Most industry organizations are pretty transparent to end consumers. But without them, the world would collapse into a singularity, so it’s good that we have them. And the more the merrier, so I was very pleased to hear that a “group of hardware makers, technology companies and content owners has formed a new alliance charged with developing technical standards for the secure networking of high-definition programming throughout the home.” The group is called High-Definition Audio-Video Network Alliance, or HANA.

And actually, the first thing they’re tasked with doing sounds like a worthwhile endeavour, my snide comments aside.

Among the group’s first projects will be to work with the Advanced Access Content System consortium, which provided the basic copy-protection system used in both Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD, to develop technical standards for moving AACS-encrypted content between devices.

Both high-def disc formats are expected to offer consumers the ability to rip content from the discs to a computer hard drive for use in a home network or for transferring to a portable device. Details of how those transfers are to occur and how the content will be protected remain to be worked out, however.

Video Business Online - New high-def org formed