Partnered Software - DLNA™

Future of the digital home

The vision

The digital home is where PCs, consumer electronics, and mobile devices seamlessly connect and share digital content together over a wired or wireless network - regardless of manufacturer.

The problem

Every home is becoming increasingly rich in digital content and every user has their own individual way of managing that content. For example, one user might choose to view a family movie or slideshow on TV, while another might prefer to watch it on their Smartphone instead.

Problems arise when users want to store and share their digital content between multiple computers and among different rooms within the home. And they do not wish to be restricted to one device manufacturer.

Changing consumer demands

Consumers today want to acquire, view, and manage different amounts and types of digital content from consumer electronic, mobile, and PC devices. They want to do this simply and conveniently, irrespective of the manufacturer behind the technology. They also want it to work across different devices and locations in the home.

This sophistication of consumer demand is fuelled by the popularity of digital media and IP networking, worldwide adoption of broadband connections, and growing number wired and wireless home networks – supported by rising sales in digital devices.

The opportunity

Such consumer demands present great opportunities for manufacturers who design products that comply with the universal standard of interoperability.

To secure consumer trust and ensure digital products from different manufacturers work together, manufacturers must address these three basic consumer demands:

1. Products need to be easy to install and manage, providing obvious user value
2. Products should be affordable
3. Products must communicate with each other as well as with existing devices n the home

Introducing DLNA™

The Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA™) brings together a number of device manufacturers, including Buffalo Technology, Microsoft, Intel, Nokia, Sony, Panasonic, Toshiba and Pioneer to actively support and promote interoperability guidelines or a universal standard for digital products. For the consumers, this means their PC, mobile or consumer electronic products can work seamlessly together, regardless of the manufacturer, making the vision of a digital home a reality.

What does it mean for manufacturers?

Can companies afford to stifle the development of the digital home by restricting consumers to a single manufacturer? The answer is: they cannot.

To expect consumers to buy all of their digital devices from a single manufacturer is not only narrow-minded, but also unrealistic. No one manufacturer can claim to specialise in every component of the digital home, be it mobile phones, DVD players, cameras or radios.

It is vital that companies designing and developing digital technology recognise the opportunities that DLNA™ guidelines offer. This is how:

Make devices DLNA™-compliant and interoperable

By developing DLNA™-compliant products, manufacturers are allowing their existing and future customers to “mix and match” devices so that the DVD player from one company will be compatible with another manufacturer's High Definition TV (HDTV).

Be part of the future digital home

All manufacturers should design products to meet the rising consumer demand for a truly digital home.

About Buffalo

Buffalo Technology is a leading global provider of innovative wireless networking, storage, multimedia, and memory solutions for the home and small business environments. Buffalo's strong international industry alliances with companies such as Intel, Broadcom®, Nintendo, and Microsoft have allowed it to lead the industry in the development of the latest technologies into practical tools for business and the home. Buffalo, a member of Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA), is proud to be the first manufacturer of DLNA™ CERTIFIED Network Attached Storage (NAS) products for the consumer market. The LinkStation™ Live and TeraStation™ are designed to allow consumers to seamlessly store and share digital content throughout the home or small office environment. Headquartered in Japan, Buffalo Technology has offices in the UK, Ireland, Germany, USA, and Taiwan.

Learn more about Buffalo LinkStation™ Live and TeraStation™ products.

Buffalo Technology, Buffalo Technology logo, LinkStation™ and TeraStation™ are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Buffalo Inc. DLNA and DLNA CERTIFIED are trademarks and/or service marks of Digital Living Network Alliance. Some contents may not be compatible with other DLNA CERTIFIED™ products. The names and logos of other companies mentioned herein belong to their respective owners.