Qualcomm Innovators launches Skifta Media Shifting platform for connected homes

     Qualcomm Atheros, Qualcomm's networking and connectivity technologies subsidiary, announced the launch of the Skifta™ Media Shifting platform for consumer electronics for entertainment applications. Skifta-enabled devices will build an interoperable wireless platform architecture for accessing and streaming digital music, photos and videos within the home.

     The first component to be introduced is the Skifta wireless audio adapter, which allows manufacturers to use its design to introduce users to old audio devices. It can also connect to and support Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) and Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) products. Regardless of the connection method, users can easily enjoy music and audio streaming throughout their home with the Skifta wireless audio adapter.

     The Skifta platform will bring a new hardware ecosystem to device manufacturers and users, enabling more multimedia users to experience the joys of the wirelessly connected home through the benefits of the Skifta Android™ application. Skifta turns all Android devices into global media remotes, enabling users to easily access and enjoy their music, videos and photos at home over Wi-Fi networks or on 3G networks away from home.

     Dan Rabinovitsj, senior vice president and general manager of Qualcomm's Network Products group, said: "The Skifta platform is at the heart of Qualcomm's new Connected home strategy and is designed to extend the capabilities of smart devices and bring boundless entertainment possibilities to users. We want to give more users the freedom to access and control the content and electronic devices they use every day over wireless networks. The Skifta product range is a unique combination of compatible hardware and software, the benefits of which are attractive to manufacturers and users alike."

     Manufacturer-specific Skifta hardware development kits and embedded software will become available in a few months, and the Skifta product line will include modules for stereos, wireless speakers, televisions, set-top boxes, wireless routers, network attached storage (NAS) devices and other digital audio and video adapters. Users can stream and enjoy content on Skifta products and standard DLNA Certified or UPnP devices through the Skifta Android app.

     The Skifta platform also incorporates a channel library, allowing manufacturers to choose from a wide range of cloud-based content available to users. The Skifta channel has direct access to Facebook Photos, Picasa, Flickr, Photobucket, Soma.fm, ShoutCast, Revision 3, TED Talks, and more. The development kit will support Wi-Fi, powerline communications, and Ethernet networks as content delivery channels within the home.