WiGig and VESA team up, promise wireless DisplayPort gear
Tired of going at it alone, eh WiGig? The aforesaid Alliance has just teamed up with yet another organization -- a mere six months after doing likewise with the Wi-Fi Alliance. For those unaware, WiGig's 60GHz multi-gigabit technology has already begun to penetrate the higher-end AV market, particularly in devices that shoot 1080p from source-to-display sans cabling. But as we've seen, the adoption rate there isn't anything to write home about, and it seems as if the entity is branching out in an effort to broaden its potential profit portfolio. The newest partnership is with VESA, and the most important aspect of it (from a consumer standpoint, anyway) is summed up here: the two will be working to create a certification program for wireless DisplayPort products. The goal, as you may imagine, is to create a new spate of products that'll connect PCs and handhelds to monitors, projectors and HDTVs, all without wires and with gobs of bandwidth. Sadly, no time table is being revealed just yet, but we'll be cautiously expecting a few prototypes at CES. Right, dudes?
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WiGig™ Alliance and VESA® to Collaborate on Next Generation Wireless DisplayPort
WiGig Announces Feature Complete Application Specifications to Provide WiGig Display, Bus and Serial Extensions
SAN JOSE, Calif. and NEWARK, Calif. – November 3, 2010 – The Wireless Gigabit Alliance
(WiGig Alliance), the organization advancing the worldwide adoption and use of 60 GHz
wireless technology, and the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA), an industry
leader in global display standards, today announced a cooperative agreement to define the next
generation standard wireless display technology. VESA and the WiGig Alliance will share
technology expertise and specifications to develop multi-gigabit wireless DisplayPort
capabilities. A certification program for wireless DisplayPort products will be developed in
parallel.
The ability to connect PCs and handhelds to monitors, projectors and HDTVs wirelessly is
highly desired among consumers and IT users. The WiGig-VESA collaboration will deliver a
wireless display capability with image quality and I/O experience equal to that of wired
interfaces. This agreement will spur the development of a new ecosystem consisting of
interoperable wireless display products, providing an effective wireless alternative to cables,
docking stations and adapters.
"As a high-quality content creator in Hollywood, it is exciting to see the innovative solutions
being offered by advanced wireless technology to fulfill the ever-increasing demand for
anywhere, anytime content consumption," said Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks
Animation.
"WiGig technology is a perfect match for DisplayPort since it provides the multi-gigabit
bandwidth, packet architecture and bi-directional I/O capabilities needed to support the
DisplayPort v1.2 feature set and beyond," said Bruce Montag, VESA chairman. "Wireless
DisplayPort will enable new connectivity options in a wide range of devices, from lower-power
handhelds to tablets, notebooks, monitors, projectors and HDTVs. We are thrilled to begin
defining the specification and certification program for wireless DisplayPort products."
"With many proprietary wireless A/V technologies on the market, our vision is to standardize a
wireless display interface, and we are excited to partner with VESA to extend multi-gigabit
wireless functionality to DisplayPort technology," said Dr. Ali Sadri, WiGig Alliance president and chairman.
"Combining our wireless technology and VESA's display expertise enables a high
quality user experience with a certification program, enabling interoperability across CE, PC,
tablets and handheld devices."
Feature Complete WiGig Application Specifications Announced
WiGig Alliance today announced the feature completion of the WiGig version 1.0 A/V and I/O
protocol adaptation layer (PAL) specifications. The organization is planning to publish its
specifications in early 2011. The application specifications have been developed to support specific system interfaces, including extensions for PC peripherals and display interfaces for
HDTVs, monitors and projectors.
The WiGig A/V PAL (WiGig Display Extension) supports wireless transmission of audio/visual
data. This implementation enables wireless DisplayPort and other display interfaces that include
the High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) 2.0 feature. This PAL offers key A/V
applications, such as the transmission of compressed or uncompressed video from a computer
or digital camera to an HDTV, monitor or projector.
The WiGig I/O PALs (WiGig Bus Extension and WiGig Serial Extension) define high-
performance wireless implementations of widely used computer interfaces over 60 GHz. These
PALs enable multi-gigabit wireless connectivity between any two devices, such as connection to
storage and other high-speed peripherals.
The WiGig Wireless Standard Gains Momentum
The WiGig Alliance continues to expand its roster of industry-leading technology companies
with new members. AMD has elevated its WiGig membership level from Contributor to Board of
Directors, and CSR and Nitero have joined WiGig as Contributors. For a list of WiGig Alliance
members, visit http://wigig.org/membership/.
"AMD recognizes the growing trend for wireless display connectivity in consumer electronics.
We joined WiGig to contribute our display expertise to the organization, and to help the Alliance
deliver innovative solutions that can meet new market demands in a timely manner," said David
Cummings, director, Technical Marketing, AMD Graphics Business. "With the momentum
behind this innovative wireless technology and the potential we see in the organization, we view
the WiGig Alliance Board of Directors position as strategic and are eager to help lead the
organization's efforts."
For more information, visit www.wigig.org and www.vesa.org.
About the WiGig Alliance
The WiGig Alliance was formed to establish a global ecosystem of high-speed and easy-to-use wireless devices that seamlessly work together to connect people in the digital age. WiGig technology enables multi‐gigabit wireless communications among consumer electronics, handheld devices and PCs, and
drives industry convergence to a single radio using the readily available, unlicensed 60 GHz spectrum.
The organization brings together the world's leading manufacturers of semiconductors, personal
computers, consumer electronics and handheld devices. For more information, please visit www.wigig.org.
About VESA
The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) is an internationally leading non-profit standards organization, representing a global network of hardware, software, PC, display and component manufacturers committed to developing and promoting the electronics industry. VESA's established track record of creating and supporting simple, universal and cross product solutions for today's video and electronics industry, such as DisplayPort, provides consumers with the confidence necessary to explore new technology standards such as multi-monitor streaming, direct drive capability and full HD 3D support without confusion or difficulty. For more information about VESA visit www.vesa.org.
Wireless Gigabit Alliance and WiGig are trademarks of the Wireless Gigabit Alliance. VESA and
DisplayPort are trademarks of the Video Electronics Standards Association. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
