(15 September 2008 3:00 pm)

MUMBAI: An international and cross-industry group of more than 20 companies have announced the formation of a consortium, Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE), to define a new digital media framework using industry standards. This will enable consumers to acquire and play content across a wide range of services and devices.

Anchored by Alcatel-Lucent, Best Buy, Cisco, Comcast, Fox Entertainment Group, HP, Intel, Lionsgate, Microsoft, NBC Universal, Paramount Pictures, Philips, Sony, Toshiba, VeriSign and Warner Bros. Entertainment, DECE will address growing consumer confusion around buying, downloading and playing digital content offered by multiple services by working toward a simple, uniform digital media experience.

DECE president Mitch Singer says, "This is great news for consumers hungry for access to a wider array of digital content they can enjoy on any device they own. We formed this consortium to give consumers that kind of power and choice. To open up the market for digital distribution, we are developing a specification that connects a wide variety of services and devices. DECE is taking the lessons learned from the successful 'buy once, play anywhere'experience that we enjoy with CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray today, and using a similar approach in developing the next generation digital media experience."

The specification will also define how consumers can enjoy their purchased content on an assortment of devices, or even remotely, thereby creating the convenience of a virtual library, accessible in the home or on the road. By offering consumers the same level of confidence and comfort with digital content that they feel today with physical media, DECE LLC believes it can bring real value to digital content.

As DECE moves ahead, it will continue to seek broader industry support across the content, software, hardware, retailer and service provider sectors, and will issue more information around its development and release plans.