RSSHome networks plus devices don't equal multimedia networking
By Jacqueline Emigh | Published February 19, 2008, 6:25 PM
Although multimedia devices are clearly out there in households today -- and so are home networks -- multimedia home networking isn't exactly commonplace yet, observed analysts at In-Stat, concurring with views expressed by some other analyst firms, as well.
Network-capable multimedia devices already in place inside homes include game consoles along with Windows Media Player-enabled PCs, media servers, digital media receivers/players, and digital media adapters, according to Joyce Putscher, an In-Stat analyst.
But so far, game consoles are seeing more action on home networks than any other equipment, Putscher suggested.
Also, when consumers do use built-in home networking capabilities, it's generally done for sharing Internet connectivity, instead of for streaming audio and video throughout the home.
Meanwhile, about 30 percent of US households do have home networks, either wired or wireless, according to Sean DuBravac, an analyst at the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).
Another 51 percent of US households are enabled for broadband -- although many broadband users are still "newbies" -- and around 26 percent of these households have home theaters, DuBravac said.
Aside from broadband wide area connections, existing home network links include Ethernet, WiFi and HDMI local area connections; WiFi hotspots; emerging WiMax wide area networks; and RF (radio frequency) and Bluetooth personal networks, for example.
But DuBravac told BetaNews that consumers with home networks are still largely playing "sneakernet." For instance, lots of households today download a video on to a single device, burn it on to a CD, and then tote it by hand to another spot in the house for playback.
As the CEA analyst sees it, improvement is on the way in the form of new technologies from vendors aimed at easing the integration of multimedia devices on home networks.
In-Stat's Puscher, on the other hand, emphasizes a need to raise consumer awareness as to the capabilities of multimedia devices.
But in a report issued today, In-Stat also projected strong worldwide growth in the numbers of both home networks and media server equipment. Microsoft has released its Windows Home Server for this exact purpose, but its adoption has been slow thus far.
Global home networks with at least one PC and one other networked CE device will just about double between 2007 and 2008, according to In-Stat's research.
Meanwhile, worldwide shipments of media server-capable devices are projected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 43 percent between 2006 and 2011, In-Stat says.
I agree that multimedia networking in the home is not yet mainstream. It will be very soon though. Today, its mostly early adopters trying it out and realizing its potential. Consumers have no understanding of standards like DLNA and UPnP AV. But they will soon. There's already tons of devices (from Sony, Buffalo, D-Link, Linksys, Netgear, etc.) and software (Mezzmo, TVersity, Twonky, etc.) available right now to stream music, movies, tv shows and photos in your home. Probably most people who own a PS3 or Xbox 360 don't even realize that they can use it to stream music, movies, etc. from their PC.
Score: 0
|If there is any reason for it not being mainstream yet, it is the fact that so much of it has been made needlessly over complicated. People in general need it simple, and it really is simple if certain things are not done. It's those things however that people are made to think they have to have. Most of it is had through hardware. What little software is needed is found in most os's already.
Such a large number of users know little to nothing about what they use as it is. Terms like "streaming" only serve to throw people off.
Score: 0
|IDK recently I have had a lot of success with my Wii and the built in Internet browser for my multimedia needs...
betanews has featured any number of good home networking freeware packages that can both share, stream, and locally host all your multimedia needs for just about anything that can access your intranet system. Now of course on the other side of your firewall, Yea obviously that is more restrictive, but local networking with a 100Bt to Gigabit connection, or even a typical wireless G connection seems to work just fine.
Music, downloaded TV shows, Streaming shows from my cable box via VLC media player, or MS Media center (with DRM yuck). Its all already very doable...
Now here is the kick in the pants folks... Turns out the industry does NOT want us to be able to do this on our own. Indeed they want us to have to pay for this right on top of already buying the content... That means it gets locked to a specific box, not a profile...
Indeed part of the conspiracy at hand with DTV is that it invalidates existing copyright laws that have existed over the analog system for decades and Fair Use Rights is dropped to the wind... Indeed after Feb 18th 2008 you can say goodbye to all fair use that was protected under betamax. As all such media will now be under the heavy hand of the DMCA as it is Digital content. And the DMCA has no provisions what so ever to ever allow what we know of as Fair use of content. Even if you did purchase the content legally. Your rights with that content is Restricted to Viewing on that device and that device only for a very limited time depending on the content licence grant. Which can be and has been revoked without warning when companies vanished from existence.
Point is. If you want to dabble in this stuff you should be tinkering NOW while its still possible to get people that are willing and allowed to try to code for it. Cause in no time flat this functionality will be long gone due to the dominance of content being to restricted to be used on such networks.
Oh I do want to mention 1 other thing that has made Online Free video ON DEMAND the easiest thing to attain in teh world over the internet. No matter what the device... I have been in the HULU.com beta for some time now, and there is no greater use for this service then playing a Hulu.com stream though your Wii Internet browser. it just looks fantastic... too bad the other services at use hulu do not offer full screen options, cause there is simply nothing better out there for on demand streaming video... Its instant, its Free, its legal, and when they Finally open up their server to everyone... there will be NO other in comparison. Torrents Eat your heart out.
Score: 0
|while its still possible to get people that are willing and allowed to try to code for it.
not sure when the last time people considered if they were allowed to code prior to starting. its their work and they will develop ultilites regardless of provisions in the dmca or not.
Score: 0
|