Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA)

Have you ever tried to get a family video or a slideshow from your computer onto the TV? At best, it was a time-consuming process. At worst, it ended with hair being torn from one’s head and not much else to show for the effort. DLNA plans to change all of that, with manufacturers producing certified equipment designed to make digital living seamless.

The way DLNA works is pretty simple. In the case of movies, the media is stored on a certified digital media server (DMS). This could be a network attached storage (NAS) device with the DLNA logo or a home computer running DLNA server software such as Tversity or PS3 Media Server. Once connected, your TV – DLNA certified as a digital media player (DMP) – can be used to find and play the movies.

DLNA in the home has five main device classes;

• digital media server (DMS) to store the media files,
• digital media player (DMP) to play movies from your DMS,
• digital media renderer (DMR) to display photos sent from your DMC,
• digital media controller (DMC) to send photos to your DMR
• digital media printer (DMPr)

So next time you’re shopping for a gadget, check for the DLNA logo and get the most out of your technology.

To find out more and get a list of all DLNA certified devices, visit http://www.dlna.org