The Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) announced that it has published its new DLNA 4.0 guidelines for streaming personal content in the home.

For more information visit: www.dlna.org

Unedited press release follows:

DLNA 4.0 Transforms Connected Home Experience

News Highlights:

• DLNA 4.0 solves the “media format not supported” problem between PCs, TVs and mobile devices while supporting Ultra HD TV content streaming.

• DLNA 4.0 is the first to enable energy efficiency for connected devices.

• Addition of a new DLNA 4.0 logo will make it easier to find and buy products that offer the most seamless and enjoyable viewing experience possible.

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA®) today announced that the organization’s latest Guidelines for streaming personal content in the home are now available for download. DLNA 4.0 enables consumer product manufacturers to deliver a more satisfying and energy-efficient connected home experience, including viewing high-definition TV content on the broadest possible choice of interoperable TVs, PCs and mobile devices.

“DLNA 4.0 is designed to raise the bar for enjoyment, energy efficiency and a seamless viewing experience across many different types of consumer products in the connected home,” said Duncan Bees, vice president of technology and strategy at DLNA. “With the new Guidelines and logo, consumers will be able to buy products that they know will work together to the highest levels of compatibility while supporting the latest high-definition media formats and energy-saving features.”

Consumers have long complained that there are files on their servers that they cannot play with their mobile devices, PCs, TVs, set top boxes or other devices. DLNA 4.0 solves this problem by mandating transcoding on the media server.

Power efficiency is improved through low power modes that enable connected devices to work together to cut overall energy consumption in the home. Consumers also can now enjoy Ultra HD content streamed throughout the home via a media gateway or set top box because DLNA 4.0 supports the High Efficiency Video Codec (HEVC) video compression standard. The Guidelines also support IPv6 to ensure DLNA 4.0 Certified devices will continue to function as more networks transition to this protocol.

DLNA 4.0 Certified devices will support the broadest possible set of media formats and advanced features for optimum performance across the most extensive range of use cases. The DLNA 4.0 Certification Program will join existing DLNA 2.0 and 3.0 Certification Programs that, together, help maximize product development options for manufacturers as they differentiate their offerings in the market. Over 4 billion devices have been certified to DLNA’s 2.0 and 3.0 Certification Programs. Introduced in August 2015, DLNA’s 3.0 Certification Program added advanced features and capabilities for playback and response time. DLNA 4.0 further extends available features and DLNA 4.0 Certification will provide unprecedented interoperability assurance through increased mandatory requirements and more extensive conformance testing.

DLNA 4.0 Guidelines have been submitted for adoption as an international standard by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), which has published all previous sets of DLNA Guidelines for content sharing applications and protected streaming across home networks. The IEC is the world’s leading organization that prepares and publishes International Standards for electrical, electronic and related technologies.

Click here for additional information and to download the DLNA Guidelines, and here to learn more about DLNA’s Certification Program options. The Guidelines are available now to DLNA members and non-members.

About DLNA
The Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) is a technology standards organization driven to build industry consensus to advance the interoperability of products in consumers’ connected homes. Founded in 2003 with a current membership of more than 150 companies, this unique multi-industry collaboration continues to implement an innovative set of guidelines utilized by service providers, electronics manufacturers, and software developers to provide consistent performance in a connected home environment. Consumers can share and enjoy personal content on DLNA Certified devices and subscription TV content on VidiPath Certified devices, including mobile devices, PCs, set top boxes, AV receivers, game consoles, TVs and more, regardless of manufacturer. DLNA has also created a robust certification program which tests and verifies the interoperability of products built to its standards, ensuring consumers that devices branded with the DLNA Certified and VidiPath Certified marks will successfully connect and exchange content. Additional information about the Alliance is available at www.dlna.org. Find the Alliance on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dlnacertified or on Twitter @DLNA.