The Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) announced that its Interoperability Guidelines have received widespread support from satellite, cable and telecommunications service providers across Europe.

For more information visit: www.dlna.org

Unedited press release follows:

DLNA Enables Streaming of Premium Video in Connected Homes Across Europe

Interoperability Guidelines Receive Widespread Support from Global Satellite, Cable and Telecommunications Service Providers

IBC 2011

AMSTERDAM–The Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) Interoperability Guidelines are enabling Premium Video throughout Europe with widespread support from the global service provider community. The Interoperability Guidelines leverage Protected Streaming to make Premium Video readily available to consumers for playback across DLNA Certified® products.

“Consumers are connecting to a growing number of digital products every day and DLNA is committed to providing an experience where they can easily connect and enjoy their favorite content,” said Nidhish Parikh, chairman and president of DLNA. “DLNA has worked closely with service providers to deliver digital content across the connected home and our service provider member companies have driven the development of these Interoperability Guidelines. Together, we are enabling the delivery of Premium Video allowing consumers to access content on DLNA Certified® products in their home.”

“Global standards to allow premium content to be securely pushed onto home networks can only benefit Pay TV customers, who rightly demand more control and flexibility in the way their content is delivered,” said Brian Lenz, director of product design and product development, British Sky Broadcasting. “As a company at the forefront of innovation, British Sky Broadcasting is interested in exploring the potential for using home networking to create an even richer customer experience.”

“DLNA is already deployed on Orange devices such as the Livebox residential gateway, the IPTV and media center Set-Top-Box and the Home library NAS,” said Paul-François Fournier, executive vice president, Orange Technocentre. “The new DLNA Interoperability Guidelines are an opportunity for Orange to offer our customers a real multi-screen experience by enabling us to deliver TV services over numerous screens inside the home, such as tablets, Web phones and connected TVs. Content rights owners benefit from having their Premium Video securely delivered to all of these new screens.”

“Delivering high quality content to multiple devices is part of Portugal Telecom’s MEO service strategy,” said Ashok Bhagubai, head of home networking, Portugal Telecom. “The new DLNA Interoperability Guidelines will greatly contribute towards this goal by establishing a common approach to video delivery.”

Household penetration of connected products, including connected TVs, game consoles and Blu-ray players, has grown to nearly 40 percent in Western Europe, according to a recent Parks Associates consumer survey of 10,000 broadband households across France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK. As the number of connected devices in the home increases, consumers are demanding more flexibility when viewing high-quality, premium content. With the availability of its Interoperability Guidelines, DLNA addresses consumer demand for simplified access to premium commercial content, including movies and network television programming on their DLNA Certified® products.

DLNA at IBC 2011
DLNA Certified® products will be demonstrated at IBC 2011 Stand 13.376, Hall 13.

For more information about DLNA or the Alliance’s global standards, please visit the DLNA website www.DLNA.org, or find the Alliance on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dlnacertified or on Twitter at @DLNA.

About DLNA
Members of Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) share a vision of an interoperable network of personal computers (PC), consumer electronics (CE), mobile devices and service providers in and beyond the home, enabling a seamless environment for sharing and growing new digital media and content services. Founded in 2003, the group established and maintains a platform of interoperability based on open and established industry standards that, when used by manufacturers will support the sharing of media through wired or wireless networks. More than 200 multi-industry companies from around the world have joined DLNA, committing the time and resources necessary to achieve their vision. DLNA’s Promoter Members include: ACCESS, AT&T, AwoX, Broadcom, CableLabs, Cisco, Comcast, DIRECTV, DTS, Dolby Laboratories, Ericsson, HP, Huawei, Intel, LG, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, Panasonic, PROMISE Technology, Qualcomm, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, Technicolor and Verizon. Additional information about the Alliance, its participating companies and membership benefits is available at www.dlna.org.