Converged media streaming and playback services across multiple media devices in home networks

This paper proposes a new UPnP-compatible mechanism for enabling converged media streaming and playback services across multiple media devices in home networks. This mechanism design comprises three functional entities, including the UPnP AV media server, UPnP AV device controller, and converged media proxy. The functionality of this mechanism can accommodate heterogeneity of media content formats, transport protocols, and presentation styles among different media devices, thereby offering better user experience for home AV entertainment in residential environments.