Cyberlink wires up the world, inside and out

SOFTWARE FIRM CYBERLINK is set on connecting its users to their data, wherever they are.

For CEO Alice Chang, being able to give users remote access to their data and connecting them to every digital device they possess, represents the most significant achievement the company has made in its 15 years of developing software.

Chang told us in an INQsclusive Computex interview that growth of high-speed broadband connectivity has become more significant in shaping the landscape than the actual power of the PC box.

The power of today's PCs may allow us to do things with multimedia, that were barely even conceived of 15 years ago. But it is connectivity which is going to be key from now on, according to Chang.

Cyberlink delivers well-known products such as Power DVD and Power Director. Eighty per cent of its business is through OEM deals with manufacturers and millions of users who buy DVD drives, camcorders, cameras or mobile phones have its software bundled with it.

Chang believes these users should be connected with their data wherever they are. And she wants users of Cyberlink products to share the content of their connected lives with one another.

"Everything in the home has become digitalised and therefore everything should be connected."

"Now we are bringing that connectivity remotely," said Chang. "Wherever you are, you can access your photos, movies, music TV shows and all the devices in your home through a home server."

"Now we have introduced inside and outside connectivity, the full platform."

Cyberlink has long been signatory to the Digital Living Network Alliance digital home specification. And Chang noted that all digital devices within the home with DLNA certification would be able to share data with one another or through a designated home server.

The firm was showing a demo, for the first time in Taipei, that integrated Cyberlink Live remote access with DLNA client. "It means that if you are outside you connect not only to the PC. You can see all the server content at your home, including any connected devices, flash drives. This is first time really ubiquitous connectivity has been achieved."

In the future digital home, "there will be a home server which is DLNA certified and which connects to the DLNA-certified notebook, cellular phone, camcorder, TV. In Japan Hitachi has just launched a very big high-end TV on which everything in your PC and your hard disk can be displayed on your TV, using our software".

"We created a platform called Cyberlink Live – launched yesterday [4th June] - so that no matter where you are as long as you get online, you have the server at home, you can click Cyberlink.com and you can go back to your server at home and you can watch your video, listen to your music, photos, TV shows, even upload and down load files, documents.

"And you can share the content. This is the most exciting thing. The sharing aspect is not yet been realised." µ

Cyberlink CEO Alice Chang talks at length to the INQ about connectivity, the growth in Hi-def demand and how video has democratised the media in an upcoming video interview.