Trends in Consumer Electronics

Trends in Consumer Electronics K.S. Vellal, P.S. Jamooji and Anjan Kumar J.V.
Technology Review#2002-02
Trends in
Consumer
Electronics
Kumar Shankar Vellal, Parveen S. Jamooji

and Anjan Kumar J.V.=
March 2002
© Copyright 2002 Tata Consultancy Services. All rights reserved.
No part of this document may be reproduced or distributed in any form by any means
without prior written authorization of Tata Consultancy Services.
Contents
1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 1
2 OVERVIEW.................................................................................................. 1
2.1 RISE IN SMALL OFFICE, HOME OFFICE AND TELECOMMUTING PRACTICES....................... 1
2.2 RISE IN MULTI-PC HOUSEHOLDS ........................................................................ 1
2.3 RISE IN SMART DEVICES IN HOUSEHOLDS .............................................................. 2
3 THE CONNECTED HOME.............................................................................. 2
4 BROADBAND ACCESS TECHNOLOGIES....................................................... 4

4.1 VOICE-OVER-DSL (VODSL) ............................................................................. 5
4.2 VOICE-OVER-CABLE ( VOCABLE) ........................................................................ 6
5 HOME NETWORKING TECHNOLOGIES ....................................................... 6
5.1 WIRED TECHNOLOGIES ..................................................................................... 7
5.1.1 Existing Wiring Technologies ............................................................. 8
5.1.2 HomePNA ......................................................................................... 8
5.1.2.1 HomePlug ...................................................................................................8
5.1.3 New Wiring Technologies ................................................................... 9
5.1.3.1 Universal Serial Bus (USB) ............................................................................9
5.1.3.2 IEEE 1394 ...................................................................................................9
5.2 WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES ............................................................................... 10
5.2.1 HomeRF ........................................................................................... 10
5.2.2 IEEE 802.11b.................................................................................... 11
5.2.3 Bluetooth ......................................................................................... 11
5.3 SUMMARY .................................................................................................... 11
6 RESIDENTIAL (HOME) GATEWAYS........................................................... 11
6.1 OSGI – OPEN SERVICES GATEWAY INITIATIVE...................................................... 12
7 DEVICE/SERVICE DISCOVERY AND ACCESS TECHNOLOGIES ................. 13
7.1 HAVI ......................................................................................................... 14
7.2 UPNP......................................................................................................... 15
7.3 JINI ........................................................................................................... 15
8 INTERACTIVE TV ...................................................................................... 17
9 MULTIMEDIA HOME PLATFORM (MHP).................................................... 17
10 THE CONNECTED HOME SCENARIO ......................................................... 18
11 TCS & CONSUMER ELECTRONICS ............................................................ 20
12 REFERENCES ............................................................................................ 20
13 CONTACT INFORMATION......................................................................... 20
List of Illustrations
FIGURE 1: POST-PC DEVICES ....................................................................................... 2
FIGURE 2: THE CONNECTED HOME COMMUNICATIONS PROTOCOLS FOR CONSUMER INTERNET
APPLIANCES BY JOHN CANOSA-........................................................................ 3
FIGURE 3: TYPICAL PHONE-LINE SYSTEM.......................................................................... 8
FIGURE 4: AC POWERLINE-BASED TRANSPORT ELEMENT ..................................................... 9
FIGURE 5: AN EXAMPLE CONNECTION OF DEVICES USING FIREWIRE ....................................... 10
FIGURE 6: USB V/S 1394.......................................................................................... 10
FIGURE 7: OSGI OVERVIEW ....................................................................................... 12
FIGURE 8: FRAMEWORK AND SPECIFICATIONS.................................................................. 13
FIGURE 9: JINI OVERVIEW.......................................................................................... 16
FIGURE 10: JINI ARCHITECTURE .................................................................................... 16
FIGURE 11: IRT REFERENCE IMPLEMENTATION MODEL ........................................................ 18
FIGURE 12: A CONNECTED HOME SCENARIO ...................................................................... 19
FIGURE 13: KEY TECHNOLOGIES IN CONSUMER ELECTRONICS................................................ 20
List of Tables
TABLE 1: INTERNET-TO-HOME TECHNOLOGIES ..................................................................... 4
TABLE 2: TECHNOLOGIES PROVIDING DIGITAL IMAGING TO HOME ............................................. 5
TABLE 3: HOME NETWORK TECHNOLOGIES ......................................................................... 7
TABLE 4: WIRED TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE HOME.................................................................. 7
TABLE 5: WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES................................................................................ 10
TABLE 6: DEVICE ACCESS PROTOCOLS ............................................................................. 14
Trends in Consumer Electronics K.S. Vellal, P.S. Jamooji and Anjan Kumar J.V. Page 1 of 20
1 Introduction
Interweaving audio, video and data services through the advancements in consumer
electronics technologies promises a new era in infotainment. Compelling software
applications provide enriched information and interactive entertainment services enable
end-users to harness technologies in diverse ways. The following pages give an
overview of the latest developments happening in the area of consumer electronics.
Today, consumer electronic devices are becoming more intelligent, mainly due to the
falling costs and increasing capability of today’s microprocessors. Consumer electronics
no more comprises a hardware-only domain, there are both hardware and software
solutions to delivering digital entertainment. Emerging standards aim to provide a
confluence between the high-speed broadband access technologies and the consumer
electronic devices within the home.
These trends are further increasing the time-to-market pressures on the vendors, who
now need to deliver a wider plethora of products in a shorter time-frame, to capture the
consumer’s attention span. Thus, the vendors look for ready-to-use solutions from the
market, which, offered together with their core components, will deliver innovative
products to the consumer.
2 Overview
Consumer electronics and devices have always been a part of an average household;
these devices have largely been independent entities. Similarly, of late, the home has
been thought of as a separate unit typically connected to the outside world via Cable
Television [CATV], or via the Internet, using a dial-up modem. However several trends
contribute to the growing need for newer solutions in the consumer electronics space.
The following sub-sections describe the market drivers.
2.1 Rise in Small Office, Home Office and Telecommuting Practices

The number of entrepreneurs operating out of small offices and home offices is on the
rise. Driven by a changing corporate culture, cost-cutting measures, and clean-air acts
that demand less travel to and from work, many employers have implemented
telecommuting practices.
These changes, in turn, create a growing need for home networks. To implement these
practices, information technology (IT) managers must not only connect telecommuters
to the corporate local-area network (LAN) and Intranet but provide voice solutions as
well. To conduct business properly, telecommuters must access files and stored network
information and therefore require a high quality, secure voice and data network that is
able to sustain multiple sessions.
2.2 Rise in Multi-PC Households

Multi-PC households are becoming increasingly common due to the availability of PCs at
lower prices; thus, the need for the PCs to be networked to each other and to the
outside world is on the rise. Experiencing growth are small businesses, many of which
begin in the home. Also, an increasing number of home offices and individuals, who
bring work home, contribute to this trend.
2.3 Rise in Smart Devices in Households

Currently, in the process of development, is an ever-increasing number of smart devices
that allow users to control and monitor events in consumer-based appliances, home
electronics, and home-security systems. 1999 was the first year that non–PC central
processing unit (CPU)-powered devices such as computer games, phones, personal
digital assistants, set-top boxes, and other consumer goods surpassed PCs in the
number of units shipped. Figure 1 below depicts the number of units of Post-PC devices
that were shipped in the US as opposed to the number of PCs that were shipped.
U.S.
shipments in
millions
55
50 Post-PC Devices
45
40 PCs
35
30
25
20
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
Figure 1: Post-PC Devices

Source: North River Ventures
Site: www.iec.org/online/tutorials/home_net
The various non-PC and smart devices in the home today are the Digital Camera, DVD
Players, Camcorders, PDAs, Home Theatre Systems, Personal Video Recorders, etc.
These devices come with a variety of applications, which enhance the users’
experiences. Further, some or most of these devices allow interoperability with the PC.
PCs are no longer data-only devices. They are increasingly multimedia-capable and are
also inter-operable with other entertainment devices at home.
As these devices become more common, the need will increase for a home-networking
strategy that will allow all data, voice, and multimedia devices to be accessed at any
time from anywhere.
3 The Connected Home
Various technology components are involved in making the connected home a reality.
Entertainment Services
Gateway
Device Internet
Digital Television Channels
Analog Television Channels

Multimedia
PSTN/ Gateway Device Content,
ISDN Data, Voice Health Care Services
Telephone Line
Utility Services
Data & Voice
Service Aggregator
Data, Voice, Entertainment,

Control, Management
Broadband
Modem, ISDN, Cable Access
Networks
Modem, ADSL, Direct Broadcast For Connectivity
to the external
world
Home Gateway Device

Acts like a router bridge &
facilities Service delivery to
OSGi end devices and residential
consumers
GATEWAY DEVICE
Higher Layer Protocols

(Device Access Technologies) In-Home Networks
Jini, Havi, UPnP For Internal Connectivity
Device Access Technologies
Physical Layer Protocols For discovering and
HPNA, HRFWG, 1394, controlling the
10/100 BaseT, devices and services on the
Power line, Blue Tooth, network
802 11 etc.
Figure 2: The Connected Home Communications Protocols for Consumer

Internet Appliances by John Canosa-
The main technological components of the “connected home” are explained in detail
below.
! Broadband Access Technologies which provide homes with high-speed access to

digital data.
! Residential [Home] Gateway, which provide the Broadband Access Networks with
seamless connectivity to the Home Network. It should also provide value-added
services.
! Home Network, which provides interconnectivity among devices within the home.
This could be either wired or wireless.
! Device/Service Discovery and Access Technologies, which enable device and/or

service discovery and features such as hot plug-n-play.
4 Broadband Access Technologies

The modem has been the ubiquitous technology as far as accessing digital data was
concerned. But slow data rates, typically of 33.6/55.6 Kbps, have paved the way for
newer and faster technologies. Cable Modem, and ADSL are emerging technologies
promising quicker access and low latencies. Other technologies vying for the same
market are listed below.
Table 1: Internet-to-home Technologies
Communications Protocols for Consumer Internet Appliances by John Canosa
Technologies MaxSpeed Media Market Related Comments

Up/down Penetration Standards
V.90/V.34 33.6/56 PSTN Highest ITU Ubiquitous

Kbps [Very slow;
Modem cannot support
multimedia
networking]
ISDN 128/128 PSTN Low to ITU Ubiquitous

Kbps Medium
Cable Modem 200Kbps / Fibre/Co-ax Low to DOCSIS Shared

10 Mbps Medium www.cablelabs. bandwidth
com
ADSL 640 Kbps/6 PSTN Low ANSI/ADSL Trial runs only

Mbps forum
Direct 33 Kbps / PSTN/Ku Very Low Modem Upload

Broadcast 10 Mbps Band
Satellite
Technologies MaxSpeed Media Market Related Comments

Up/down Penetration Standards
FTTx (Fiber-To- 10 Mbps/10 Fiber Very low ATM Forum ITU, Lots of Activity
The-Home) Mbps www.telecomre in fixed and 3G
search. com [Requires a lot
of
infrastructure]
PowerLine 1 /1 Mbps PowerLines very low www.nor.webdpl. Existing

com infrastructure
[FIBER], hostile
environment.
The advent of DTV also means that the information from the Internet is not the only
digital traffic arriving to the home. Technologies capable of delivering digital images to
the home, in the form of MPEG frames are now also emerging as a part of Broadband
Access Technologies. These technologies are Digital Satellite, Digital Cable, Digital
Wireless Cable, among others, which provide digital image content to the home.
Table 2: Technologies providing digital imaging to home
Technology Max BandWidth Content
Digital Satellite 52 Mbps MPEG image frames
Digital Cable 38.8 Mbps MPEG image frames
Digital Wireless Cable 38.8 Mbps MPEG image frames
One of the key applications that must be supported for the home-user is Voice. Several
technologies that are playing a part here are Voice-Over-Cable and Voice-Over-DSL.
These are explained in the sub-sections below.
4.1 Voice-over-DSL (VoDSL)

VoDSL technology allows service providers to offer multiple telephone sessions over a
single subscriber access line, in addition to high-speed data transmission services. These
phone lines can be offered in addition to traditional wireline telephone services (using
ADSL or other forms of DSL). The technology to convert voice calls into digital packets
and transmit them as multiple calls (sessions) over a single copper line totally
transforms the economics of delivering local telephone services to small businesses and
residences. DSL networks are packet-based, allowing VoDSL solutions to use the extra
bandwidth provided by the DSL connection for additional voice channels, as well as
data, enabling the service provider to sell multiple services (instead of just a single voice
or data service) over a single access line. Service provider profits are leveraging
broadband access lines to provide both voice and data services.
In addition, VoDSL uses the extra DSL bandwidth dynamically. This means that voice
calls only consume bandwidth when a call is active on a line. When a call is not active,
the bandwidth is available for other services, such as Internet access. Today, a VoDSL
solution has two components: a gateway and an Integrated Access Device (IAD). The
voice gateway allows the traffic to be peeled off from the data network and handed
over to Public Switched Telephone Networks [PSTN ] for service and switching. The IAD
provides the interface between the DSL network service and the customer’s network
equipment. Note that the IAD can be used to connect both voice and data-literate
equipment.
4.2 Voice-over-Cable ( VoCable)

Cable-based IP telephony holds the promise of simplified and consolidated
communication services provided by a single carrier at a lower total cost than
consumers currently pay to separate Internet, television and telephony service
providers. Cable operators have already worked through the technical challenges of
providing Internet service and are optimizing the existing bandwidth in their cable plants
to deliver high-speed Internet access. Now, cable operators have turned their efforts to
the delivery of integrated Internet and voice service using the same cable spectrum.
Cable isn't without competition in the consumer market; xDSL has emerged as the
leading alternative to broadband cable. Cable operators are well positioned to capitalize
on the convergence trend, if they are able to overcome the remaining technical hurdles
and deliver telephony service that is comparable to the public switched telephone
system.
Typically, 1.5 to 3 Mbps downstream and 500 Kbps to 2.5 Mbps upstream are
supported. The first step in this process was addressed by the Data over Cable Service
Interface Specification (DOCSIS). DOCSIS established universal ground rules for the
transmission of packets across cable networks, ensuring that packets won't be routed
incorrectly. DOCSIS was later enhanced (in version 1.1) with quality of service (QoS)
and security features that are necessary for voice communication. DOCSIS 1.1 also
enables the prioritization of packet traffic. To fill in the gaps left by DOCSIS, CableLabs
created the Packet Cable specification known as the Network-based Call Signaling (NCS)
protocol for signaling voice calls over cable networks.
5 Home Networking Technologies

There are two categories of technologies that the networked home can have:
! Wired Technology
! Wireless Technology
The various topologies are shown in Table 3 below:

Table 3: Home Network Technologies
HOME NETWORKING TECHNOLOGIES
WIRED NETWORKS WIRELESS NETWORKS
Existing Infrastructure New Infrastructure WLAN Bluetooth HomRF

802.11
HomePNA HomePlug USB 1394 Ethernet
Some of these are typically meant to connect data devices such as PCs while others are
meant for connecting modern consumer electronics appliances. The following section
discusses some of these trends.
5.1 Wired Technologies

A summary of the wired technologies is shown in Table 4 below.
Table 4: Wired Technologies for the Home
Technologies Max Speed Media Cost Related Comments

Standards
Existing Infrastructure
HomePNA 10 Mbps PhoneLines $60 - $100 www.home Lots of

for HomePNA pna. org industry
PCI-card support.
HomePlug 14Mbps Electrical $200 for a kit www.home Emerging

Power Lines with 2 plug. com Standard still
adapters to catch on
New Infrastructure
USB 1-12 Mbps Cable $100 for a kit www.usb.org Complemen-

tary to 1394
IEEE 1394 100-400 Custom $72.95 for www.1394ta. So far limited

Mbps(1394b Cable/CAT5 Adaptec kit org distance but
spec allows UTP 1394b is
till 3200 rectifying this.
Mbps)
10/100 BaseT 10-100 Mbps Cat 5 UTP $5 -$25 www.ieee.org Cannot use
existing cable
5.1.1 Existing Wiring Technologies

There are basically two key technologies that are being promoted here. Both aim to use
wiring already existing in a typical home, thereby saving costs. These are described
below.
5.1.2 HomePNA
If all your computers are located within easy distance of a phone jack, then a phone-line
network may be a good choice. Home Phone Network Alliance (HomePNA) is a group of
companies who have come out with a standard wherein a phone-line within the home
can be used for voice and data travel. HomePNA uses a method of Frequency Division
Multiplexing (FDM) where the computer data and voice signals are carried on different
frequencies within the phone-line.
HomePNA is used to network the PCs in the home as well as PC-based devices such as
printers and scanners. A typical phone-line system is as shown in Figure 3.
RJ-45 Enternet Server

Jack Cable
Network Multi-pair
category 5 RJ-11
PSTN Interface cabing
Device
Connecting
Block/Hub RJ-11
Figure 3: Typical Phone-line System
Source: www.iec.org/online/tutorials
5.1.2.1 HomePlug
Since power outlets are more widely spread in a home than phone jacks, a network
making use of electrical lines could be more practical. Power line networks send data
signals through the existing AC power lines. The problem is that data transmission uses
the same frequency as household appliances, making power-line networks potentially
unstable and unreliable due to a lot of noise and interference on the lines.
Home Plug is used for connection of IT devices and home appliances. It is used for data
(non-multimedia) transmission and control of the home appliances. Figure 4 shows an
example of the AC powerline connections within a home.
Controlled Devices
Power Panel
Smart Control
Device Communication Devices
Figure 4: AC Powerline-Based Transport Element
Source: www.iec.org/online/tutorials
5.1.3 New Wiring Technologies

There are two popular technologies that have been proposed, each partially meeting the
needs of Home-Networking. The details are given below.
5.1.3.1 Universal Serial Bus (USB)
This is a host-based protocol, in which a device such as a PC serves as a manager to a

group of devices. It is a complementary technology to 1394 and is a medium bandwidth
connection for telephony products, digital still cameras, monitors, keyboards, mice and
other similar I/O devices. Its maximum transfer speed is 12Mbps, though the proposed
upgrade defines speeds of 120Mbps and 240Mbps.
5.1.3.2 IEEE 1394
Named as Firewire by Apple and iLink by Sony Corp., the IEEE 1394 multimedia
connection enables simple, low-cost, high-bandwidth isochronous (real-time) data
interfacing between computers, peripherals, and consumer electronics products such as
camcorders, VCRs, printers, PCs, TVs, and digital cameras. With IEEE 1394-compatible
products and systems, users can transfer video or still images from a camera or
camcorder to a printer, PC, or television, with no image degradation. The IEEE 1394
provides data transfer rates of 100, 200, and 400Mbps. The 1394b specification defines
data transfer rates of 800, 1600 and 3200Mbps.
The 1394 protocol is a peer-peer network, which is why a specific host isn’t required,
such as a PC for USB. This protocol has 4 layers—Physical, Link, Transaction and Bus
management layers. Figure 5 below shows the typical connectivity between 1394-
compatible devices, while Figure 6 gives a broad comparison between USB and 1394.
Printer
Digital Set-top Digital

Camera box PC DVD-RAM
VCR
Figure 5: An example connection of devices using Firewire
Source: www.embedded.com
Speed USB 1394

Medium Speed High Speed
Host 1Mbit - 12 Mbit 100Mbit - 32Gbit
Implementation Low Cost Moderate Cost

Cost <$1 $15
Topology HIIR w/PC in Center Peer-to-Peer

Keyboard Mouse Joystick D-VCR Dss DVD High-speed
Applications Monitor Hub Audio Scanner Camera Cam corder Storage
Still Camera Printer Scanner Device
Attributes Ease of Use Ease-of-Use Hot
Figure 6: USB v/s 1394
5.2 Wireless Technologies

There are essentially three broad technologies that have been mooted for the connected
home. They are listed in Table 5.
Table 5: Wireless Technologies
Technologies Max Speed Media Related Standards Comments
HomeRF 1-10 Mbps RF www.homerf.org Mostly used

within the
home
802.11b 1-11 Mbps RF www.ieee.org Complex
Bluetooth 780 Kbps RF www.bluetooth.org Limited

Distance
5.2.1 HomeRF
HomeRF (RF stands for Radio Frequency) is an alliance of businesses that have
developed a standard called Shared Wireless Access Protocol (SWAP). HomeRF
integrates voice, data, and entertainment, including cordless telephones, prioritised
media streaming, wireless speakers, and Dolby Surround. HomeRF is included in IT
devices, leading cable modems, TV Set-Top boxes, a number of gateways, and TV and
music devices.
The voice channels are based on the Digital Enhanced Cordless Telephone (DECT)
standard. HomeRF typically supports a range of 150-300 feet. This standard is very
popular within the home itself.
5.2.2 IEEE 802.11b

Also known as ‘Wi-Fi’ for Wireless Fidelity. This protocol drops the Frequency Hopped
Spread Spectrum and focuses on Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum because of the
higher data rate. Devices typically communicate at 11Mbps and if signal strength or
interference is disrupting data, then devices will drop back to 5.5Mbps, then 2Mbps and
finally 1Mbps. Though it may occasionally slow down, it keeps the network very stable
and reliable. Wi-Fi also has a far greater range than HomeRF: i.e., around 300-500 feet
indoors.
Wi-Fi is also used outside the home. Most enterprises have 802.11 networks and their
employees have Wi-Fi PC cards in their notebooks. 802.11 networks are also present in
some airports and hotel lobbies.
Like HomeRF, IEEE 802.11 can be used for media streaming and integrates voice, data
and entertainment.
5.2.3 Bluetooth
One last name in the wireless arena is Bluetooth. This is a short-range protocol, which is
aimed not at the home-network, but at the Personal Area Network (PAN). Bluetooth is
meant to reduce cable clutter from smaller devices such as cell-phones, PDAs, laptops,
keyboards and headsets. Upcoming products with Bluetooth chips will be able to
network with other Bluetooth devices, or connect to access points in pre-existing
networks within a range of about 10m. Data can be transmitted at a maximum speed of
1Mbps.
5.3 Summary
In the wireless arena, 802.11b is the preferred standard in both homes and enterprises,
while HomeRF is more widely used within homes. Bluetooth is a short-range standard
and is more suited for PC-based and hand-held devices. However, it would be unduly
expensive to use wireless networking in fixed-position devices such as home control
systems and refrigerators. However, devices that are carried around the home or that
are moved from time to time are obvious candidates for wireless networking. Even
though HomePNA is the preferred wired networking standard because of its stability and
availability, HomePlug is expected to win, over the next couple of years.
6 Residential (Home) Gateways

In the networking domain, a Gateway is nothing but a device that allows dissimilar
networks to communicate. A Home Gateway does just that, seamlessly integrating the
Broadband Access Networks with the Home Network.
It is clear that making the broadband available does not achieve much unless the
bandwidth available is tapped to provide services to the customer. A Services Gateway
(SG) is a device through which multiple services can be delivered over wide area
networks to the local area networks and devices situated in the home. The services
gateway provides a focal point for service providers to deliver services to client devices
on the home network. Various services that are expected to grow over the coming years
are educational services, entertainment services (analog and digital TV), healthcare
services, and utility services, among others.
A Home gateway, which provides the basic functionality of media matching between the
broadband access network and the in-home network, can function as a service gateway,
by conforming to the OSGi framework.
6.1 OSGi – Open Services Gateway initiative

The specification is designed to complement and enhance virtually all residential
networking standards and initiatives, such as Bluetooth™, CAL, CEBus, Convergence,
emNET, HAVi™, HomePNA™, HomePlug™, HomeRF™, Jini™ technology, LonWorks,
UPnP, 802.11B and VESA. In the same way, the specification leverages the value of the
existing wireline and wireless networks, while providing flexibility towards cable,
WCDMA, xDSL and other high-speed access technologies. Figure 7 shows OSGi and
related standards.
OSGi and Related standards
CONTENT SERVICES
PROVIDER PROVIDER
BROADBAND
Cable DSL Wireless Satellite Others
NETWORK
SERVICE
OSGi
DELIVERY
LOCAL HomePlug Lonworks 802.11 HomeRF JINI

NETWORK
HomePNA HAVi Bluetooth CEBus UPnP Others
Figure 7: OSGI Overview
Source: www.osgi.org
The OSGi Framework and Specifications facilitate the installation and operation of
multiple services on a single Open Services Gateway (set-top box, cable or DSL modem,
PC, Web phone, automotive, multimedia gateway or dedicated residential [Home]
gateway). See Figure 8 below:
The OSGI Framework and Specification

Gateway Operator
WIDE AREA LOCAL

NETWORK NETWORK Devices
Service Provider
4
Client
CLIENT SERVICE 1 SERVICE 2 DEVICE
SERVICE
MANAGEMENT OSGi Framework Standardized
SYSTEM OSGi API
2001 OSGi. All Rights Reserved

Delivering Value-Added Managed Services
Figure 8: Framework and Specifications

Source: www.osgi.org
The OSGi Specifications delineate Application Programming Interface (API) standards for
a gateway platform execution environment. Open Services Gateways must support
these API standards in order to conform to the OSGi specification. The APIs address
service cradle-to-grave life cycle management, inter-service dependencies, data
management, device management, client access, resource management and security.
Using these APIs, end-users can load network-based services on demand from the
Service Provider, while the Gateway manages the installation, versioning and
configuration of these services.
7 Device/Service Discovery and Access Technologies

A scenario of highly intelligent devices within the home is incomplete if these devices
cannot interoperate or communicate with each other. A device once introduced into the
network must be aware of its surroundings and must be capable of discovering other
devices within the network and the services these devices offer. The importance of such
a technology is evident from the various protocols evolved or supported by the industry
leaders, namely Jini (pioneered by Sun), UPnP (Supported by Microsoft) and HAVi
(pioneered by electronic industry leaders such as Philips, among others).
These protocols should enable the following:

! Service discovery: The device should be able to discover the services offered to it by
the network.
! Device discovery: The device should have a complete idea of the network topology
and the devices residing on the network.
! Convenience to the user: The device should be capable of hot plug-and-play facility
and should require minimal configuration.
! Inter-operability: The device should be inter-operable with all other devices and if
possible, with devices running device/service discovery protocols different from its
own.
A summary of various Device Access and Coordination protocols is presented in Table 6

below:
Table 6: Device Access Protocols
Technologies Data Inter- Related Comments Devices

Transport operability Standards
with other
devices
Jini IP over any Discovery/Loo www.jini.org Requires JAVA IT-Devices,

media kup virtual Home
Machine appliances
and CE
devices
HAVi IEEE 1394 Discovery/Ser www.havi.org Driven by All Audio and

v-ice Sony Philips, Video(Stream-
/Identification Grundig and ing) devices in
/ APi others the CE space
UpnP Any Media Discovery/Ser www.upnp.or Driven by IT-Devices,

v- g Microsoft Home
ice/Identifica- appliances
tion/API and CE
devices
7.1 HAVi
HAVi is the Home Audio Video Inter-operability standard, which defines the transfer of
real-time (isochronous) data between audio and video devices in a home-networking
environment.
The HAVi Architecture is an open, light-weight, platform-independent and architecturally

neutral specification that allows consumer electronics manufacturers to develop inter-
operable devices, and independent application developers to write applications for these
devices. It can be implemented on different hardware/software platforms and does not

include features that are unique to any one platform. The inter-operability interfaces of
the HAVi Architecture are extensible and can be advanced as market requirements and
technology change. They provide the infrastructure to control the routing and
processing of isochronous and time-sensitive data such as audio and video content.
For instance, one device may initiate recording on a second, while accessing EPG
(Electronic Program Guide) information on a third. The home network provides the
fabric for connecting CE devices. It allows connected devices to exchange both control
information (one device sending a command to another) and AV content (one device
sending an audio or video stream to another). To be successful in the consumer
electronics domain, the home network must meet several requirements. These include:
timely transfer of high-data-rate AV streams, self-configuration and self-management,
hot plug-and-play, and low-cost cabling and interfaces.
The HAVi Architecture is intended for networks based only on the IEEE 1394 standard.
1394 is a powerful technology that meets many of the requirements of home networks.
7.2 UPnP
Universal Plug and Play is a software standard in the manner of HAVi. It provides a
plug-and-play facility and is driven mainly by Microsoft. It can run on any data transport
layer, unlike HAVi.
Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) is an architecture for pervasive peer-to-peer network
connectivity of PCs of all form factors, intelligent appliances and wireless devices. UPnP
is a distributed, open networking architecture that leverages TCP/IP and the Web to
enable seamless proximity networking in addition to control and data transfer among
networked devices in the home, office and everywhere in between.
UPnP supports zero-configuration networking and automatic discovery, whereby a

device can dynamically join a network, obtain an IP address, announce its name, convey
its capabilities upon request and learn about the presence and capabilities of other
devices. A DHCP and DNS server are optional and will be made use of only if available
on the network. Furthermore, a device can leave a network smoothly and automatically
without leaving behind any unwanted state.
7.3 Jini
The Jini network technology provides simple mechanisms which enable devices to plug
together to form an impromptu community -- a community put together without any
planning, installation, or human intervention. Each device provides services that other
devices in the community may use. These devices provide their own interfaces, which
ensure reliability and compatibility.
Application Service
Jini Technology
Java Technology
Operating System
Network Transport
Figure 9: Jini Overview
Source:www.jini.org
Jini technology uses a lookup service with which devices and services register. When a
device plugs in, it goes through an add-in protocol, called discovery and join-in. The
device first locates the lookup service (discovery) and then uploads an object that
implements all of its services' interfaces (join).
The Java programming language is the key to making Jini technology work. Devices in a
network employing Jini technology are tied together using Java Remote Method
Invocation (RMI). By using the Java programming language, a Jini network architecture
is secure. The discovery and join protocols, as well as the lookup service, depend on the
ability to move Java objects, including their code, between Java virtual machines.
Consider the following example (Refer to Figure 10): A digital camera can be instantly
connected to a network without drivers installed from a CD-ROM or the entry of
keyboard commands. The camera first identifies itself and offers its services to the
network. If a laptop that uses Jini technology were on the same network, that laptop
would be able to access the camera, take a picture, and save the image to its hard drive
or send it to another Jini device such as a colour printer also connected to the network.
This network does not necessarily have to be Ethernet, but could also be IEEE 1394 or
HomeRF, among others.
Camera Application Printer

Services Services Services
Lockup
Discovery
Java Java Java
Technology Technology Technology
Custom Operating Postscript
Software System Software
Digital Color
Laptop
Camera Printer
Network
Etheme, 1394 or HomeRF
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Figure 10: Jini Architecture

Source:www.hometoys.com
Services provided by Jini technology offer a solution that links HAVi-compliant digital
electronics appliances in the home. This would not only allow digital AV electronics
appliances to access remote network services, such as a storage device for large video
files, but it would also allow users to remotely operate digital AV appliances and PCs
across a Jini technology-based distributed network. It would be possible to command a
VCR to record a television program via control from a computer in the workplace,
connected to the Internet.
8 Interactive TV
Interactive TV is the combination of digital television and Internet technology to deliver
a mix of programming, restricted or open Web access, email, on-line shopping and
customer service to viewers watching at home. It can be seen as both a channel to the
Internet and as a way to synchronize data with broadcast material, so that viewers can
influence the outcome of a show, chat to other fans, buy products and play games
related to the programmes being broadcasted. While the current generation of
interactive television systems offer basic Internet browsing functionality, the next
generation of technologies available in the coming months promises to give far greater
flexibility both to viewers and to content providers. The convergence of Internet
technology and television has only just begun.
9 Multimedia Home Platform (MHP)

The Multimedia Home Platform (MHP) attempts to adapt existing Internet and web
standards for digital Television (DTV). The aim is to provide interactive digital content
that can be viewed on set-top boxes and multimedia PCs.
Digital Video Broadcast is the transmission of digital images to homes in the form of
MPEG frames. Various vendors and broadcasters can, via satellite, cable, terrestrial or
microwave, provide the video broadcast. A need was felt for a standard that would
provide inter-operability at the application level, regardless of the applications’
broadcaster or manner in which it is broadcast.
MHP was produced by the Digital Video Broadcasting Project (as_), a European-based
consortium of broadcast companies and regulatory bodies. DVB Standards are published
by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI).
Typical uses intended for MHP are:

! EPG: Electronic Programme Guides
! Super teletext: for information services such as news and financial information
! Video synchronised content: for TV game shows and sports information
! Security: for e-commerce and control of access to TV content
Given below is IRT’s [Institut für Rundfunktechnik] reference implementation model of

MHP [Refer Figure 11]. The MHP interface will be written in JAVA and run on a JVM. The
MHP interface decouples the application from the underlying system.
Appl. 1
Appl. 1 Appl. 1
e.g. Home Appl. n
e.g. EPG e.g. Game
shopping
Tuner
IRT's MHP Reference Implementation MPEG-Decoder
Display
Java Virtual Machine
CA
Operating System
Drivers
Hardware
Figure 11: IRT Reference implementation model
Source: http://www.tomw.net.au/2001/itv.html Note: IRT — Institut für

Rundfunktechnik
10 The Connected Home Scenario

Based on the discussion earlier about the various technologies at play within the home,
at the gateway and outside the home, the figure below gives a broad picture of the
possible networked scenario.
CE devices IT Devices & household

DVD, DSC appliances
Higher Layer Protocol Cam corder PC, Printer, coffee maker etc.
HAVi
Higher Layer Protocol

Havi-Jini Jini/UPnP
IEEE Bridge
Internet Residential Physical Layer Protocol
1394
Gateway & Media IEEE 1394
Cable Modem Platform
Could be connected
via10/100 Base T Services RF, Phoneline IT Devices
to PC/STB or could Gateway or Ethernet
be an internal OSGi
PCI card on the STB
Higher Layer Protocol

Jini/UPnp
Physical Layer Protocol
IEEE 802.11 (Wireless)
Home PNA, Ethernet
Figure 12: A connected home scenario
The Residential [Home] Gateway provides a platform for convergence of these

technologies. This platform must provide several of the features discussed earlier.
Components need to be developed to meet the various kinds of functionality that the
gateway provides. In addition, several end-devices need to have components to support
their part of the functionality.
This gateway device is used to provide the home with connectivity to the outside world.
Apart from this basic function, it also provides interfaces to the home-networked
devices. The gateway interface may be provided by the cable modem while IEEE 1394,
IEEE 802.11, HomeRF, HomePNA or Bluetooth may provide communication within the
home.
Multimedia infrastructure is present to facilitate voice and video applications over the
Internet. The infrastructure may contain components which support real-time protocols
for streaming video and voice applications.
HAVi, Jini and UPnP provide device and service discovery. To enable digital content
providers to address all types of terminals ranging from low-end to high-end set-top
boxes, integrated digital TV sets and multimedia PCs, the Multimedia Home
Platform[MHP] is provided.
A Home residential gateway which provides the basic functionality of media matching
between the broadband access network and the in-home network can function as a
service gateway, by conforming to the OSGi framework.
Application for HomeUser
OSGi Platform
Multimedia Home Platform
HAVi UPnP Jini
Multimedia Infrastructure Voice & Video
Operating System (Embedded Linux) with Device drivers

and JVM Support
Cable IEEE IEEE Blue

HomeRF HPNA
Modem 1394 802.11 tooth
Figure 13: Key Technologies in Consumer Electronics
11 TCS & Consumer Electronics

TCS is in the process of developing some of the technologies mentioned above [Figure
13]. For further details, use the contact information provided below.
12 References
www.allnetdevices.com
www.news.cnet.com
www.pcworld.com
www.osgi.org
www.havi.org
www.jini.org
www.upnp.org
www.iec.org
www.hometoys.com
www.tomw.net.au/2001/itv.html
John Canosa. Communications Protocols for Consumer Internet Appliances. White Paper
presented at Hynes Convention Center, Boston, MA. September 6, 2001.
13 Contact information
For further details, please contact:
ceg@blore.tcs.co.in
Embedded Electronics Group (Architecture and Technology Consulting Practice)

Tata Consultancy Services
11th floor, Innovator,
International Tech Park (ITPL),
Whitefield Road,
Bangalore – 560 066
India
Tel: +91-80-8410085
Fax: +91-80-8410114

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Trends in Consumer Electronics

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Trends in Consumer Electronics K.S. Vellal, P.S. Jamooji and Anjan Kumar J.V.

Kumar Shankar Vellal, Parveen S. Jamooji

© Copyright 2002 Tata Consultancy Services. All rights reserved.

4 BROADBAND ACCESS TECHNOLOGIES....................................................... 4

9 MULTIMEDIA HOME PLATFORM (MHP).................................................... 17

10 THE CONNECTED HOME SCENARIO ......................................................... 18

11 TCS & CONSUMER ELECTRONICS ............................................................ 20

2.1 Rise in Small Office, Home Office and Telecommuting Practices

2.2 Rise in Multi-PC Households

2.3 Rise in Smart Devices in Households

Figure 1: Post-PC Devices

3 The Connected Home

Digital Television Channels

Analog Television Channels

Data, Voice, Entertainment,

Home Gateway Device

Higher Layer Protocols

Figure 2: The Connected Home Communications Protocols for Consumer

! Broadband Access Technologies which provide homes with high-speed access to

! Device/Service Discovery and Access Technologies, which enable device and/or

4 Broadband Access Technologies

Table 1: Internet-to-home Technologies

Communications Protocols for Consumer Internet Appliances by John Canosa

Technologies MaxSpeed Media Market Related Comments

V.90/V.34 33.6/56 PSTN Highest ITU Ubiquitous

ISDN 128/128 PSTN Low to ITU Ubiquitous

Cable Modem 200Kbps / Fibre/Co-ax Low to DOCSIS Shared

ADSL 640 Kbps/6 PSTN Low ANSI/ADSL Trial runs only

Direct 33 Kbps / PSTN/Ku Very Low Modem Upload

Technologies MaxSpeed Media Market Related Comments

PowerLine 1 /1 Mbps PowerLines very low www.nor.webdpl. Existing

Table 2: Technologies providing digital imaging to home

Technology Max BandWidth Content

Digital Satellite 52 Mbps MPEG image frames

Digital Cable 38.8 Mbps MPEG image frames

Digital Wireless Cable 38.8 Mbps MPEG image frames

4.1 Voice-over-DSL (VoDSL)

4.2 Voice-over-Cable ( VoCable)

5 Home Networking Technologies

The various topologies are shown in Table 3 below:

Table 3: Home Network Technologies

HOME NETWORKING TECHNOLOGIES

WIRED NETWORKS WIRELESS NETWORKS

Existing Infrastructure New Infrastructure WLAN Bluetooth HomRF

5.1 Wired Technologies

Table 4: Wired Technologies for the Home

Communications Protocols for Consumer Internet Appliances by John Canosa

Technologies Max Speed Media Cost Related Comments

HomePNA 10 Mbps PhoneLines $60 - $100 www.home Lots of

HomePlug 14Mbps Electrical $200 for a kit www.home Emerging

USB 1-12 Mbps Cable $100 for a kit www.usb.org Complemen-

IEEE 1394 100-400 Custom $72.95 for www.1394ta. So far limited

5.1.1 Existing Wiring Technologies

RJ-45 Enternet Server

Figure 3: Typical Phone-line System

Figure 4: AC Powerline-Based Transport Element

5.1.3 New Wiring Technologies

5.1.3.1 Universal Serial Bus (USB)

This is a host-based protocol, in which a device such as a PC serves as a manager to a

5.1.3.2 IEEE 1394

Digital Set-top Digital

Figure 5: An example connection of devices using Firewire

Speed USB 1394