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8 posts from July 2009

CopperGate Joins HomeGrid’s Board of Directors

July 28, 2009 3:07 PM in EveryWire , EveryWire.com , G.hn , Home Networking , HomeGrid Forum , Wired Home Networking  | 0 comments  | 0 TrackBack

HomeGrid Forum has just announced that it has recruited CopperGate Communications to become a member of its Board of Directors.

CopperGate brings to the table the big Kahunah telco, AT&T and 39 other service providers around the world who use the company’s chip sets.  As an AT&T U-verse customer, I know their stuff works.  It distributes traffic in the house and makes upgrades and remote service calls a breeze.

In the why history is so important department…. a little over a year ago, CopperGate bought the AV powerline technology of Conexant, giving the company a big footprint in coax, phoneline and powerline. 

My take is that CopperGate has been heading toward G.hn all along, and now that they are on the HomeGrid Board, they bring a ton of credibility to the organization’s vision of bringing next-generation, unified coaxial, phone line and powerline home networking standard to frution.

 

GigaOm’s Stacey Higgenbotham Reports: Wireless Home Networks Aren’t Ready for Video

July 27, 2009 10:07 PM  | 0 comments  | 0 TrackBack

Stacey Higgenbothom from GigaOM has well done and well researched post on the realities of wireless home networks and their inability to support video.  Video and the demand for increasing bandwidth is only going to increase.  While the vision and dreams of wireless video and all of the overhead that are demanded from its service (let alone security issues), wireless home networks may wind up just being a dream after all.

Read her post here.

Pioneer Journalist, John C Dvorak points to the future of home networking. (Hint: it’s G.hn)

July 25, 2009 10:07 PM  | 0 comments  | 0 TrackBack

I’ve been a huge fan of John C. Dvorak for over 20 years.  Through all of the evolutions of the electronics and PC industry, John has had a long-standing association with PC Magazine in print and now online.

John sees the future of wired home networks and points to the G.hn standard.  In this article, he clearly states:  “G.hn should make home networking more ubiquitous, allowing for HD media distribution and home automation.”

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson Introduces the Connecting America Act of 2009 (Hmmm…. Why Not The Wired Home Networking Act of 2009?)

July 15, 2009 10:07 AM in EveryWire , EveryWire.com , G.hn , Home Networking , HomeGrid Forum , Wired Home Networking  | 0 comments  | 0 TrackBack

Telecompetitor is reporting on Republican Senator, Kay Bailey Hutchinson, introducing legislation known as the Connecting America Act of 2009 to help boost broadband in un-served and underserved markets.

 

What’s different about this pending legislation is that current grant and loan program underway through the broadband stimulus program, Hutchinson’s approach uses tax credits for companies investing in broadband infrastructure.

Ms. Hutchinson is not only an astute politician, but she’s just announced that she is going to be running for Governor of Texas against current Governor Rick Perry.

·      Given this legislation and given her desire to be Governor, I have a hat tip to the Senator:  reposition the legislation by calling it the Wired Home Networking Act of 2009.  

·      Team up with AT&T (who just happens to be run by a Republican supporting Chairman and CEO-Randall Stephenson) and whose company, Texas-based AT&T just happens to be a big supporter of G.hn, and promote tax credits for home owners who buy and invest in G.hn-based products. 

·      Maybe team up with HomeGrid Forum’s Board Member, Best Buy, and give home-owners a sales tax free holiday for one year on any G.hn-based products.  

Politics aside, Senator Hutchinson could bring a breath of fresh air into the conversation on the Governor’s race and advance the ITU’s new standard for home networking.

I’d welcome a meeting with the Senator so I can further elaborate. 

So, if you’re listening, Senator Hutchinson, how about a meeting anywhere in Texas?

HomeGrid Forum and DLNA Connect, Bringing Critical Mass to the G.hn Standard.

July 13, 2009 3:07 PM in DLNA , EveryWire , EveryWire.com , Home Networking , HomeGrid Forum  | 0 comments  | 0 TrackBack

 

Back in January at CES 2009, I remember seeing the Digital Living Network Alliance  (DLNA) everywhere. 

Sony. JVC.  Panasonic.  Samsumg.  Pionneer,  and more.   Name the big names and they were all on board the Digital Living Network Alliance, the non-profit trade group promoting the United Nations’ International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU-T) G.hn standardization efforts.

Today, HomeGrid Forum is announcing a liaison agreement with the DLNA setting the stage for collaboration between the two organizations and the approval of G.hn as a DLNA-recognized Physical Layer technology for the next-generation of home networking products.  You may download the news release here:

Download HGF - DLNA release FNL

This is big deal because it brings big time critical mass to an installed base of more than 5,000 DLNA Certified® devices worldwide, who can now look to HomeGrid and DLNA in helping them move up the wired home networking food chain.

G.hn: The Global Stimulus Package

July 10, 2009 2:07 AM in G.hn , Wired Home Networking  | 0 comments  | 0 TrackBack

This is a bit pie in the sky, but here goes:  at one of these global leaders summits- you know, the one where all the Presidents, Kings, Queens, Prime Ministers and Heads of this State and that State get get together, I wish they would take five minutes out of their event and give acknowledgement to the ITU and their role in getting the G.hn ball rolling.

Wanna make the economy rock and roll again? 

Have every one of these world leaders promote family, entrepreneurship, healthcare, energy savings, and hey, while we’re at it – a bit of world peace, by encouraging the acceleration of G.hn-based products.

Why should they?  

Because once we can deliver broadband on all three media types all the way to devices inside the home, we flatten the world, raise people out of poverty, improve global education, improve global healthcare, dramatically improve productivity, reduce cultural differences and stimulate innovation.  

 

In fact, I would like to see President Obama, assign his CTO, Aneesh Chopra, to come up with the equivalent of the X-prize, but for home networking technologies based on the G.hn standard.

Your take?

And Why Not The Energy Channel?

July 09, 2009 4:07 PM in Alan Weinkrantz , AT&T , G.hn , U-verse  | 0 comments  | 0 TrackBack

AT&T has just served up a slew of new features that I recently received overnight.  The biggest news was the software update that allows my family to enjoy new Total Home DVR capabilities and navigation enhancements, plus a new and visually enhanced look and feel which you can see here

The other new features that were added for all U-verse TV customers include a new Mobile Remote Access App for the iPhone, enhancements to AT&T’s Web Remote Access app and a free month of Starz in July as a customer appreciation promotion.

 

You can view a demo of these enhancements here, and a demo of U-verse Mobile Remote Access App for iPhone here.

With all the great technology and all the great channels, I wonder:  why not a channel that is tied to my utility company (in my case, CPS / San Antonio), that would let me watch and monitor the family’s energy consumption?

And while we’re away- why not a special app on my iPhone that is tied to my G.hn wired home network, so I can monitor the house and all energy consumption when we’re away?  Even with Microsoft’s recent announcement, promoting its new hohm offering, it’s not quite enough.

My take is that Microsoft with it being  the middleware provider to AT&T and other telcos around the world, should address how they could tie their software platform to my soon to be G.hn-based network to not only enjoy great broadcast programming, but help my family save money and help make my home a bit more green.

 

Sigma Designs Joins HomeGrid Forum’s Board of Directors

July 08, 2009 1:07 AM  | 0 comments  | 0 TrackBack

HomeGrid Forum’s Board of Directors is growing, now having Sigma Designs, Inc. (Nasdaq: SIGM) on its team.

Sigma is huge leader in digital media processing system-on-chip (SoC) solutions for consumer electronics products.  By being on their Board, it sends me a signal that yet another major industry player is publicly committing themselves to the G.hn standard.

Sigma also works with the heart and soul home the home network, being that they supply the world’s leading set-top box and consumer electronics manufacturers.  They get the need for a unified wired-networking solution in the home networking marketplace.

Venkat R. Uppuluri, director of product marketing at Sigma Designs and HomeGrid Forum board member sums it up best in his quote: “…the G.hn standard addresses the needs of consumers, manufacturers, and service providers that are in search of a single solution.   Sigma intends to support the proliferation of G.hn-based products starting with reference platforms that will power the next-generation of home content delivery.”