It’s the Digital Living Network Alliance. DLNA is an international and cross-industry organization formed for the purpose of specifying design guidelines that ensure both wired and wireless interoperability for networked computers, consumer electronics and mobile devices. The organization is composed of more than 300 companies from 20 countries.

DLNA envisions the digital home consisting of a network of consumer-electronic, PC and mobile devices that cooperate transparently, delivering simple and seamless interoperability. This is accomplished through Internet Protocol v4, which is specified by DLNA. IP v4 is to be implemented in all networked devices as a foundation to ensure connectivity and interoperability.

Each DLNA-compliant device contains a networking functionality known as ‘Device and Service Discovery and Control,’ which 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.

The protocol that makes this work is from the UPnP Implementers Corporation (UIC), an industry standards body. It is called the UPnP Device Control Protocol Framework, Version 1.

The DLNA also provides guidelines for both mandatory and optional data formats to help ensure interoperability – examples are: JPEG for images, MPEG2 for video, and LPCM for audio.

In all, DLNA is trying to ‘set the stage’ for an entirely new wave of converged PC/CE fixed and mobile devices, most or which are media-centric. Home networks will consist of two main categories of media-rich devices: digital media servers and digital media players.

Digital media server devices:
- Advanced set-top boxes (STBs)
- Digital video recorders (DVRs)
- PCs
- Stereo and home theaters with hard disk drives
- Broadcast tuners
- Video and image capture devices, such as cameras and camcorders
- Multimedia mobile phones

Digital media player devices:
- TV monitors
- Stereo and home theaters
- PDAs
- Multimedia mobile phones
- Wireless monitors
- Game consoles
- Digital media adapters (DMA, PC oriented STBs)

To ensure interoperability for these new-wave devices, the DLNA guidelines consist of detailed requirements, based on industry standards and organized into major categories: networking and connectivity, device discovery and control, media management, media format profiles, media transport. Each guideline lists the device classes that apply. This helps device developers identify mandatory and optional interoperability features.

Without organizations like the DLNA, the imminent future would be a consumers’ nightmare. Hopefully, instead, the DLNA will help make dreams come true.

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