Digital Media Adapter(DMA)

How and all the lele alone le le digital media adapter - understanding

Digital home concept for many people it is not strange, but familiar with Digital home key products -- Digital Media Adapter (Digital Media Adapter, abbreviation for DMA) is very limited. As the earliest digital home products, digital media adapter

After more than a year after the development and improvement, now has gradually come near the computer users, for those who plan to build digital home environment of delicious jabuticaba Popsicle consumers of digital media adapter, understand the function, use method and the present market sold products performance characteristics has become a "priority".

Digital media adapter function analysis)

Digital media adapter function, in short video home appliance is to equipment (such as TV and stereo) and home computer connection rise, let the user to invoke stored on the computer multimedia resources, such as video and audio files, digital photos, etc, in home appliance equipment play and browsing.

It could be argued that, even if not digital media adapter, TV and acoustics can also be connected with computer! Now of the home computer products, especially the media center PC integrated a powerful multimedia entertainment function, and is equipped with abundant output/output interface, user can use computer graphics on TV output interface meet televisions, and use the S/PDIF sound card on sound, even fiber interface will also enjoy the these home appliance in a computer multimedia resources, why must in the middle hard inserted a digital media adapter? This is not lily!

In fact, not through digital media adapter will computers and av appliance way directly connected simply adding TV and acoustics as the video and audio output computer equipment, thus brought the two problems: one is the user can not be the in home appliances in a computer multimedia resources, called only in computer operation, through the display or broadcast out the home appliance, if the computer and av appliance in be being put in the home of different room, I'm afraid the user will often practice dash; 2 it is difficult to satisfy multiple users to use different application needs, such as a user wants to watch on TV, video files in a computer to another user by audio appreciate computer audio files, and a user wants to play games on the computer in the computer, then must run both these three different applications, even if they don't conflict between them, also can let the computer is overwhelmed.

With digital media adapter, the situation is different. Current occupies the market mainstream position, adopted Intel, IBM, Microsoft, philips and other manufacturers of Digital Home DHWG (leading Group - Digital Home Group business of Digital media adapter) standard products, for example, they all support two pivotal technology - Universal Plug and UPnP (place, Universal Plug and Play) and IEEE 802.11 b, effectively solve the above two questions.

UPnP is an establishment in IP network of network protocol based on computer and home appliance, can connect, make this two kinds of different equipment can mutual recognition, mutual control, share information, automatic configuration form a digital home network. What is worth mentioning, by lenovo, TCL, konka, hisense, Great Wall 5 domestic enterprise launched "lightning league" the group is formulated with UPnP similar "function of Intelligent Grouping flash league" (Resource Sharing, abbreviation for London IGRS) agreement.

Use IEEE 802.11 b technology can make the digital media adapter and realize wireless connections between computers (can also use cable connection), digital media adapter and home appliance equipment is through standard AV between signal connected.

Because digital media adapter with Intel and other boosters of IT industry manufacturers in its primarily, therefore the digital home network bypass built these manufacturers favorite computer won the media server role, usually installed the software to manage multimedia resources, digital media adapter is play client role, built-in computer multimedia resources can be invoked the software, in practical applications, users can through digital media adapter attached remote control to the adapter on program locatio, stored in the computer of digital multimedia information of format in the form of streaming media teleport to digital media adapter, again by adapter on the special multimedia integrated decoded conversion chips will these digital information convert TV, acoustics can receive and process of the signal, the output to these home appliance equipment in broadcasting.

Can say, the digital media adapter after, computer becomes a digital home media center, TV and acoustics are into digital media adapter output device. As digital media adapter nearby, and usually put in home appliance with computer through a wireless network connected, the user simply operating digital media adapter can from computer to call up the requested information and no longer run to the computer operation, the computer and home appliance also don't have to be in the same room lived in. In addition, because the computer without multimedia information in this machine processing, just putting their digital media adapter on transferred by it decoding and conversion can, so the computer can also make hand to run other applications, this way, different users can in electrical appliances and computers, all its not interfere with each other.

Digital media adapter installed three steps

Currently on the market digital media adapter, whether it's a personal computer maker rolls out and its home computer products, or sell products by third-party manufacturers, offer consumers the freedom to choose products, their installation method are basic and same, users to install them experience three steps.

The first step is to digital media adapter and av appliance connected. This step is simple, and digital media adapter on general can connect TV and stereo with the video, audio output interface, and attach a used to connect TV and acoustics AV signal lines with these users only need with TV signal will adapters connected respectively and stereo can.

If the user home have more sets and audio equipment, and intend to put them all concatenation digital home network of words, users may need to buy multiple digital media adapter (usually a adapters connect only a TV set and a stereo) to achieve purpose.

The second step is to will digital media adapter and computer connected. Users should note, although at present the functionalities digital media adapter can through the IEEE 802.11 b standard support wireless connection with computer connected way, but they also provides standard RJ - 45 string interface, you can also use the way connected with computer cable, and the maximum data transmission speed can reach than 100Mbps, wireless connection faster, if users way home computers and home appliance equipment in the same room, and distance, it should be considered far way with cable connected to computers and adapters.

In a wireless connection digital media adapter and way to first identifying computer, the computer installed wireless card, the distance between the computer and the adapter in 30 meters within the better), the closer the barriers, such as walls between fewer is better. If the user home only a digital media adapter, but will it and computer through point-to-point wireless network connectivity; the way If the user home more Taiwan digital media adapter way, users will have to buy a wireless broadband router at home they build a wireless LAN, with computer through wireless lans, users still necessary to the wireless LAN security features adjustment.

If using cable way, when only a digital media adapter user can use peer-to-peer manner directly connected it with computer; If the user home more Taiwan digital media adapter words, users also have to prepare a hub or switches, will they and computer composition of wired lans, realizing the information interchange.

The third step is installed on the computer to digital media adapter attached to the computer multimedia resources management application software, this software sets a specified directory for digital media adapter, users can use their favorite video, multimedia documents, such as audio and pictures on this list, digital media adapter that can access and call these multimedia resources, in television or audio on the broadcast.

The future of digital media adapter

Strictly speaking, digital media adapter is not a perfect digital home solutions. This is because digital home's goal is to let the computer and all kinds of household appliances through the network connection together, let them to identify each other and sharing resources, interactive control, and digital media adapter although brings to broad consumer appliances on video on the computer multimedia resources enjoy entertainment applications, but it can't experience to share TV, acoustics computer resources of home appliance equipment.

If the digital media adapter to erect in the computer and home appliance of a bridge between the, then this bridge road is currently still "one-way traffic", and this one-way traffic enough wide: the digital media adapter and computer wireless network between widely used IEEE 802.11 b standard, its highest data transmission speed only 11Mbps, when it in the transmission of high demand for data transfer rate of multimedia information, such as DVD video files, it may appear "traffic jam" phenomenon, thus affecting the home appliance playback.

If the problem of insufficient bandwidth by changing the data transfer rate higher with wireless network or with cable connection way to solve it. "One-way traffic problems for the future," is the digital media adapter influence the product function design, we can bold imagination, the future of digital media adapter will likely add let computers sharing home appliance equipment resources of the function, and it will also be changing product configuration, into the computer or appliance inside integrated components. That way, users both in home appliance end or in PC can be family network resources of digital control, however, to achieve this goal, also need time, still need IT industry and home appliances joint effort.