Five New DLNA Promoter Members Take Active Role in Promoting Alliance Vision of Connected Digital Lifestyle

TOKYO, March 16 /PRNewswire/ -- The Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) has inducted five new Promoter Members.  AT&T, Dolby Laboratories, Qualcomm, Technicolor and Verizon have joined DLNA's 21 existing Promoter Members.  All maintain a shared vision of connecting the digital home with DLNA Certified® products to make the creation and sharing of photos, videos and music easier than ever before.

"Promoter Membership signifies a strong commitment to the work and mission of DLNA," said Scott Smyers, president and chairman of the DLNA board of directors and senior vice president of Sony Electronics Inc. "As leaders in their respective fields, AT&T, Dolby Laboratories, Qualcomm, Technicolor and Verizon understand the importance of implementing standards-based technology to make it easier for consumers to use, share and enjoy their digital content at home, and beyond."

DLNA is developing the standards that allow for the sharing of content across devices, regardless of manufacturer. More than 6,800 devices have already been DLNA Certified® and these devices give consumers the interoperability they need within a full range of products including digital cameras, PCs and laptops, printers and televisions.

"AT&T is committed to delivering the future of communications and entertainment via next generation mobile broadband services and the AT&T U-verse portfolio of IP-based offerings that integrate digital TV, U-verse enabled AT&T High Speed Internet, and next-generation digital voice," said Vijay Perumbeti, executive director of Strategic Standards, AT&T.  "AT&T is a strong supporter of technical standards and we see DLNA's goals of plug-and-play interoperability among audio and video devices as something that will be highly valued by our customers."

"From film capture to DVDs and Blu-ray Discs and from broadcast television to new online content delivery, Dolby plays a key role in delivering the best possible entertainment experience to audiences worldwide," said Pat Griffis, Senior Director of Technology Strategy, Office of the CTO at Dolby Laboratories.  "We are extremely excited at the opportunity to work with DLNA in its efforts to enable consumers to enjoy their entertainment on a myriad of digital devices within the home and beyond, as this has always been a guiding principle of our marquis technologies, including Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus."

"Qualcomm is delighted to help promote the interoperability and convergence of wireless and consumer electronics through DLNA," said Mike Concannon, senior vice president of Connectivity and Wireless Modules for Qualcomm CDMA Technologies. "With innovative products such as the N-Stream 4x4x4 WLAN solution for home video networking and the Skifta media shifting solution for remote access to your media on connected consumer electronics, Qualcomm sees a significant opportunity for growth in this exciting market."

"Technicolor is pleased to have been accepted as a Promoter Member of DLNA," said Ben Crosby, chief technology officer, Technicolor. "As a leading provider of solutions for the creation, management and delivery of commercial content, Technicolor believes that the distribution of premium commercial content over digital home networks is of increasing importance for the media and entertainment industry, operators, manufacturers and end users. Seamless interoperability between devices, as well as the delivery of a compelling user experience, are critical factors for the successful adoption of new products and services in today's home networks, enabled by DLNA technology."

"Verizon is leading the broadband revolution with our FiOS all-fiber TV and Internet services and is setting the pace in next generation wireless LTE development and testing," said Tushar Saxena, director of home networking technology, Verizon. "The promise of advanced broadband services depends on simple, trouble-free integration of services and consumer electronics devices. Our advanced FiOS home networks and future wireless connections stand to greatly benefit from the development and widespread adoption of standards-based approaches such as DLNA."

DLNA's more than two hundred member companies include service providers, consumer electronics companies and mobile device manufacturers. Promoter Members are appointed by the Alliance's board of directors and play an essential leadership role within the organization. Promoter Members take an active role in defining the direction of the Alliance, including strategic marketing, Guideline development and Certification Programs.  

The induction of New Promoter Members took place at the Spring DLNA Members Meeting in Tokyo.  This twice yearly event gathers representatives from each of the DLNA member companies to further Alliance objectives.  For more information about DLNA, please visit our Web site www.DLNA.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dlnacertified.

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 2010 Promoter Members include: ACCESS, AT&T, Awox, Broadcom, Cisco, Comcast, DIRECTV, Dolby Laboratories, Ericsson, HP, Huawei, Intel, JVC Kenwood Holdings, LG, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, NXP, Panasonic, Pioneer, Qualcomm, Rovi Corporation, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, Technicolor, Toshiba and Verizon. Additional information about the Alliance, its participating companies and membership benefits is available at www.dlna.org.

SOURCE Digital Living Network Alliance