Feb 2
Format wars both help and hurt - competition is good, but it causes delays and obsolete products even faster than Apple does. In this case, SiBeam created a standard called WirelessHD In January 2008.
So who's winning?The WiGig group has been pretty silent. SiBeam has been in the news quite a bit, and they did pick a better name for their technology (let that not be underestimated), but I haven't seen much by way of product around. Amimon's technology seems to have a bit of the edge.
On the other hand:
An article on Engadget a few weeks ago claimed that Gefen TV would be switching to WirelessHD from WHDI. Switching standards would break backwards compatibility, so we'll see how that develops.
UPDATE: They offer two products - one using WirelessHD with a range of 30 feet, and one using WHDI with a range of 100 feet. Taiwan based Zinwell (or here or here?) has been doing well lately with their WHDI based devices, but news out of tradingmarkets is that they'll be switching to Cavium's NetHD any day now. So, it's still too early to say anyone's really winning. But the sooner these become reality, the better!
The wireless HD format wars
Wireless High Definition.For years, consumers have been waiting to hook up their 72" HDTVs wirelessly and enjoy the goodness of a clutter free home. Despite promises that this would soon be standard and inexpensive (up to $100 for the feature), it's been a tough trip. Until recently it wasn't available at all in North America, and now it is mostly found using stand alone devices such as GefenTV's streaming devices. But despite the size of those devices, the actual chip that does the streaming could fit in an iPod nano, and is generally made by one of three semiconductor makers.Format wars both help and hurt - competition is good, but it causes delays and obsolete products even faster than Apple does. In this case, SiBeam created a standard called WirelessHD In January 2008.
It runs in the the 60GHZ spectrum, which is available, though can interfere with other devices.
Sony, Samsung, LG, Toshiba, Panasonic, and Intel all came on board for the formalization of this standard. A few months later, Atheros announced their own standard and alliance called WiGig (Wireless Gigabit Alliance).
Partners include Samsung, LG, Nokia and Intel. Just after that, Amimon weighed in with their own standard - WHDI (Wireless Home Digital Interface), running in the 5GHZ spectrum.
Promoters include Sony, Samsung, LG, Toshiba, Motorola, Sharp and Hitachi.Notice that the top supporters for each are the the same.
(Ever wondered how they got to be major corporations? Hedge your bets, kiddo.) Meanwhile who needs any video standard?! A generic format can carry video just fine - WirelessUSB and WiFi (802.11n) each have more than enough bandwidth to hold their own. Microchip maker Cavium has been pushing their own NetHD chip, designed to optimize video for travel along these other standards.
Sony, Samsung, LG, Toshiba, Panasonic, and Intel all came on board for the formalization of this standard. A few months later, Atheros announced their own standard and alliance called WiGig (Wireless Gigabit Alliance).
Partners include Samsung, LG, Nokia and Intel. Just after that, Amimon weighed in with their own standard - WHDI (Wireless Home Digital Interface), running in the 5GHZ spectrum.
Promoters include Sony, Samsung, LG, Toshiba, Motorola, Sharp and Hitachi.Notice that the top supporters for each are the the same.
(Ever wondered how they got to be major corporations? Hedge your bets, kiddo.) Meanwhile who needs any video standard?! A generic format can carry video just fine - WirelessUSB and WiFi (802.11n) each have more than enough bandwidth to hold their own. Microchip maker Cavium has been pushing their own NetHD chip, designed to optimize video for travel along these other standards.
Amimon's response is that by designing around wireless you can organise your packets in a way that prevents loss.
And while they may be right, brittleness can be seen in the lack of support for wireless 3D - none of the vendors are clear about exactly what support they will offer, and when.
So who's winning?The WiGig group has been pretty silent. SiBeam has been in the news quite a bit, and they did pick a better name for their technology (let that not be underestimated), but I haven't seen much by way of product around. Amimon's technology seems to have a bit of the edge.
- LG displayed an entire WHDI HDTV product line (26 devices!) at CES a few weeks ago.
- Sharp has a bunch of TVs lined up for production.
- Philips, Sony, Gefen, and others have been pushing their devices for quite a while.
- And a search around the net shows dozens of other places where they are innovating.
On the other hand:
An article on Engadget a few weeks ago claimed that Gefen TV would be switching to WirelessHD from WHDI. Switching standards would break backwards compatibility, so we'll see how that develops.
UPDATE: They offer two products - one using WirelessHD with a range of 30 feet, and one using WHDI with a range of 100 feet. Taiwan based Zinwell (or here or here?) has been doing well lately with their WHDI based devices, but news out of tradingmarkets is that they'll be switching to Cavium's NetHD any day now. So, it's still too early to say anyone's really winning. But the sooner these become reality, the better!
