Nokia noBounds projects promises full HD video over USB or WLAN

It's not the first time Nokia's teased us with a research effort it's working on, but unlike some other recent examples, the company's so-called noBounds project likely isn't decades away from becoming a reality, although that's not to say it's not impressive. As you can see in the video after the break, the project aims to let you pair a cellphone or handheld up with virtually any type of display, and deliver full HD video at 30 frames per second over USB or WLAN. That's apparently also done with "very low power consumption," and would work either with displays with a built-in USB or WLAN connection, or any other display with the addition of a dongle. Needless to say, there's no indication as to when we might see such a system let loose, but you can be sure we'll be keeping our eye out for any further developments.

[emailtabs @ Mar 14th 2008 1:27PM]

Hell yeah, i've been wnating one of these for ever. i know lappies can do it with wire but this would be far far cooler.

Want one!

[Evan @ Mar 14th 2008 1:32PM]

Nothing special. OTA HD receivers and Blu-Ray drives already delivery HD video over USB. And streaming HD video over WiFi is nothing special for HTPCs.

Blu-Ray quality 1080p video and 7.1 sound only needs 20~30mbps, which is within capabilities of USB and "N" WiFi.

[Dustin Frazier @ Mar 14th 2008 1:48PM]

The article is about cell phones and handheld devices. If they can pull this off it will be none other than stunning. Nothing special.......are you mad? Also, good luck getting stutter free HD to play at 1080p on even the best Wifi setup. It is possible, but most people think it's easier than it actually is.

[deadlock32 @ Mar 14th 2008 6:13PM]

to LZBRAVO (below)

"ISN'T decades away from becoming a reality"

You completely misquoted there... *shakes head*

[LZBravo @ Mar 14th 2008 1:37PM]

"decades away from becoming a reality"... I hope Nokia is not spending this much time on WLAN, USB and HD TV technologies.
By then PDA's/media devices will be nano-biologically embedded in our brains and we will just have to think of a movie or song for it to play in our heads.

[Josh L @ Mar 14th 2008 1:45PM]

... And then promptly carted off to prison for pirating media.

Brings new meaning to the term "Thought Crime". ;)

[Bernd Steinke @ Mar 14th 2008 4:29PM]

Decades away?
It's already running in our lab ;-)

[Joylove @ Mar 14th 2008 1:54PM]

[b]Evan[/b] a twinned synchronous display is not the same as serving up an MPEG to another full PC for it to decode.

This has a place in my multiroom system, especially if there s some option for a touchscreen control back to the source. I hope it's not limited to the n810 though :-)

[Labrador @ Mar 14th 2008 1:46PM]

I think this technology will be one of the enabling factors that will make mobiles the dominant computing platform, replacing PCs, portables and gaming consoles alike.

[MjW @ Mar 14th 2008 6:27PM]

Yeah right.. In 50-100 years..

[Can @ Mar 15th 2008 11:57AM]

I don't think anything will ever beat the "power" of the PC.
Ok for usability, flexibility, mobility etc..
But when it comes to true computing power, no device has ever and will ever beaten up a "real" computer of the same generation.

[OneLove @ Mar 14th 2008 1:44PM]

can't wait till you guys stop saying..."after the break" :)

[martin @ Mar 14th 2008 1:47PM]

i was waiting for the adverts

[FRZ @ Mar 14th 2008 1:51PM]

Its funny isn't it?

[Fernando @ Mar 14th 2008 3:23PM]

I like the after the break line, cause it is actually a link break

[packetsniffer @ Mar 14th 2008 8:31PM]

"The break" is for people who read the article from the homepage, which doesn't always show the entire article. So it's kind of necessary.

[Gotung @ Mar 14th 2008 1:57PM]

Sort of the same concept as the Palm Foleo. Except, ya know, this doesn't suck.

[Benson @ Mar 14th 2008 2:31PM]

Yeah; I'd have been all over the foleo, if it had been available as a dongle to let me display on a projector.

This was done in 2006, but Nokia wasn't ready to release it. :(

[NHAnimator @ Mar 14th 2008 2:33PM]

Exactly how much 30fps HD video can you store on a cellphone?

[Jons @ Mar 14th 2008 3:04PM]

Ya well...

R.I.P. Bochum research center.

[L @ Mar 14th 2008 3:10PM]

Nope, R.I.P Bochum Factory.

Factory =/= Research Center

[Fernando @ Mar 14th 2008 3:25PM]

I expected the guy to scream "it's over 9000!" by the 30 seconds

[kinshadow @ Mar 14th 2008 3:28PM]

Hmm... I wonder if they are compressing the TV-Out stream or running a hacked VNC session. Did anyone else notice that they only displayed reletively staic images? No full screen video or anything fast.

BTW, OpenMAX FTW!

[theflew @ Mar 14th 2008 3:34PM]

About 50 seconds into the video they show a video playing on the N810 and TV.

[kinshadow @ Mar 14th 2008 3:39PM]

Good point. It was so fast I didn't remember by the end on the video. I wonder if they can sustain the video and what bit-rate they are pushing over.

There was no GUI at the same time, so they could be just decoding the video (again) on the TV.

[Bernd Steinke @ Mar 14th 2008 4:26PM]

Check at 1:50: Handwriting synchronously on both screens. There is also GUI visible.
Later (2:05) you see also 3D scenes: A town & fishes...
Btw, Transcoding and decoding again on the display would be a waste of power, which is stated as not being the case. FullHD H264, MPEG4 AVC video requires 20..40Mbps. Thus, no problem!

[bachviet @ Mar 14th 2008 5:02PM]

Please release this soon so I could also use my N800 as a PMP with AV-out.

[clicclic @ Mar 14th 2008 5:33PM]

Hi Germany! This is really cool. We Americans need more TV in our lives!


p.s. Will it run Doom?! :-)

[Henry12345 @ Mar 14th 2008 6:15PM]

Actually, it already does.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQCSThuwo6c

[needlesstosay @ Mar 14th 2008 9:59PM]

The "needless to say"s have returned -- after at least six in a two day span, there was a real drop over the last week. Hire an editor, or watch your Ps, Qs, needless to says, and obviouslys: these verbal tics add nothing to Engadget's prose.

[Chris Fleck @ Mar 16th 2008 8:09PM]

This is definitely getting closer to the Nirvana Smartphone. Connect to a virtual desktop and leave your laptop home.

http://nirvanasmartphone.com