Consumers are acquiring, viewing, and managing an increasing amount of digital media in the Computer Electronics (CE), mobile, and Personal Computer (PC) domains. Enjoyment of this digital media, regardless of the source, is becoming increasingly important in the home. To this end, the Universal Plug and Play (UPnP), the Digital Network Alliance standardization (DLNA) and other standardization groups are working to provide interoperable, home networked devices that provide new value propositions and opportunities for consumers and product vendors to allow controlling and rendering between devices located in the same proximity network.
Today, there generally exists three categories of technology that serve the consumer in his or her home. First, there is the PC category that allows each consumer to interact with each other and other peripherals via the Internet. Second, there is the broadcast category that serves set-top boxes and other traditional consumer electronics, such as satellite television (TV) receivers, broadcast tuners, video and imaging capture devices, etc. Third, there is the mobile category, consisting of for example, multimedia mobile phones, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), laptop computers and similar devices that provide connectivity and freedom of movement into and out of the home environment, while operating within their own mobile network. UPnP specifications define protocols for communication between control points and controlled devices, and DLNA defines how these protocols are applied in DLNA certified device classes and device configurations. Device manufacturers can choose to implement any combination of DLNA components to their products, and this means that digital homes can soon contain a wide variety of devices that store access and play different forms of digital media with device control intelligence distributed around the home network. For example, a three-box DLNA configuration includes a Digital Media Server (DMS), a Digital Media Renderer (DMR) and a Digital Media Controller (DMC). DMS stores content and makes it available to DMRs. DMC finds content from DMSs and pushes it to DMRs. With this configuration, a notebook computer can be configured to act as DMC and find pictures and video from different devices that incorporate a DMS and therefore act as digital media storages in the home network. The user may then use the notebook to bring the videos and pictures up on DLNA-capable television sets and picture frames (DMRs) in various locations in the home.
Even if significant progress has been made in the field of rendering systems, some disadvantages still exist. DLNA establishes guidelines according to which DLNA certified products can work together over a wireless or wired home network. When the home network is set up, certified devices can easily connect, discover and communicate with each other over it. However, many consumers still consider setting up and managing a home network, and configuring UPnP roles of their various existing devices a highly complicated task. This is especially true if different UPnP elements need to be designed to connect to the home network via subnetworks that apply different wireless and wired transmission methods. On the other hand, many technologically advanced consumers consider reliance to specific industry standards limiting and would prefer as simple and robust solutions as possible.