YouTube and Netflix take on AirPlay, DIAL up the big-screen goodness

Netflix and YouTube have launched a new standard for getting content onto the living-room TV, taking on AirPlay, DLNA, Miracast and WHDi to name just a few. DIAL is slightly different from DLNA and pals, in that it discovers and launches an equivalent application with a wired connection rather than trying to wirelessly stream …

[jonathan keith]

Er, no

So what about my media library on my home server? DNLA will quite happily handle any and all content I have locally. Doesn't sound like DIAL will.

[JDX]

Re: Er, no

Who said devices will only support one jf two standards support very different scenarios?

[Anonymous Coward]

Almost zero cost to TV manufacturers

This is good news for display manufacturers. They can ask Netflix to pay them small fee to implement support for DIAL. If the leading names (Samsung, LG, etc) don't buy into it, then no reason for the smaller players to buy in and DIAL is dead before it gets started.

[Steve Todd]

Re: Almost zero cost to TV manufacturers

But lots of cost to the media providers, they have to write an app for each display platform. With DNLA, Miracast and AirPlay the display side stuff is done once and it needs little or no work to support from the portable device. It's not going to be popular because of the effort to implement the display apps as far as I can see.

[Craigness]

Re: Almost zero cost to TV manufacturers

DIAL has already started, and it works on Samsung TVs.

[frank ly]

Sounds insurmountable

"...one is often required to have a glowing second screen in the room - which isn't ideal."

If only there was a way to control the brightness of a phone/tablet screen so that it was dark, while still putting out the video signal on its connector. A major development effort is needed.

[Anonymous Coward]

The great thing about standards...

...is that there are so many of them.

[Nifty]

Airplay does it how?

So in 2012 Airplay was sending the video through your WiFi twice

http://ipad.about.com/b/2012/08/29/airplay-dumping-wi-fi-going-direct.htm

"The protocol currently flows through a Wi-Fi network to deliver information"

...has it improved since?

[Keith Spencer]

Re: Airplay does it how?

Airplay certainly seems to work pretty well but my experience is that it only works well with an Apple TV. I may be wrong but most Airplay devices take audio only and only the Apple TV does audio/video.

We're big fans of it in our house. I can beam pretty much anything from the wife's iPad or the phones and it does switch off the screen on the ipad so that you don't see two images.

I'm constantly surprised that Apple doesn't push it more publicly. It's an open format so Apple don't require any fee for implementation (that I can see, correct me if I'm wrong). Most iPhone owners seem unaware of it but I've found it very handy on numerous occasions. Simple and it works.

Oh and it does indeed need Wi-fi but there have been persistant suggestion that it was going to also start using Bluetooth in tandem to allow for more features/controls. No sign of that though. Never had any issue streaming to it. Buffers nicely so video doesn't hang (for locally stored content; external will depend on the broadband connection)

DIAL. Well that seems to be pretty poor. Requires the TV to load more software. can't see that working. I have Airplay and DNLA. No need for any more.

[Nifty]

Does Airplay clog up the home WiFI by streaming once to your iPad, then back into your WiFi router and on the Apple TV, is what I am trying to discover.

The smart thing to so would be for the iPad to hand over the stream routing to the Apple TV so it gets the video once only from the router, and the router gets it direct from your ISP, until you wish to switch back to the iPad.

If Airplay is doing the smart thing then Apple TV moves up a notch on my shopping list.