ACADEMIA

Qualcomm Atheros announced the launch of the Skifta Engine software application, offering original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) a software solution that can either be preloaded or added on to devices for effortless and dependable media shifting to and from DLNA Certified and UPnP devices inside and outside of the home. The new Skifta Engine, which works seamlessly with the popular Skifta Android application, enables users of network attached storage (NAS) drives, storage-based smart routers and set-top box devices to access, manage and shift media from their smartphones, tablets, Internet-connected channels and local media sources, then stream content to any DLNA or UPnP device worldwide.

"As the nucleus of the 'Powered by Skifta' media-shifting platform, the Skifta Engine provides our OEM partners with an embedded software solution designed for always-on gateway devices," said Gary Brotman, director, product marketing, networking business unit, Qualcomm Atheros. "Consumers should not have to worry about where their favorite media are stored, or whether they can stream it to players at home or in a remote location - it should just work. Skifta Engine gives them unfettered access to all of their digital media and the ability to effortlessly shift content to TVs, stereos and game consoles."

The Java-based Skifta Engine provides manufacturers with an always-on DLNA software suite comprised of a Digital Media Controller (DMC), Digital Media Server (DMS) and, when paired with compatible hardware, a Digital Media Renderer (DMR). The Skifta Engine software runs on network attached storage drives or storage-based smart router/gateways and set-top boxes with an embedded JAVA Virtual Machine, and it serves as a central control point for media access, management and shifting. It also serves as the primary DMC for any number of DLNA and UPnP clients on a network, allowing multi-user controls and shifting of local, remote or cloud content sources like Flickr, TED Talks, SHOUTcast, Revision 3 and Facebook.

When paired with the Skifta mobile app for Android, which can be customized for device manufacturers interested in delivering a complete media-shifting software solution, the Skifta Engine gives consumers the power to turn their Android smartphones and tablets into global remote controls for accessing and shifting their media around the home over Wi-Fi, or remotely from home via mobile broadband.

The Skifta Engine is available to device manufacturers today. The Skifta app for Android is free to download from Google Play and is currently available for smartphones and tablets running Android 2.2 or higher.