New Networking Standard For The Digital Home And Internet

The Consumer Electronics Association's (CEA®) R7 Home Network Committee published a new standard, CEA-2014, Web-based Protocol and Framework for Remote User Interface on UPnP™ Networks and the Internet (Web4CE). According to CEA, the newly adopted standard lets a UPnP device offer up its user interface (display and control options) as a Web page to display on any other device on the home network. The following are the salient features of the release:

• The newly adopted standard will allow consumers to control their CE devices from virtually anywhere, by providing a browser-based communications method for CE devices on a UPnP home network using Ethernet and a special version of HTML called CE-HTML.
• Web4CE is a new framework for transmitting user interfaces over both the Internet and over a home entertainment network, enabling consumers to control applications remotely on UPnP devices regardless of whether they originate in the home or from the Internet. CE-HTML is the other portion of CEA-2014 that allows consumers to interact with Internet or home network service applications that are optimized for CE devices like television sets. CE-HTML is specifically designed to allow user interaction to take place using a remote control, keypad or a touch screen. CE-HTML further makes optimal use of display area with a built-in ability to scale appropriately for the user interface.

The R7 Home Network Committee is chaired by William Rose, President, WJR Consulting, Inc. Participation in CEA standards activities is open to companies and organizations with direct and material interest. CEA membership is not required to participate. To purchase CEA-2014, visit www.CE.org/standards.

For information about CEA Technology and Standards, visit www.CE.org/standards.

SOURCE: CEA