The number of DLNA certified Blu-ray players has nearly doubled in 2010, bringing the total to 105, according to the Digital Living Network Alliance.
DLNA Certified Blu-ray players adhere to DLNA interoperability guidelines and include JVC, LG Electronics, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung and Sony among its members. To date, 51 Blu-ray players have become certified to DLNA standards this year, offering users the ability to share photos, movies, and music between devices.
According to the Digital Entertainment Group (DEG), an industry-funded, non-profit organisation which has been tracking the use of Blu-ray players in the home, overall household penetration of Blu-ray compatible devices has now reached more than 18 million homes in the U.S.
A recent Digitimes Research study also claimed that global sales volume of Blu-ray players will increase to 40 million units in 2011 and further to 52 million units in 2012.
“DLNA Certified Blu-ray players are helping to bring new forms of entertainment to the home screen,” said Donna Moore, executive director of DLNA. “As the role of the TV in the digital home evolves, consumers’ expectations are changing along with it.”
Blu-ray players are no longer just devices for viewing optical media, but are also becoming broadband media devices that are integrated with a number of video-on-demand services.
“At Philips Consumer Lifestyle, we believe that freedom in sharing and accessing multimedia content in the home is very important. However, we also believe this only works when various products can easily communicate and connect to each other,” said Jeroen Steenblik, senior marketing manager at Philips Consumer Lifestyle.
“The DLNA certification delivers a hassle free experience to the users. To demonstrate our commitment to making DLNA a success, we are adding DLNA support to the majority of our Blu-ray Players and Blu-ray Home Theater Systems launching this year,” he added.
