Written by Lu Jianjun,Feng Tianbing
photographed by Zhu Jian

In recent years, a new concept has emerged from the telecommunications and IT industries. It is the concept of the‘digital family’, which incorporates the idea of making the workings of a household more efficent and effective, by being able to activate appliances via the internet. By utilizing the most recent telecommunications and IT technologies and products,‘digital family’meets the demands of each family member in their quest for more comfortable and convenient recreation time, while also ensuring the safety of the family.

Generally speaking,‘digital family’means the process of information transmission, from public network to family users, via intelligence terminals connected to each family network. In this way, family members can benefit greatly from the digitalized as well as the‘informationalized family’and better facilitate the processes of recreation, maintanance of household appliance, house-hold safety, apartment management and information sharing etc.

Although people haven’t put the concept of digital family into practise, the concept has already caught the eyes of relevant industries. In the mean time, leading domestic and foreign telecommunications and IT companies are actively involved in the research of‘digital-family-based technologies’. As the concept of the‘digital family’emerges, the market is calling for the setting of standards to regularize it.

To cooperate with the delivery of an ever-successful Expo 2010 in Shanghai, Shanghai Telecom Co., Ltd. has already launched a pilot version of the‘digital family’system. Thanks to the availability of this system, some of the Shanghai local residents are now benefiting from the advantages created by the‘digital family’concept. The‘digital family’system embodies the following five components; family communication, recreation, protective system, control system and internet information delivery.

Family Network

Thanks to new internet access technologies such as ADSL 2+ and FTTH, each family is provided with broad band, so meeting the increasing demands of today’s world for multimedia communication. By using both cable and wireless technologies, networks can be created in the home, that allow digital communications to be shared in a convenient way.

A Comprehensive Family Communication System

Through home phones or mobile phones, whose intelligence terminals are connected to relevant computer systems of local banks, people can pay their water, gas and electricity bills from home, by simply typing in the user name and password of their credit card or bank card. In the same way, people can also purchase goods from home.

In addition, the‘family communication system’enables people to make video phone calls, so being able to see the person they are talking to via a screen.. On top of this, people can use video phone calls for the purposes of both education and pleasure. .

Family Recreation System

The‘family recreation system’, with the distinctive feature of an internet broad band digital set-top box, allows people to play VOD format files and enjoy interactive IPTV video programs. Such a new form of recreation can be easily adapted to, since it is not too disimilar from the common past time of watching television. Besides, people can play online internet games at home, through the inner-set equipment of the digital set-top box.

Family Protective System

The family protective system can perform such functions as setting fire alarms, burglary alarms, ensuring the safe supervision of the old and very young, while also providing them with immediate help. Once abnormal phenomenon have been detected, the system informs the users of the potential danger through a range of communcations. These include sending short messages, making phone calls and sending emails. Meanwhile, users can also examine their actual home conditions through internet distance control.

Household Appliances Control System

The users can take full control of their household appliances through‘online distance control’or telephone sets. For example, people can log onto their family homepage on the internet and set their home air-conditioner, prior to going back home. In this way, they can ensure a comfortable room temperature the instant they return home. In addition to activating air-conditioners, people can also pre-set other household appliances, such as lights, fridges, showers and microwave ovens etc.

Online Information Service

By logging onto their‘digital family’homepage, users can utilize their online digital library resources, including online albums and e-books. This is performed through distance data storages. Through this system, users are able to share or download the online data among other users. As well as this, they can better utilize such online functions as playing games, receiving distance education, listening to music, watching movies and having medical care etc. Without doubt, users can conveniently maintain their household appliances and (as mentioned above) monitor the actual conditions within the house.

The digital family is sure to make our life more convenient and wonderful!

Picture 1: Two important components of the‘digital family’--- family gateway and digital set-top box

Picture 2: Show a digital family’s flat