blakerwry
Storage? I am Storage!
But the codec option is the real downfall for it.
Some quick reading into why DLNA choose MPEG2 as the only required format was for bandwidth reasons (especially over wireless) and CPU/APU power needed. It's only been in the last 2-3 yrs that good hardware decoding support for anything above MPEG2 has been around, and DLNA was launched over 8 yrs ago. So in that regard it makes some sense, but I do agree it would be nice for device manufacturers to start adding support for other codecs, especially those found in use with BR discs (eg VC-1 and H.264).
"The nice thing about standards is that there are so many of them to choose from..." pretty much sums up the problem. MPEG2 is a fine format, it's used in DVDs and (older) Blu-Rays. The quality compression ratio may not be as good as some of the newer formats, but for high bitrate use in a LAN it is just as good (if not better) at producing a crisp/clear/vidid picture as anything else out there.
I really don't care if we all decide that MPEG2, VC-1, H.264, or WebM is the next best thing, but we could really do well to sort out this codec (and container) mess. Unfortunately, it's currently spilling over to HTML5 where each browser is deciding to back a different video and audio format. Meaning that website operators will likely need to store files in at least 2 different formats to ensure their audience can playback content.
Personally, I'd love to see a free, open, full featured containers and codecs like MKV, WebM video, and Vorbis audio take over. However, I'd happily concede to h264 and AC3 or AAC if that meant I could get a file from one guy and play it on a device from another guy without having to use special intermediary conversion process that requires a dedicated PC, reoccurring software costs, and reduced quality/functionality.