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The following information is true and accurate at the time of publication.
June 24, 2003
17 Leading Companies Form Working Group to Simplify Sharing of Digital Content Among Consumer Electronics, PCs, and Mobile Devices
Fujitsu, Gateway, HP,
IBM, Intel, Kenwood, Lenovo, Microsoft, NEC CustomTechnica,
Nokia, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, STMicroelectronics
and Thomson to Establish Design Guidelines Based on Industry
Standards
San
Francisco, June 24, 2003 - Seventeen leading consumer
electronics, computer, and mobile companies today announced
the formation of the Digital Home Working Group (DHWG),
a non-profit organization dedicated to the simplified sharing
of digital content, such as digital music, photos and video,
among networked consumer electronics (CE), mobile devices
and PCs. The group consists of industry leaders including
Fujitsu, Gateway, HP, Intel, IBM, Kenwood, Lenovo, Matsushita
Electric (Panasonic), Microsoft, NEC CustomTechnica, Nokia,
Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, STMicroelectronics and Thomson.
The group shares a common
goal of establishing a platform of interoperability based
on open industry standards and will deliver technical design
guidelines that companies can use to develop digital home
products that share content through wired or wireless networks
in the home. Examples of these products include PCs, TVs,
set-top boxes, printers, stereos, mobile phones, PDAs, DVD
players, digital projectors and other devices.
Due in large to an increase
in broadband adoption and device sales, consumers today
are acquiring, viewing, managing and sharing an increasing
amount of digital media on devices in the CE, mobile and
PC domains. As such, consumers want to easily enjoy this
content, regardless of the source, across different devices
and locations in the home. A number of conflicting standards
and media formats exist today making the digital home complex
to set-up and manage.
Industry standards alone
do not always ensure interoperability. The interoperability
framework and technical design guidelines established by
the DHWG will provide the baseline for development of multi-branded
products and solutions that will work better together. The
goal of the group is to deliver guidelines resulting in
the first compliant products within the next 12 months.
"This collection
of cross-industry leaders share a common vision and are
collaborating to make the connected home a reality. One
of the critical requirements for mass-market success of
networked devices is true and reliable interoperability.
The Digital Home Working Group has proposed a sound and
fair baseline of interoperability standards, which is an
important milestone towards realizing this vision,"
says Danielle Levitas, Director of IDC's Consumer Devices
& Services Programs.
The DHWG design guidelines
will utilize well-known and established standards such as
Internet Protocol (IP), UPnPTM,
Wi-Fi TM, and other common
formats. Over time, the guidelines will evolve to incorporate
emerging or subsequent versions of existing standards. Format
interoperability will be achieved by requiring certain formats
that meet specific criteria. The format must be an open
standard that has been formally ratified by an internationally
recognized standards organization, and IP must be licensed
under reasonable, non-discriminatory terms.
Based on these guidelines,
a set of programs including certification, compliance logos,
marketing and promotion, will be considered by the group
and made available to DHWG members. Products made under
DHWG guidelines will provide consumers with increased assurance
of connectivity between devices, enabling customers to enjoy
contents and services easily.
The group will develop
marketing and promotional programs to communicate the benefits
of the digital home to consumers and the industry alike.
Products based on guidelines will create new business opportunities
for the consumer electronics, mobile device and computer
industries, accelerating the member companies' development
and delivery of networked audio-visual products including
hardware, software, applications and components devices.
Additional information
about the group, its participating companies and membership
information is available at http://www.DHWG.org.
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