UPnP and DLNA Poised for Growth

According to recent research by In-Stat, Windows 7 is expected to jump start consumer adoption of Universal Plug and Play(UPnP) and Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) technology. DLNA will see more than a billion units shipped by 2014, a significant increase from the few hundred million units shipped in 2009, with UPnP shipments slightly exceeding DLNA shipments.

The UPnP standard was designed to ensure interoperability among devices from different manufacturers. Building on the UPnP standard, DLNA is a set of guidelines for how to connect PCs and other consumer electronics in the home; for example, DLNA-enabled devices allow consumers to view their computer files on their HDTV. The DLNA guidelines specify the UPnP standard as the connection that all DLNA-certified devices have to use.

Windows 7 not only supports DLNA, but also requires that peripheral devices – such as HDTVs, Xbox 360s, electronic picture frames, etc. – be DLNA-certified to be listed as Windows 7 compatible. Currently, many consumers do not realize their PCs have these interconnection capabilities. As awareness of these capabilities increases, DLNA and UPnP adoption and sales are expected to grow significantly.

• DLNA-enabled handsets, PCs and digital televisions are poised to see the most widespread adoption, accounting for 74 percent of the 2014 DLNA market.
• More than 85 million DLNA-enabled Blu-Ray players and recorders are projected to ship in 2014.
• Digital media controllers, which currently make up the smallest volume of UPnP shipments, will account for the largest growth.

This growth in adoption presents an enormous opportunity for manufacturers, but the array of consumer devices on the market can make verifying interoperability a challenge. Allion has established its Ecosystem Validation program to help manufacturers with product development; this validation tests a product with a complete line of digital products to ensure that it will function properly when a consumer brings it home. With interoperability a critical attribute for today’s consumer electronics, ecosystem validation can help developers ensure that their products will function properly in any home network.

TRENDnet Offers New USB 3.0 Upgrade for PCs and Laptops

Unless you purchased a computer within the last few months, chances are you do not yet have SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0) ports on your computer. For those who want to take advantage of the new technology but are not yet willing to invest in a new PC, TRENDnet is offering a cost-effective alternative: SuperSpeed USB upgrade solutions for both desktop PCs and laptops.

TRENDnet has released two user-friendly adapters that allow consumers to take advantage of the latest USB technology. For laptop users, TRENDnet has developed the 2-port USB 3.0 ExpressCard Adapter model TU3-H2EC. Desktop users can take advantage of the 2-Port USB 3.0 PCI Express Adapter model TU3-H2PIE. Both models are fully compatible with Windows-based machines. The adaptors will soon be available for $59 and $49, respectively.

SuperSpeed USB offers a number of compelling enhancements over its predecessor, USB 2.0. Among the most notable is the speed: SuperSpeed USB delivers data transfer rates up to 5 Gbps, 10x faster than USB 2.0. The standard contains nine bi-directional wires, compared to the four unidirectional wires in USB 2.0, improving data transfer compatibilities. SuperSpeed USB also improves power efficiency, allowing for extended battery life for portable devices. SuperSpeed USB is backward compatible with the billions of USB devices currently on the market.

An authorized USB-IF Compliance Program testing lab, Allion has years of experience working with product developers. Our labs offer comprehensive development, validation and support services for hardware vendors looking to design products based on the USB specification. Allion has the USB service capabilities and expertise to help manufacturers develop the highest quality products so that consumers can advantage of SuperSpeed USB capabilities.

VESA Releases Updated Embedded DisplayPort Standard

The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) has issued the latest version of the Embedded DisplayPort (eDP) standard. eDP version 1.2 offers several enhancements to the original standard release, including increased simplicity and improved performance capabilities. Notebook PCs using the new eDP standard will begin production the first half of 2011.

Major updates in the eDP standard include cable simplification, reduced system power consumption, new display capabilities, 5.4Gbps link rate option and simplified PC chip integration. By lowering the number of required internal cables and interconnect signals, the eDP notebook panels offer simplified internal cabling and significantly reduced power consumption. A bidirectional AUX Channel further reduces the wire count while adding new LCD panel control and backlight capabilities, including dynamic backlight control, dithering, modulation frequency control and more. Data bandwidth for video data channels has also been doubled with support for the 5.4Gbps link rate defined by DisplayPort v1.2. This increased link rate allows for either fewer wires or full HD resolution of higher performance 2D or stereo 3D displays. Finally, eDP’s use of low-voltage, AC-coupled signaling is compatible with today’s sub-micron chip processes, simplifying overall design and reducing the required number of device pins.

eDP v1.2 is another step towards eDP’s eventual replacement of the Low Voltage Differential Signaling (LVDS). Notebooks featuring the eDP v1 interface, which began entering the market this year, will account for 11 percent of the 2010 PC market. eDP is projected to largely replace LVDS by 2013.

The eDP v1.2 standard is free of charge to VESA member companies. Non-member companies can purchase the standard through the VESA website.

Apple’s Avoidable iPhone 4 Problem

Here at Allion, a company dedicated to product design, validation and testing, it’s always difficult to watch when product defects aren’t discovered until after the product enters the market. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened to Apple: Shortly after the iPhone 4 made its stunning entrance on the consumer market, stories began emerging of problems with the iPhone’s antenna.

The iPhone’s revolutionary external stainless steel antenna system – one half dedicated to Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS, the other half to UMTS and GSM – is separated by a small black line. Consumers have found that when they hold the phone with their left hand, which most right-handed people are likely to do, their hand can bridge the two antennas, causing the phone to lose reception.

Now, Apple did field test the iPhone 4 prior to launch. However, the prototype phones, made famous by the lost phone picked up by Gizmodo months before the phone’s official unveiling, all had a plastic cover to make them look like a standard iPhone 3; this cover may have prevented Apple from uncovering the problem prior to launch. The lab tests of the antenna were also successful, but they only accounted for the presence of a user’s head, not hands. Apple says that the problem can easily be fixed either by readjusting your hand position or purchasing an iPhone case, but many users are still concerned that the design didn’t take into account real-world use.

Fortunately, these types of design errors are avoidable. Third-party testing can help to uncover the flaws that in-house testing can miss, and also help in the redesign process. The process can not only improve product quality, but also speed development time; manufacturers enjoy faster time-to-market and a product that has been thoroughly validated, and customers receive a product free of defects. This testing can help protect a product’s image from a preventable problem.