Broadcom, Cisco, DIRECTV and Samsung are forming an alliance to develop a specification for a full-featured "pixel accurate” Remote User Interface (RUI) that will form the core of the new RVU technology. The RVU Alliance complements and benefits existing industry interoperability initiatives and underscores its founders’ commitment to the sharing of digital content in the connected home.
The Telecom Council met in May under the title, “The ConnectedHome: Services and models”. The meeting looks at how suppliers and manufacturers were responding to the needs of consumer in creating the connected home environment. See what Intel is doing here - Intel’s Vision of Next Generation Connected Homes. In April Ericsson released their finding on a survey they did entitle “IPTV and the connected home” what consumer want from advanced TV services and the Connected Home. I mentioned these because the “connected home” is a growing topic and is now a frequent topic in media, telecom and other technology gatherings.
Toshiba announced that it start shipping Digital Media Frames next month. The new systems will be cutting-edge advancements for today's connected home. Taking photo sharing to new heights, Toshiba's Digital Media Frames will deliver real-time information through its partnership with FrameChannel (see Frame Media Launched FrameChannel for the Digital Home), such as personalized weather, traffic, and sports scores as well as music and video to any room in the connected home.
The number of subscribers worldwide to telco/IPTV services will approach 40 million by year-end 2009, according to international research firm Parks Associates. The strong growth in telco/IPTV services is due partly to aggressive provider deployments, according to the firm's new white paper IPTV and the Digital Home, but the most successful rollouts will incorporate multiple services, such as home networking, convergence in entertainment and communications features, and unique interactive services such as quality on-demand programming.
British Gas New Energy and AlertMe.com, the award- winning provider of smart energy saving systems for homes, have today announced an agreement that will see the two companies trial home energy management technologies, to help British Gas customers cut their energy consumption, save money and reduce their household carbon emissions.
The Continental Automated Buildings Association (CABA), through its Connected Home Research Council, is launching a groundbreaking research project to explore what the future will look like in the digital home. Through a collaborative process, the primary objective of the research project, entitled ‘It’s the Magic Thing’, will be to evaluate future connected home technology and connectivity solutions that enhance quality of life. The research will identify gaps between consumer wants and existing technology, in an effort to translate these gaps into future wants.
Windstream Corp. a high-speed Internet, phone and digital TV provider, announced today its new online backup and file sharing service designed for residential and small business customers. The services will be provided in partnership with Radialpoint a Digital Home solution company.
GE today unveiled plans for a “Net Zero Energy Home” project which combines GE's most efficient appliances and lighting, the company's new energy management systems, and GE power generating and storing technologies in new home construction. When applied together, the system would enable a homeowner to achieve net zero energy costs by 2015. The Net Zero Energy Home project -- and new smart grid consumer poll data from the U.S. and the U.K.
Microsoft has released a new service called Microsoft-Hohm - beta (US only). The new service will allow users to track the amount of energy they use in their home. Developed using web services technology the system will use smart grid data on energy use when it’s available, but even when it is not. The energy management service will work with both users and energy supply companies in an effort to reduce the amount of energy we use.
The InterHome (image) was developed by the University of Hertfordshire which incorporates modular custom design units and draws on standard home automation systems; that allows you to monitored and controlled using web browsers, windows mobile and any SMS-capable mobile phone. The InterHome will learn and adapts to the occupiers’ lifestyle and helps with energy management which adds up to approximately £300 yearly.
