The shape of the “digital home” of the near future is becoming steadily clearer, according to a finding issued today by market analyst ABI Research. Traditionally the prerogative of the successful hip-hop producer or sports star, home automation — integrating media and entertainment with communications and “smart” household appliances — is nearly ready for a wider market of upper middle-class… households.

According to ABI Research principal analyst Erik Michielsen, the biggest factors enabling this transition are firm commitments to home automation from some of the world's largest technology companies, both individually and as members of standards-setting organizations.

Depending on who's talking, the gateway to the home — the central control hub — is either going to be PC-focused, or based on the television and the set-top-box. Microsoft and HP have teamed up to offer a “Windows Home Concept” suite targeting both media and communication, while Motorola recently announced its “Home Media Architecture”, initially more focused on entertainment.

Michielsen says this is just the beginning. “It's a progressive transition from media, entertainment and communications to the entire home, through a number of technologies: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ultra Wide Band and ZigBee.”

Getting a diverse collection of devices talking to each other requires standards. Here, several industry groups are playing a vital role. There's the OSGi (Open Services Gateway Initiative) Alliance, which Michielsen describes as “very influential in determining how these gateways are being developed.” The ZigBee Alliance includes appliance makers eyeing the benefits of machine-to-machine communication. And because these complex new systems require installation and maintenance, the Computing Technology Industry Association offers training and certification under its “HTI+” (Home Technology Integration) initiative.

ABI Research's The US Digital Home Enterprise: Connected Home Automation report analyzes these trends in depth and provides detailed forecasts for different sectors, as well as profiles of all the major players in this potentially huge market.

Copyright © 2004 Allied Business Intelligence Inc. (ABI). All Rights Reserved. Reproduced by LinuxDevices.com with permission.

 
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