CES, Las Vegas: On a panel today at CES, I had a chance to discuss with several industry executives what challenges exist in "Embracing the Connected Consumer." The consensus was that we're doing a good job of providing bandwidth and electronics, but not a good enough job of bringing it all together into a seamless cross-platform experience. The interconnects are still missing -- content is marooned on the island of whatever box or ecosystem it lives on. Or so it seems. Is there light at the end of this tunnel?

Interestingly enough, I spoke before the panel to Scott Smyers, Chairman of DLNA and SVP at Sony Electronics. The Digital Living Network Alliance is an industry group comprised of 250 CE, tech, and content companies that has been working on exactly this issue since 2003. In 2008, there will be 1,800 products (yes, that's what they say) that are DLNA certified. That means that once in your home, connected to your network, they can trade content -- no matter who makes your devices. Your wifi-enabled camera's pictures are available on your TV, and even your iPod's music can play on your Bluetooth-enabled stereo. What's most fascinating is how many DLNA-certified products are out there that people don't know about. Did you know that the Playstation 3 in your living room right now can play your iTunes content straight from your computer? No? Well, don't feel bad. Not many people do.

The content industry hasn't solved the cross-platform/device problem for Hollywood material to be seamless (yet?), but the devices are getting closer to where they need to be, thanks to DLNA. The user interfaces aren't standardized, and it can be a little klunky/techy feeling, but it works. DLNA may not be the panacea, or the entire solution, but it's a great start. It's a partial answer to the biggest challenge we face from a consumer point of view (interoperability), and the good news is that it's being supported widely by CE manufacturers.

Despite the broad-based support, DLNA may be the best kept secret in the CE industry. Remember how you didn't know? Well, it's going to be on the devices you buy. DLNA now needs to help retailers and consumers understand why they need it and why they should demand it. ...and what to do with it once they realize they have it! That's DLNA's big challenge for 2008. We'll see how they do.

Now we just need to solve that content problem...