significantly, the intention is also to define so-called "link-protection" for commercial content. This enables users to pass media files from one device to another and preserve and carry over with them the rights to be played - not something that's the norm today with protected content.
If things go to plan, then it shouldn't be too long before DLNA networks are able to handle DRM-protected commercial content. Once that happens most of the pieces will be in place and the number of DLNA-certified products can be expect to grow at a very rapid rate.
And, and whether or not you're happy with the idea of copy-protection systems, the incorporation of DRM into DLNA will be a big step forward for seamless playback and sharing of digital media files on PCs, TV sets, AV systems and mobiles – at home or away.
So, what's your take on all this? Is it smoke and mirrors or does DLNA hold out the promise of the truly connected digital home? Let us know your thoughts in this thread in the IFA 2006 forum.
HEXUS.links
HEXUS.community :: discussion thread about this articleAll HEXUS IFA coverage :: IFA - Internationale Funkausstellung - Berlin 2006
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External.links
DLNA - home pageDLNA - FAQ
DLNA - certified-products list
DLNA - current membership
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