A new High-Definition Audio-Video Network Alliance (HANA) has been formed to speed the creation of new, higher quality, easier to use HD products. Specifically, HANA’s mission is to create industry design guidelines, utilizing existing technology and specifications, that will help enable consumers to:
- View, pause and record 5+ HD channels simultaneously without
compromising quality of service; - View, pause and record HD anywhere in the home with just one set top box;
- Share personal content from PCs to AV devices while keeping protected content secure;
- Control all AV devices and access content with just a single remote per room; and
- Add any device to the home network with just one cable.
Founding members of HANA include Charter Communications, JVC, Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, NBC Universal, Samsung and Sun Microsystems. In addition to the founding members, ARM, Freescale Semiconductor and Pulse~LINK have joined HANA as contributing members.
HANA-compliant products will include HDTVs, next generation DVD players, personal video recorders, set top cable boxes and home theaters. The first commercial products are expected to be available at International CES 2007. The Alliance plans to facilitate compatibility among various manufacturers’ products through compliance testing and HANA-organized developers’ conferences.
HANA is in discussions with standards bodies such as the Consumer
Electronics Association (CEA), CableLabs, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) and the 1394 Trade Association. HANA also plans to work with Advanced Access Content System (AACS), Open Media Commons and other digital rights management technologies to give consumers new flexibility in using content across the entire home network, including moving content across multiple devices such as portable video players. http://www.HANAalliance.org
