Cross-Industry Alliance Seeks Simple But Secure HD Home Networking

Besides simplifying home hookups and securing digital content from unauthorized distribution, other goals of the High-Definition Audio-Video Network Alliance (HANA) include reducing cable operators’ capital expenses for advanced set-tops, developing new sales opportunities for CE manufacturers and retailers, and ensuring backward compatibility with legacy HANA-certified products -- while not making obsolete pre-HANA hardware such as current HDTV sets. The alliance was founded in Oct. by Charter Communications, JVC, Mitsubishi, NBC Universal, Samsung and Sun Microsystems. Since then, chip developers ARM, Freescale Semiconductor and Pulse-Link joined as contributing members.

HANA-compliant products will include HDTVs, next generation DVD players, hard disc PVRs, set-top cable and satellite boxes and home theater systems. There’s also expected to be connectivity with media center PCs, videogame consoles and portable devices, including phones, the group said. Although HANA devices will be connected by Firewire, RF wireless links also will be used for networking with remote rooms -- as will legacy coaxial connections already installed in homes for cable and satellite sources. The HANA protocols include provision to adapt the coax for Firewire-like 400 Mbps data rates, the group said.

Among its advantages to consumers, HANA would enable the addition of any device to the home network with just one IEEE-1394 cable - and access to content and control of all AV device with a single remote-control per room, the founders said. Coordination and remote control of the many AV sources will be performed through a single HANA- certified set-top. Within the home, viewers would be able to view, pause and record at least 5 HD channels simultaneously, with no compromise to HD image and sound quality. Personal content can be distributed freely from PCs to AV displays and devices, while multiple DRM systems can be accommodated to prevent content from HD-AV sources from being routed to PCs and the Internet without authorization. HANA said it will ensure compatibility among manufacturers’ products through independent compliance-testing and HANA-organized developers’ conferences.

Many major players from the various industries were conspicuously absent from HANA’s Wed. news conference in NBC’s fabled Studio 8-H, recently renovated for HD broadcasts of Saturday Night Live. That was because the group is recently formed as a small nucleus in contact with other companies and industry bodies to collaborate on a unified standard. Discussions are under way with standards bodies such as CEA, CableLabs, MPAA, ATSC, the 1394 Trade Assn. and AACS LA, licensor for the Advanced Access Content System to be used by the next-gen Blu-ray and HD DVD optical disc formats.

“HANA brings together content providers, consumer electronics, service providers and IT with the sole purpose of addressing HD needs such as quality of service, ease of use and content protection,” said Heemin Kwon, HANA pres. and Samsung exec. vp. “Since HANA is a cross- industry effort with members from each of the impacted HD industries, we can achieve the ‘win-win’ necessary to commercialize HD networks. HANA is a milestone among industry alliances because we are starting in the living room, not the home office.”

Intel and Microsoft participation will be approached to participate, the group said. Tues., Intel outlined plans for its Viiv platform for multimedia home networking. As for Firewire champion Apple, a HANA member who requested anonymity told us: “You'll have to come to CES.”