Overview and Vision

White Paper
June 2004

Table of Contents

A Scenario

Abstract

Introduction

The Problem
Consumer Challenges
Product Developers Dilemma

4
5
5

The Vision

The Approach
Industry Collaboration
Standards-Based Interoperability Framework
Compelling Products

6
6
6
6

Value Proposition

Use Case Scenarios

Interoperability Framework
Additional Elements

8
9

Interoperability Guidelines Scope

Networking and Connectivity
Device and Service Discovery and Control
Media Format and Transport Model
Media Management, Distribution, and Control

10
11
12
13
14

Putting It All Together

15

A Scenario
Connor and Elysia enjoy all forms of home entertainment. They have amassed an impressive
collection of home electronics, including a DVD changer, audio surround system and
large screen TV for the family room, a bookshelf audio system for the office and a DVD
player and TV for the bedroom. All of this is in addition to a DV camcorder, a digital
camera, a multimedia mobile phone, and a PC for editing and sharing their digital content.
Connor loves taking movies of the children and editing them on the PC. Elysia enjoys
taking digital pictures, then arranging them and using the PC to create collages.
Both Connor and Elysia like to watch their digital creations on the family room
entertainment center. Connor copies his movies from the PC hard disk to the camcorder
using 1394, then connects the camcorder to the family room TV with an analog cable.
Elysia copies her digital pictures to a memory card and inserts it into the camera, then
connects the digital camera to the TV with an analog cable. Of course, they just carry
CD-R creations from room to room or to the car.
Both Connor and Elysia are happy that they can do these things, but they also feel that
they should be able to have instant access to any content from any room, as soon as that
content is created or brought into the house.
One day Connor went to the local computer store and purchased a wireless home
network kit and another PC. He connected the new PC to the family room TV and to one
of the wireless access points. He connected the other access point to the other PC where
all the audio, movies, and pictures are stored.
At first Elysia was very enthusiastic about Connors project but then came
demonstration time. Connor used shared folders to publish the audio, video, and pictures
on their wireless home network. When he demonstrated how to play audio from the PC,
Elysia noticed that sometimes the audio would break up. He then demonstrated going to
the shared video folder and playing a home movie. At this point, both Connor and Elysia
were surprised to find that the video was choppy and unsatisfying.
Elysia then asked how much the experiment cost and she didnt like the answer. The old
way may not be the most convenient, but at least it works, she said, and thats exactly
what she returned to doing.
What Connor didnt know is that his personally designed end-to-end wireless solution did
not account for the special needs of digital audio/video streaming. Connors initial attempt
at a home network remains in operation when Connor is at the controls. But Connor
continues to search for interoperable products and solutions that fulfill the promise of
home entertainment networking.

Abstract
Members of the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) share a vision of interoperable
networked devices in the home that provide new value propositions and opportunities for
consumers and product vendors. We are committed to providing a seamless interaction
among consumer electronics (CE), mobile and PC devices and believe this is best
accomplished through a collaborative industry effort focused on delivering an interoperability
3

framework for networked media devices. The DLNA will develop design guidelines that
refer, as much as possible, to standards from established, open industry standards
organizations. These design guidelines will provide CE, mobile and PC vendors with the
information needed to build interoperable digital home platforms, devices, and applications.
This paper gives an overview of the interoperability framework offered by the DLNA.

Introduction
Consumers are acquiring, viewing, and managing an increasing amount of digital media
on devices in the CE, mobile and PC domains (see Figure 1). They want to enjoy this
content easily and conveniently regardless of the source across different devices and
locations in the home.
This trend is fueled by the proliferation of digital media and IP networking (see Figure 2)
and supported by several leading market indicators.
Digital device sales: music players, cameras, camcorders, DVD players, multimedia
mobile phones and PVRs
Broadband adoption: DSL and cable
Home network adoption: wired and wireless; ad-hoc and infrastructure configurations
All of these indicators point in the direction of year-on-year growth and opportunity CE,
mobile device and PC manufacturers, software and application developers and content
providers. In the new digital media world, CE, mobile and PC devices will seamlessly
interact with each other to co-operatively enhance the consumer experience. In the past,
convergence has been the popular term used in the industry for the joining of these
worlds. However, consumers generally dont want these devices to merge together in
functionality they just want them to work better together.
Figure 1. Interest in Networking
Entertainment Content

%
70

Network-Capable Entertainment Nodes

150
Broadband (n=6.078)
Narrowband (n=4.762)

Source: Parks Associates, 2003

60

125

100

61%

87

59%

Figure 2. Growth in
Entertainment-Centric Home
Networks

57%
54%

54%
50
50%

Source: Networks in the Home:

Analysis and Forecasts
(Third Edition), 2002 Parks
Associates.

54

50
50%

32
46%

40
Video Content
PC to TV

Video Content
PC to Stereo

Video Content
Audio Content
DVD to TV
CD to MP3 Player

18

0
2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

The Problem
Today, three islands exist in the home (see Figure 3).
The PC Internet world where PC and PC peripherals communicate.
The broadcast world of set-top boxes and traditional consumer electronics.
The mobile world of multimedia phones, PDAs, laptop computers and similar devices
provides unparalleled connectivity and freedom of movement into and out of the home
environment.
4

Figure 3. PC, Mobile, and CE

Islands in the Home

Mobile World

PC Internet World

CE Broadcast World

Consumers want devices in these three domains to work together in the home,
but expectations have largely been unfulfilled.
In order to build in interoperability between these digital worlds and win customer
confidence, industry leaders must address the following challenges cited by consumers
and substantiated by research.

Consumer Challenges
Products designed for the home should be easy to install, provide obvious user value
and be affordable.
Digital home products must interoperate with each other and with existing consumer
electronic devices such as TVs and stereos.
Manufacturers must also recognize that the vision of convergence has not been realized
in the mind of the consumer.

Product Developers Dilemma

Open industry standards are often too flexible products built by different vendors all
too often fail to interoperate well. Design choices should be narrowed through industry
consensus to better achieve interoperability.
Current end-to-end solutions based on proprietary vertical implementations bring
products to market early but have little impact on rapidly establishing a new category of
products.
In summary, CE, mobile and PC industry leaders must define a framework to enable an
interoperable home network. Products developed according to the DLNAs framework will
enhance the distribution of digital media throughout the home.

The Vision
The DLNA vision integrates the Internet, mobile and broadcast islands through a
seamless, interoperable network that will provide a unique opportunity for manufacturers
and consumers alike.
In the near future, digital homes will contain one or more intelligent platforms, such as an
advanced set-top box (STB) or a PC. These intelligent platforms will manage and
distribute rich digital content to devices such as TVs and wireless monitors from devices
such as digital stills cameras, camcorders and multimedia mobile phones.
5

The Approach
Delivering interoperability in the digital home requires a common approach that focuses
on three key elements.
Industry collaboration
Standards-based interoperability framework
Compelling products
The following is an overview of each of these elements.

Industry Collaboration
Aligning the key leaders in the CE, mobile and PC industries on digital interoperability is
an important first step. Historically, these industries have delivered innovative consumer
products side-by-side but not necessarily in concert. None of these industries has the
means to drive digital interoperability alone. However, each industry offers unique
capabilities and attributes.
CE and mobile device manufacturers have a history of creating new mass-market
product categories, adding brand recognition, maintaining ease-of-use and hitting
attractive price points. As a complement, PC manufacturers differentiate on hardware and
software development and integration. In addition, PC makers are known for delivering
new products to market quickly through the development and adoption of standards.
The success of an interoperable network depends on creating new product categories
and getting highly integrated devices to market quickly.
Industry collaboration is not limited to just CE, mobile and PC manufacturers. It is an entire
ecosystem of companies that together offer consumers a broad set of complementary
products and services. An ecosystem properly designed for digital interoperability must
start with the consumer in mind and include contributors that can help bring all the
necessary elements of the digital home to market. Industry collaboration must encompass
manufacturers, software and application developers, and service and content providers.
A collaboration of industry leaders can also facilitate industry marketing and promotion
while encouraging development, interoperability and support of home networked devices.

Standards-Based Interoperability Framework

While creating new product categories is important, industry leaders must first co-operate
to develop an interoperability framework. This framework should define interoperable
building blocks for devices and software infrastructure. It should cover physical media,
network transports, media formats, streaming protocols and digital rights management
mechanisms. Standards for these areas are defined in many different forums and
compliance with them is an important first step. Ensuring device interoperability also
requires the industry to come together to produce design guidelines so that the products
of different vendors support a common baseline for the set of required standards. Since
technology and standards continually change and improve, these design guidelines must
also evolve over time and ensure continued interoperability as new and old technologies
are mixed together in the Digital Living Network.

Compelling Products
Finally, diverse, interoperable products are necessary to provide consumers with broad,
compelling experiences and value throughout their home. These products will embody one
or both of the two major functions discussed next (also see Figure 4 on the next page).

Figure 4. DLNA Product

Categories

Digital Media Server (DMS) Devices provide media

acquisition, recording, storage, and sourcing
capabilities based on the DLNA Interoperability
Model, as well as content protection enforcement
as required. DMS products will often include
Digital Media Player (DMP) capabilities described
below and may have intelligence, such as device
and user services management, rich user
interfaces and media management, aggregation
and distribution functions.
Some examples of these devices include:
Advanced set-top boxes (STB)
Personal video recorders (PVR)
PCs
Stereo and home theaters with hard disk drives
(for example, music servers)
Broadcast tuners
Video and imaging capture devices, such as
cameras and camcorders
Multimedia mobile phones
Digital Media Player (DMP) Devices provide
playback and rendering capabilities.
Some examples of these devices include:
TV monitors
Stereo and home theaters
Printers
PDAs
Multimedia mobile phones
Wireless monitors
Game consoles

DMS/DMR Devices

PC

PVRs, Tuners, STBs

Digital Imaging
Devices

Music Servers
PCs

Multimedia
Mobile Phone

DMR Devices

PDAs

TV Monitors

Game Consoles

Stereo Sets

Digital Music
Devices

Wireless
Monitors

Printers

Value Proposition
For digital interoperability to succeed, consumers, manufacturers, service providers and
content providers must all see a strong value proposition. Consumers are unlikely to
adopt and pay a premium for digital home products if they do not deliver on their promise
of performance, capabilities and simplicity. Likewise, CE, mobile and PC manufacturers
will have little motivation to develop interoperable products if they do not provide clear
business opportunities. The same applies to content and service providers who are
looking for new venues and outlets to distribute entertainment and services.
The following is an examination of the value proposition for digital home products as it
relates to consumers, content and service providers and manufacturers.
Consumers: The consumer will be able to purchase Digital Media Player/Server devices
that communicate and collaborate with each other, allowing simple and seamless access
to content throughout their home. Consumers will benefit from greater convenience and
ease of use and will have more flexibility in selecting a range of products from different
vendors. Consumers can also store the same content in their multimedia mobile phones
and enjoy it on the move. Finally, the assurance of DLNA interoperability will instill
7

confidence in consumers that the products they purchase will work well together and be
future-proof.
Content and Service Providers: The building blocks for digital interoperability provide
content and service providers with technical solutions that eliminate barriers for secure
end-to-end connectivity and high-quality media streaming. This allows content and
services to be delivered to more end-points in the home, increasing revenue opportunities
for both content and service providers.
Manufacturers: As mature product lines slow and products become commodities, CE,
mobile and PC manufacturers are continually looking for new ways to differentiate and
expand existing product categories while increasing their function and capabilities.
Consumer migration from VCR to DVD players is a good example of manufacturers
transitioning existing uses into new and improved uses. In another example,
CE manufacturers have increased the value of the traditional TV by incorporating brilliant
flat panel screens, DVD players, game ports and high-definition capabilities. Another
example is the growing adoption of multimedia including audio, streaming video and
imaging as a standard feature in mobile devices.
The time-proven recipe described above yields increased value to the consumer value for
which they are willing to pay a premium. Interoperable DLNA products also fit this model.
New business opportunities can also be strengthened by:
Joint industry promotion of new CE, mobile, and PC product categories.
Constructing an interdependent ecosystem of devices, software and services
(see page 7).
Fostering consumer/retailer confidence in reliable and high-quality interoperable DLNA
devices.

Use Case Scenarios

While the goal is to provide consumers with new enjoyment in the interoperable homenetworked environment, it is important for DLNA to address current and future use case
scenarios and their role in developing design guidelines for interoperable products. DLNA
therefore prepared a separate document called DLNA Use Case Scenarios, which offers
detailed information on the organizations evaluation of the most common, near-term
consumer use models for digital products. DLNA regards the Use Case Scenarios white
paper as an integral part of this DLNA vision, and would like to encourage readers of this
paper to also read through the DLNA Use Case Scenarios white paper.

Interoperability Framework
The digital home will consist of a network of CE, mobile and PC devices that co-operate
transparently, delivering simple, seamless interoperability that enhances and enriches
user experiences. This is the communications and control backbone for the home
network and is based on IP networking and UPnP technology.
Interoperability is accomplished between devices when they can collaborate transparently
on a particular service that they provide to the user. Typically, this includes the ability of
devices to communicate with each other and exchange meaningful information.
8

The building blocks needed to facilitate this interoperability are described below.
Transparent connectivity between devices inside the digital home: This includes
networking compatibility at the link layer (layer 2) for devices directly connected to each
other. When devices of different layer 2 technologies need to communicate, appropriate
layer 2 bridging and layer 3 routing must exist between these devices. The overall goal
is to enable end-to-end connectivity between all devices exchanging information over
the home network.
Unified framework for device discovery, configuration and control: Any device on
the home network must be able to discover the presence of other devices and services
on the network and identify their function and associated capabilities. It also includes
the ability to configure these devices and services, and control their operation with
appropriate ease-of-use.
Interoperable media formats and streaming protocols: Once devices can
communicate with each other, they need to agree on a common streaming protocol in
order to establish media streaming sessions. These devices also need to agree on the
media formats that they support to ensure that the media can be shared and consumed.
Interoperable media management and control framework: An interoperable media
management framework across all devices in the digital home enables the proper
exchange of media information and control between devices provided by different vendors.
It must include the ability to organize, browse, search, and select media items to be
processed, in addition to the ability to control the operation of media streaming sessions.
Compatible quality of service mechanisms: Quality of Service (QoS) for networking is
essential when transferring high-definition media streams in the digital home, particularly
in the presence of best effort traffic. For this to work, vendors must agree on how to
address QoS in the digital home. Devices must still interoperate, even if there are no
QoS mechanisms implemented.
Compatible authentication and authorization mechanisms for users and devices:
A number of authentication and authorization mechanisms are being considered by
device manufacturers and application developers to provide appropriate security for
access and control. It is imperative to settle on a compatible authentication and
authorization framework to enable devices to request and/or grant access to particular
devices and services in the home.

Additional Elements
In addition to the building blocks described, other issues need to be addressed for the
digital home to work. The following are important capabilities that the DLNA will
investigate further.
Digital Rights Management / Content Protection
In order for premium digital content to be made available for use with DLNA devices,
content providers understandably insist that their content be protected from unauthorized
copying and use. At the same time, consumers expect to be able to store, transport and
use that content at any location and on any device on their wired or wireless home
network.. Balancing the providers need for protection and the consumers fair use rights
and expectations while providing interoperability between all networked devices that
might handle the content is a complex problem. Content protection methods must also
be user friendly.
Today, there are several Digital Rights Management (DRM) technologies available to
device designers and content providers. One or more of these solutions will typically be
provided on DLNA devices to protect, administer and distribute stored content as one
component of content protection in the digital home. Other components of DRM that
support additional user scenarios are being considered for development in the UPnP Forum
and elsewhere in the industry.
9

While the DLNA Home Networked Device Interoperability Guidelines v1.0 does not
mandate specific DRM and content protection solutions, DLNA does provide a useful
venue for those who share the vision of device interoperability. Collaboratively, vendors
can understand and document the range of technical and business requirements for
achieving the required balance between protection, availability and usability. This work will
aid device designers and content providers in implementing Digital Rights Management
methods today and in the future, to foster an integrated, user-friendly, and backward
compatible system that meets the rights, the needs and the expectations of all
stakeholders.
Manageability
Consumer adoption rates of digital products will depend largely on the overall quality of
experience users have, not just when using these products for their intended purposes,
but also when a problem arises involving one or more of them. The introduction of a
variety of networked products into the home may make the resolution of issues by the
consumer and support provider a difficult and expensive prospect.
The more management information that can be given to the consumer in a meaningful
manner about the health of their home network devices, the less likely they are to require
support. Should a consumer require support for a device, they should know who to call
and not be faced with the situation where they are passed on to another company without
satisfactory resolution of their problem.
The DLNA will provide a useful venue for interested members to discuss technical and
business issues about how DLNA devices can be best managed and supported.

Interoperability Guidelines Scope

Figure 5. DLNA Interoperability
Guidelines Technology and
Standards Phasing

2004

2005

2006+

Under consideration in DLNA

Digital Rights
Management/
Content Protection

DRM/CP
Interoperability

DRM/CP Technologies

DLNA Media Formats

Required: JPEG, LPCM, MPEG2

Media Formats

Optional: PNG, GIF, TIFF, MP3, WMA9, AC-3, AAC,

ATRAC3plus, MPEG1, MPEG4, WMV9

JPEG2K
MPEG4

Candidates for DLNA Technologies

Media Transports

HTTP

UPnP
DCP

AVv1

Device Discovery
and Control
UPnP
Arch v1

UPnP
Arch v2

IPv6

Network Protocol

IP

IPv4

Physical Network

Ethernet

Wireless 802.3u
Wireless 802.11a/b/g

Wireless 802.11e/i

Future Potential Technologies

10

In order to deliver on digital interoperability in the home, a common set of industry design
guidelines is required that allows vendors to participate in a growing marketplace, leading
to more innovation, simplicity and value for consumers. The DLNAs Home Networked
Device Interoperability Guidelines v1.0 specifies the interoperable building blocks that are
available to build platforms and software infrastructure. Full implementation of an
interoperability framework that meets the high-level requirements set forth in the
preceding section will not be complete until after 2006 and will require phasing of
interoperability guidelines as shown in Figure 5. The technologies noted for 20052006
under Future Guidelines in the figure are merely examples and should not be taken
literally. For 2004, the DLNA Interoperability Guidelines v1.0 focuses on interoperability
between networked entertainment and media devices for personal media uses involving
imaging, audio, and video. Over time, as new technology and standards become
available, the guidelines may broaden to cover other areas, such as home control,
communications and advanced entertainment scenarios.

Table 1. Preliminary Functional

Components and Technology
Ingredients for DLNA
Interoperability Guidelines

Functional Components

Technology Ingredients

Networking and Connectivity

IP, Wired and Wireless Ethernet Media,

and QoS Mechanisms

Device and Service Discovery and Control

UPnP v1 Architecture and Technology

Media Formats and Streaming Protocols

Media Format and Transport Model

Media Management, Distribution, and

Control

UPnP AV v1.0

Authentication and Authorization

UPnP and other IP based security

mechanisms

Table 1 shows the specific functional components and technology ingredients covered
by DLNA Interoperability Guidelines v1.0. The basic criteria for specific technology
ingredients selected for the DLNA Interoperability Guidelines for 2004 to 2005 and beyond
include:
Technology should be based on standards from standards bodies, SIGs and industry
forums, or be readily available and in relatively wide deployment on a variety of
platforms in the marketplace. Intellectual Property should be available on reasonable
and non-discriminatory terms for all vendors.
Technologies should enable interoperable products targeting particular uses to be
brought to market in 2004 and 2005.
In cases where multiple DLNA-approved technologies are specified, it should be
possible to bridge or translate as required between any two technologies. For example,
there should be a means to bridge seamlessly between wired and wireless networking
technologies.
The following sections cover some of the key technology ingredients for the DLNA
Interoperability Guidelines.

Networking and Connectivity

The IPv4 family of protocols is the foundation for networking and connectivity in the digital
home. IP also provides underlying network communications for devices on the Internet.
IP is based on industry standard specifications, implemented and supported in a wide
range of devices with more than two decades of deployment in government, academic
and commercial environments.
11

There are several advantages to using IP in the digital home:

IP allows applications running over different media to communicate transparently.
IP will run over many different media without any awareness required by applications as
to the underlying media. For example, a PC or advanced STB may stream media
content to a TV in the master bedroom through an Ethernet cable to an 802.11 Access
Point and then wirelessly to the TV. With IP, the media server and the TV are unaware
that the media content travels over two separate physical media. For direct peer-to-peer
communications of a mobile device transmitting to a DLNA device, IP provides the
unifying framework to make applications independent of the actual transport
technology.
IP can connect every device in the home to the Internet. Since IP is the protocol of the
Internet, any device in the digital home can be potentially connected to any other
Internet-connected device in the world.
IP connectivity is inexpensive. Because it is ubiquitous, economies of scale and
competition combine to make physical media implementations of IP available at lower
cost than other technologies.
Recognizing these advantages, the DLNA Interoperability Guidelines v1.0 are intended to
facilitate simple, interoperable connectivity, while meeting the consumers needs today
and in the future.
The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is standardizing IPv6 as an improved version of
IP and is actively pursuing a range of transition techniques for a smooth migration from
IPv4 to IPv6. Many of these techniques will be applicable to home devices and residential
gateways.
IPv6 provides built-in auto-configuration and enhanced support for mobility and security.
IPv6 also provides a much larger network address space allowing more devices to be
transparently interconnected. IPv6 is gaining acceptance in the CE, mobile and PC device
industries as the long-term solution to the shortage of IPv4 addresses while maintaining
end-to-end transparency.
In the near term, support of IPv4 is essential for interoperability of devices on the home
network. In the longer term, IPv6 support will become more important. The future
transition from IPv4 to IPv6 will be handled in DLNA Interoperability Guidelines in a
manner that enables devices based either on IPv4 or IPv6 to work well together.

Device and Service Discovery and Control

Device and service discovery and control enables devices on the home network to
automatically self-configure networking properties such as an IP address, discover the
presence and capabilities of other devices on the network and control and collaborate
with these devices in a uniform and consistent manner. The UPnP Device Control
Protocol Framework (DCP Framework), Version 1, addresses all of these needs to simplify
device networking in the home and is the device discovery and control solution for digital
home devices.
The UPnP Forum steering committee is currently looking at an improved version of the
UPnP DCP Framework, Version 2, that integrates better with the emerging web services
model. However, for the next several years Version 1 of the UPnP DCP Framework meets
the needs of consumers and any migration to Version 2 will be handled in future DLNA
Interoperability Guidelines in a manner that enables devices based on either Version 1 or
Version 2 to work well together.

12

Media Format and Transport Model

The DLNA media format model is intended to achieve a baseline for network
interoperability while encouraging continued innovation in media codec technology.
Improvements in media codec technology result in better network bandwidth utilization
and media quality for a given bit rate. DLNA requirements on media format support apply
to media content that passes over the home network from a DMS device to a DMP
device. The DLNA media format model defines a set of required media formats and a set
of optional media formats for each of the 3 classes of media: image, audio, and video
with audio (AV). Table 2 shows an initial set of required formats and optional formats.
The network interoperability model for media formats is as follows:
All DMS and DMP devices must support all formats designated in Table 2 as required
for any of the media classes they support. All DMS and DMP devices may support any
additional formats designated as optional for any of the media classes they support.
Any DMP device must be able to receive content from any DMS device. A DMS device
may stream content in its native format if the receiving DMP device supports such native
format. If the DMP device does not support the contents native format, the DMS device
must transcode the native format to one of the applicable required formats, or to a
format understood by the rendering device. As long as the above network
interoperability model is adhered to, native formats may include formats beyond those
shown in Table 2.

Table 2. DLNA Media Formats

Media Class

Required Format Set

(Must implement all)

Optional Format Set

(May implement 1 or more)

Image

JPEG

PNG, GIF, TIFF

Audio

LPCM

AAC, AC-3, ATRAC3plus, MP3, WMA9

AV

MPEG2

MPEG1, MPEG4, WMV9

Interoperability for audio devices in the digital home is assured through the requirement
to support the LPCM audio format. LPCM is an important, uncompressed audio format
widely used today for the interchange of single and multi-channel premium-quality audio
streams between digitally interconnected devices. Direct transmission of LPCM between
devices is the means for assuring the highest fidelity of premium audio content.
The technical requirements to create an LPCM stream from any source content and to
transmit that stream are well within the capabilities of present day and future devices and
digital interconnects. As a required format in the digital home, LPCM assures the broadest
range of interoperability with the lowest possible cost and complexity.
LPCM represents a reasonable technical choice for a required audio format, particularly
in wired environments. Wireless networking is rapidly growing in importance for home
networking and is expected to become an important means of distributing media in the
home. For a wireless device, or a resource-constrained device such as a portable player
with limited memory and power supply, compressed audio formats in the optional format
set provide more efficient use of network bandwidth, battery power and storage. Vendors
whose products fall into these classes should seriously consider supporting one or more
of the optional compressed audio formats.
Over time, new media formats may be added to the required or optional format sets. At all
times, the required set shall only include formats that are open standards. The required
and optional formats model brings the benefit of continued innovation in media codec
technologies while assuring interoperability. DMP and DMS device vendors can
13

differentiate their products by including support for one or more of the optional media
formats while maintaining interoperability with all DMP devices by adhering strictly to the
requirement to transcode to one of the required, open standard formats. Alternatively,
a DMS device may transcode from any format to one of the optional formats understood
by a DMP device. This allows vendors to take advantage of better audio and video quality
and, when possible, make more efficient use of available media storage and network
bandwidth resources without sacrificing interoperability with devices that only implement
the required format set.
Home networked devices that source or render media content across the home network
must also support a small set of baseline media streaming transports such as HTTP.
The transfer scenarios that can be supported include:
A transfer from a DMS device to a DMP device, even if there is no actual immediate
rendering of the media content. This may occur for an intelligent DMS device that
distributes or replicates media content on the home network.
A transfer from a DMS device to an intelligent DMS device. Note that the intelligent DMS
device would logically be acting as a DMP device in this scenario even if there is no
immediate rendering of the media content. This may occur for an intelligent DMS device
that aggregates, organizes, processes, and/or archives media content on the home
network.

Media Management, Distribution, and Control

Media management and control enables devices and applications to identify, manage,
and distribute media content across the stationary home network, or to transfer it to
mobile devices. UPnP Audio/Video (AV) technology addresses all of these needs for the
home network and is the media management and control solution for devices developed
according to the DLNA Interoperability Guidelines.
UPnP AV specifications define the interaction model between UPnP AV devices and
associated control point applications. UPnP AV devices can include TVs, VCRs, CD/DVD
players, set-top boxes, stereo systems, stills cameras, electronic picture frames and PCs.
The UPnP AV architecture allows devices to support entertainment content in any format
and over any transfer protocol. UPnP AV specifications define two types of logical device
on the home network: Media Servers and Media Renderers. The specifications also define
four services hosted by Media Servers and Media Renderers.
Content Directory Service: This enumerates the available content (videos, music,
pictures and so forth).
Connection Manager Service: This determines how the content can be transferred
from Media Server to Media Renderer devices.
AV Transport Service: This controls the flow of the content (play, stop, pause, seek and
so on).
Rendering Control Service: This controls how the content is played (volume/mute,
brightness, for example).

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Putting It All Together

The DLNA offers significant new opportunities for the CE, mobile and PC industries.
The vision articulated here for digital interoperability will require considerable effort to
achieve. The industry needs to align, co-ordinate, and deliver at several levels:
Uses: The CE, mobile and PC industries must define and align on a roadmap of uses
that will drive consumer acceptance of a new category of interoperable digital home
products. By necessity, this roadmap will be dynamic and must progressively reflect
available technology and standards over time. Digital entertainment and media will most
likely be the driving factor for early consumer adoption, while the availability of
technology and standards dictates a planned evolution from personal to commercial
media uses.
Interoperability Framework: The CE, mobile and PC industries must: 1) align on the
framework for digital interoperability, 2) continue to participate in key standards arenas,
such as ISO, the UPnP Forum and CEA, to ensure future uses and capabilities are
supported, and 3) translate the technology and standards into concrete design
guidelines that can be used to build interoperable products. To support a dynamic uses
roadmap, the design guidelines must progress over time.
Products: To launch the digital home concept, adapters are needed that bridge the CE,
mobile and PC worlds and support consumers existing home devices. Such adapters
can progressively support the expected, growing, mainstream market through
increasing integration of common functions. To continue to grow the digital home
category and fuel further demand, CE, mobile, and PC vendors must routinely deliver
new and exciting products that meet consumer needs for functionality, reliability,
performance, and simplicity.
Open Standards: To assure rapid, broad adoption of the digital home concept, all of the
mandatory elements in the design guidelines and interoperability framework will be
based strictly on open industry standards. Standards bodies and industry groups such
as ISO, the UPnP Forum, CEA, the 1394 Trade Association and others will continue to
be the venue for development of technical specifications that service the digital home
ecosystem. The DLNA is committed to establishing strong, complementary working
relationships with these organizations in order to constructively reference their
specifications, communicate appropriate feedback and jointly pursue new standards
and design guidelines.
The DLNA has developed the DLNA Home Networked Device Interoperability Guidelines
v1.0. and will continue to enhance these guidelines, to provide CE, mobile and PC
manufacturers with the information needed to build interoperable platforms, devices and
applications. This collaborative effort will result in the creation of a networked media
products category for the home, providing new business opportunities for the industry
and new experiences that benefit consumers.
Help make the digital home vision a reality join the Digital Living Network Alliance!

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Copyright 2004 Digital Living Network Alliance.

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