From OpenHome

OpenHome is an independent body dedicated to the design, implementation, and promotion of free and open standards for the interoperability of networked devices in the home.

It is becoming more common for devices to expose their functionality to the network. If done correctly, the services a device provides to the network allows them:

• to be controlled by 3rd party control points,
• to be used in conjunction with other vendor's devices,
• and to be used in ways that the original manufacturer may never have dreamt of.

OpenHome's first area of work is the OpenHome Audio Visual (AV) standard.