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I spent last Thursday at the Connected Home Global Summit http://www.avrenevents.com/Home/s1971/. This was the last day of this 3 day assembly of the movers and shakers in the Connected Home world. From the DLNA through Mobile Phone companies to content providers like the BBC and even onto White Good manufacturers like Whirlpool, all were here.

The speakers on the day I attended were all very interesting and my general feeling was that there was a genuine desire to overcome the current issues with the digital home. From the difficulties in multiple codecs in use, the problems with DLNA and whether its certification is tough enough and the issue of how you incorporate legacy audio collections into a streaming audio world, all were discussed. My real concern was although there obviously was a great desire there was also no clear and obvious path to the solution.

I was particular taken by the debate on the DLNA branding with Samsung insinuating that the consumer don’t understand it and therefore using their own AllShare brand to mean the same thing to others who were really keen to see no re-branding but wanting stronger certification and I guess a DLNA that works. I do think the DLNA board is making great bounds in trying to improve the certification process and certainly the recent guidelines they have worked out with people like the cable industry in the US should lead to better interoperability and access to secure content but it was obvious from the discussions that there is a way to go.

I did find some of the facts and figures being banded about fascinating:-

  • One in three Google searches now has a location element
  • Endeavour partners say research is showing that wp7 users use less data than other smart phone users they think wp7 users like the idea of smartphones but don’t really want to use one
  • Interesting breakdown of consumers analogues, digital immigrants, digital natives
  • Interesting that content providers here are definitely seeing android tablets as a big market.
  • Only DLNA photo frame currently available is built into a fridge! Android tablets replacing digital photo frames.
  • Had missed that Twonky on android supports AirPlay
  • Funny how everyone is saying tablets are natural form-factor for home. People uses to laugh at me when I said that back in the 90s
  • BBC talking about reverse program guide i.e going back in time and viewing catch-up TV from EPG. – showed TiVo which funnily enough BBC have forced to remove functionality hopefully means it will be back
  • BBC looking at live second screen concept linked to programme content.
  • In UK 50% of people watch TV on their own
  • Very interesting quote linear TV consumption on increase (i.e conventional broadcasting)
  • Deloitte say more computing devices in homes on average than cushions and are predicting more computing devices in home than power sockets in next few years – I am already there
  • 1 in 4 phones in UK are now smart
  • More mobile phones produced everyday than whole of ZX Spectrum production run
  • Social TV won’t mean necessarily tweeting on your TV more of a relationship between secondary screens and TV
  • Interesting stat that tweeting about TV programmes drops off during interesting content

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