Maybe the recession has forced vendors to appreciate the value of a grown up attitude to standards. Panasonic's approach to an industry-wide standard for 3D high-definition video belies the new reality facing manufacturers of luxury electrical goods and service providers.

Consumers now demand more than ever ease of use. The ability to get smething working out of the box without having to mess about is an inherent aspect of good value now. Proprietary standards, sockets, plugs, menus and media are the antithesis of the easy life. Adapters, and anything that gives the feel of an adapted technology, are like bandages for a scab that the electronics industry couldn't stop picking at.

Until now, the one thing that the industry really couldn't bear the thought of was competiton. It requires intensive R&D and information gathering, none of which protects vendors from the threat that someone else has the better idea, bigger budget or loudest voice.

Standards mean that companies have to differentiate on quality and added value, giving us the ability to pick, mix and match. It will be interesting to see how the new approach works out. This could be the start of a better and more coopertaive strategy in electronics - or the closing of a door by an elite handful of companies that recognise there's plenty to go around for all if they play their unwritten part.