wireless HDMI
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Heavily-backed WiGig Alliance to stream everything over 60GHz
Yes folks, we're back to the drawing board. Again. With a litany of wireless technologies floundering about and struggling to find real traction in the market, a cadre of market powerhouses have joined up to take wireless streaming to the next level -- or so they say, anyway. The newly formed WiGig Alliance aims to use unlicensed 60GHz waves in order to stream just about anything you can think of: HD video, images, phone contacts, instant messages, audio, etc. This "unified" approach differs from most other alternatives, which generally pick one niche (1080p video, for instance) and stick to it. If the more than 15 technology firms have their collective druthers, the WiGig specification will find its way into everything from set-top-boxes to telephones to home stereos, ready and willing to stream to other WiGig-enabled devices at a moment's notice. The group consists of household names such as Microsoft, LG, Dell, Samsung, Marvell, Nokia, NEC, Intel and Broadcom (just to name a few), and when we spoke to executives about the announcement, they told us that plans were to have the specification available to member organizations in Q4 of this year. The sad part is that this likely means we won't see shipping products with the WiGig logo for another year after that -- if we're lucky. We can't argue that some stability would be nice in this volatile sector; after all, we've been waiting for promising products like Belkin's FlyWire to ship for well over a year. The execs we spoke with couldn't speak on behalf of the partner firms in terms of what WiGig products were looming on the horizon, but as we alluded to earlier, the playing field is wide open. Honestly, we'd love for this to take off and finally give high-bandwidth wireless applications the support it needs to flourish, but as we've seen over the past few years, the road ahead ain't an easy one to walk. The full release is after the break.
AMIMON's second-gen WHDI spec does full uncompressed 1080p
AMIMON, the company behind the wireless HD technology (WHDI) in Belkin's FlyWire (among other devices), has just introduced its second-generation chipset. The device, which utilizes video modem technology operating in the 5GHz unlicensed band, consists of the new AMN 2120 transmitter and AMN 2220 receiver, both of which are angling to slip into set-top-boxes, HDTVs and all sorts of other HDMI-enabled devices in short order. AMIMON asserts that this chipset is the first capable of "delivering full uncompressed 1080p/60Hz HD content throughout the entire home," with a range of beyond 100 feet through walls, under one millisecond of latency and support for HDCP 2.0. Best of all, the new kit is available now for manufacturers to snap up, so for the legions of consumers waiting for someone to get wireless HD right, let us say this: "get to snapping." The full release is after the break.
Belkin's $1,500 FlyWire delayed again, now slated for August release
And you wonder why people refuse to take wireless HD / HDMI seriously. A full 15 months after Belkin's FlyWire was introduced at CES 2008, the world is still waiting for it to ship. When launched, it promised the consumer world a device that would take multiple HDMI devices and stream them (one at a time, obviously) to your HDTV sans wires. The box itself relies on AMIMON's WHDI technology, and while we've seen with our own eyes just how marvelous it works, Earthlings won't be able to purchase one until -- drumroll, please -- August 2009. According to a Belkin PR manager that we spoke with on the matter, the January 2009 ship date has now slipped to late summer for the US market, though the altogether painful $1,499 price tag remains firmly in tact. So, what's the over / under on Belkin actually keeping its word this go 'round? Update: Contrary to some reports, the delay is absolutely not related to WHDI. Belkin's own PR team has confirmed that the hold-up is in no way related to WHDI, but that it is "paying very close attention to the user experience." In other words, it's delaying things to get things totally right, and for $1,500, we'd expect nothing less than perfection.
Sewell's WiFi-based HD Media Extender should be more affordable
You know what's most annoying about wireless HD solutions? Two things, really. First off, 95 percent of 'em only come out to play at trade shows. Secondly, the other 5 percent require you to refinance your now-worthless home to even procure 'em. Sewell, a company known for delivering unexpected treasures when it comes to adapters, has just pumped out its very own wireless HDMI media extender. The good news is that it's shipping right now and it relies on 802.11a/n technology rather than WHDI, UWB or any other less ubiquitous option. The bad news is that 15 to 30 feet of cord-free AV goodness will set you back $1,199.95. You can weigh the pros and cons yourself, but we'll be begrudgingly sticking with coat hangers cheap-o interconnects 'til it becomes just a touch more of a bargain.
Comtrend's wireless video adapters based on Celeno HD WiFi chip
Earlier this year, Celeno and Cavium teamed up to pump out a WiFi-based wireless HDMI Solution, and now the former company has notched yet another partner in its quest to spread the joys of wireless video the world over. Announced at the IPTV World Forum, Comtrend has selected Celeno's HD WiFi chips for its wireless video adapters, which are available now for service providers worldwide. Their purpose? To distribute multiple HD IPTV content from any Ethernet-equipped home gateway or DVR to IP set-top-boxes. In other words, the solution ensures reliable IPTV home networking, providing whole home coverage without any new wires. There's no specific word on where we'll see this stuff roll out, but those over in London can check it out in person starting tomorrow. Full release is after the break.
ASUS shows off Wireless LCD prototype, "Green" monitors
ASUS news from CeBIT? Say it ain't so! Just hours after the company introduced two new "Green" LCDs, we stopped by to see what all the fuss was about. What we found were two rather vanilla looking LCDs (they're in the gallery below, we promise) sitting beside something entirely more interesting: a Wireless LCD prototype. An ASUS rep informed us that the model shown was utilizing the currently-in-limbo ultra-wideband (UWB) standard, and he affirmed that the monitor didn't have a model name nor an estimated ship date or price; it was simply on hand to prove that wireless LCDs were possible and that they're on the way. He noted that ASUS was looking into other wireless protocols -- namely wireless HD and WHDI -- and that it was "waiting things out" before making a final decision on what variation to use. Our take? We suspect it's both testing for best compatibility / range and waiting to see if UWB will remain viable in the coming months, which likely means no shipping product for quite some time. For what it's worth, the on-hand demo was stellar, with no visible lag, glitches or dropped frames to speak of.
OptimizAIR WiFi HD streaming in field testing, ready to launch this summer
As the wireless HD world continues to turn, Celeno Communications is back with news that it's already field testing OptimizAIR WiFi based hardware. Promising 1080p video at distances of up to 120 feet through walls and floors to WiFi-capable devices, its MIMO technology is expected to see "massive deployment" by this summer, with IPTV customers likely to get the first shot. We're still concerned at a lack of vendors lining up behind it, though backwards compatibility certainly gives a leg up on Wireless HD, WHDI and the rest. Making a note in the calendar to check for possible product rollouts once the weather warms up seems like a reasonable next step.[Via SmartBrief]
Gefen ships UWB-based Wireless for HDMI Extender
So much for those UWB death knells, right? In all honesty, we highly doubt that Gefen and Staccato can save the flagging ultra-wideband format all by themselves, but given that Gefen had already come so far with this thing, there was really no point in canning it now. The UWB-based Wireless for HDMI Extender is finally shipping to those looking to extend HDMI signals over-the-air from up to 33 feet away. The box can also handle 5.1 channel surround sound, and setup is said to be a lesson in simplicity. Of course, at $999, you're going to have to detest those cables an awful lot, but hey, it's still better than waiting around for the Belkin FlyWire.
Staccato CEO says UWB still has more to give
Staccato Communications has been a big fan of this whole wireless USB thing for years now, and while it seems that most of the industry has presumed ultra-wideband as dead and gone, the aforesaid company is still firmly supportive. The company's CEO has issued an absurdly long letter in response to the death knell reports that flowed after UWB mainstay TZero decided to fold, and while we could go on and on about his deepest, darkest feelings on the matter, here's what really counts. The bigwig has suggested that UWB is still far from dead, and in fact, it's just now shaping up to grow. He promises that 2009 has big things in store for the format, and evidently, those "big things" will breath "new life" into the flagging protocol. We're still pretty skeptical that UWB will break out within the next 10 months or so, but we suppose we've seen crazier things come together.[Via Slashdot]
TZero closes up shop, UWB all but dead
It's been a slow, painful death, but it's about time to just pull the white sheet over ultra-wideband and let the wireless standard rest in peace. After Intel pulled its support for UWB and proponent WiQuest shut down late last year, all that the format really had left was TZero. After successfully surviving some legal issues, we thought the company was good to go in fighting a hopeless battle against wireless HD upstart AMIMON. Now, it seems that WHDI (that's AMIMON's magic) is free to take the market by storm, but only time will tell if wireless HD is even remotely close to mainstream. In one sense, we're sad to see competition die, but on the other hand, it's always good to see fruitless format wars fade away. Don't be too down on yourself, TZero -- it's not like anyone really had high expectations for you or anything.
CNET tests out Gefen's EXT-WHDMI wireless HDMI extender
CNET took the Gefen EXT-WHDMI out for a spin, and came back with an overall good impression of the $800, Tzero-based solution for breaking free of HDMI cable runs (at least within a 30-foot radius). Once the automatic input switching was mastered and video sources were set to conform to the unit's 1080p/24 upper limit -- 1080p/60 is not supported -- the unit generally turned in respectable performance. Of course, comparisons to Sony's similarly priced DMX-WL1 were warranted, but neither unit scored a knockout blow. We'll let you hit the read link for the gory details, but rest assured that the Gefen unit didn't drop any frames or otherwise wreck the image quality. For the asking price, you'd expect nothing less, but there were some caveats -- we agree with CNET's bottom line of picking one up from a dealer with a good return policy in case it doesn't all work out for you; that $800 will buy extenders and a lot of cable, after all.
Hisense selects AMIMON for its wireless HDTV, WHDI makes friends with HDCP
We've got three important tidbits to share this morning from the labs of AMIMON, so we can't afford to waste any time bantering about how far the wireless HD industry as a whole has to go before it becomes even marginally important to the average consumer. First off, LG Electronics has decided to tag along in the WHDI SIG, joining the likes of Motorola, Samsung, Sharp and Sony. Obviously, LG's hoping to push the wireless standard as a protocol that'll be accepted industry wide, and given the amount of splintering that exists currently, we can't say we're too against the collaboration. Moving on, we're told that the aforesaid WHDI standard will enable HDCP revision 2.0 as its content protection technology, and leading Chinese TV manufacturer Hisense has announced its intentions to integrate AMIMON's solution into its sets. All the details are just past the break.
Celeno and Cavium team up for WiFi-based wireless HDMI solution
A ProVision exec proclaimed last month that WiFi was the only suitable wireless HDTV medium, and it appears that bigwigs at Celeno and Cavium Networks emphatically agree. The two have joined up to debut a whole-home 1080p60 HDMI over WiFi solution here in the desert, with the gem of the show being the CL1300. Said microchip is designed to be integrated into essentially any device (a set-top-box, router, TV, toaster oven, etc.), enabling the host device to deliver H.264 compressed HD streams over long distances. In fact, it promises 802.11 beaming of up to four concurrent high-def streams. So, here's a perfectly good wireless HDMI option based on a standard that everyone and their grandmother has already adapted too -- too bad there's not a laundry list of companies already signed on to integrate it. Full release is after the break.
Stryker Endoscopy intros world's first wireless HD surgical display
Slowly but surely, AMIMON is establishing itself as a serious player in the wireless HD space. Right before our eyes, the outfit has announced that it's playing a major role in the world's first HD wireless display designed specifically for use in the operating room. Stryker Endoscopy's WiSe HDTV is embedded with AMIMON's WHDI technology, though few details beyond that are being disclosed. We've no idea if this is just the beginning of AMIMON's domination of the OR, but it's certainly a good start. Here's hoping we see some similar announcements in the consumer space at CES -- it's about time some of these wireless HD doodads stopped looking pretty and started shipping out.
Valens HDBaseT tech carries HD video, audio and internet over Ethernet
Merely a day after we heard that the ITU had ratified G.hn as the new global standard for HDTV home networking, along comes Valens Semiconductor to keep the whole HD-over-Ethernet conversation going. Hailed as the first system to send and receive uncompressed HD video, audio and internet simultaneously over a single Ethernet cable, its HDBaseT technology will be showing off to the world at CES 2009. Reportedly, it's working towards "creating HDBaseT as the new digital connectivity standard for HD multimedia distribution," but we don't suspect that will be an easy road to traverse. Both the VS100SK (receiver) and VS100SR (transmitter) ICs are scheduled to be commercially available in 2H 2009, and we're even led to believe that they could be integrated within Blu-ray players, set-top-boxes, HDTVs and projectors. Full release and diagram is after the break.
Samsung developing WiFi variant for TVs, testing elusive 3D rendering chip
There's no telling what kind of off-the-wall gear Samsung is apt to unleash at CES, and we'll be honest -- we're pretty jazzed about the possibilities. At a recent tech forum, Samsung confessed that it was working with both 60GHz wireless technology (read: WirelessHD) and "its own variant of WiFi" in relation to cord-free TVs. This news is particularly bad in two respects: first, it doesn't signal very much confidence in WirelessHD, and moreover, the last thing we need is yet another proprietary wireless HD / HDMI standard to slow down the already glacial pace at which it's being adopted in the industry. Moving on, we're also told that the outfit is "internally testing a stereoscopic 3D rendering chip for its TVs that could be released as early as the second half of 2009," which would "help translate 2D video to 3D and interpret 2D content with embedded depth information." Something tells us we best get used to wearing oddly tinted glasses.[Image courtesy of MyDigitalLife]
SiBEAM founder says WirelessHD is best for "in-room" applications
While AMIMON is busy gloating about its 100,000th chipset shipment, WirelessHD is quietly lurking in the background waiting to exploit a niche of its own. In a rather telling interview, SiBEAM founder John Marshall (pictured) confessed that it was going after a different market rather than taking on the WHDI (and similar) format directly. He stated that its milliwave'-based WirelessHD technology -- which just received a cash infusion from Panasonic and Samsung -- "targets in-room use, whereas the others target whole-home use." He continued by noting that it "limit its use to inside a room to make the most of milliwave's properties, without assuming content transmissions through walls." Finally, we're led to believe that certain partners will be making product-based announcements at CES 2009, though judging by the history of cord-free HD, we wouldn't expect anything to start shipping right away. Or ever, even.
AMIMON ships 100,000th WHDI wireless chipset
A full year after we expected wireless HD to really take off, we're barely in a position different than the one we started in. If we can point to any initiative in particular that has grown legs over the course of 2008, it'd be AMIMON's WHDI. Today, the company has shipped its 100,000th Wireless High-Definition (WHDI) chipset, a milestone that's pretty impressive given the general ignorance of wireless HDTVs in the consumer space. As of now, these chipsets are shipping in ultrathin LCD TVs by top-tier brands (think Sony, Mitsubishi and Sharp), and they're also finding their way into Wireless HDTV dongles that bring cordless freedom to older sets. AMIMON is hoping to see quite a few more WHDI-enabled HDTVs ship to America in 2009 -- we have all ideas the introductions at CES will be a good gauge of how ready manufacturers are to agree. Full release after the break.
ZeroWire 2.0: Wireless 1080p for less than $50 per device
Apparently through with its legal issues, Tzero's decided now is the time to show its second generation UWB-based wireless HDMI technology. ZeroWire 2.0 is sending out 1080p (24/56/30/60fps) video with 16ms or less "sub-frame latency" suitable for lag-free high definition gaming, 7.1 audio support, and 480Mbps transfer rate with ranges of greater than 20 meters. The most important number is a $50 per unit price, with all that wireless magic performed via UltraMIMO signal technology and h.264 compression (replacing the old JPEG2000 system seen in Hitachi's Wooo HDTVs and Gefen wireless extenders) in the TZC7200 chipset. Impress Watch caught one of the demos currently going on in Japan and were told this is well below the price of other technologies like Wireless HD and WHDI, while enjoying wirelessly connected gaming on conveniently located PlayStation 3 consoles. With the previous generation's external antennas also getting the ax, we'll see if a leaner, cheaper technology can stand up to the competition (and convince us there's a reason to play Rock Band from way across the room) next year. [Via Tzero]
Avocent's MPX1550 wireless HD video extender supports higher bit rates
First came the Emerge MPX1000, and this March, we were treated to the altogether upgraded MPX1500. Now, Avocent has introduced the (sort of) predictably titled successor, the MPX1550. This unit looks almost identical to the iteration that came out in March, though it does posses a new antenna on the front and now supports 802.11n for even snappier wireless HD transfers. Aimed at professionals needing to distribute high-def material onto digital signage displays, the box also supports bit rates as high as 110Mbps (compared to 20Mbps in the past), which pretty much guarantees that your up-to-1080i content looks as sharp as ever to prospective customers. 'Course, such a commercial device touts a commercial price tag too -- unless you consider $1,145 within most consumers' reach, that is.[Thanks, Mufasa]
