Consortium Focuses on Wireless HD Video

By Geoff Duncan November 1, 2006

Sometimes technology can make the strangest bedfellows: Samsung, LG, Matsushita, SiBEAM, Sony, and Toshiba have joined together to form the WirelessHD Consortium, an industry group devoted to developing and marketing wireless solutions which would enable electronic components to stream high-definition video to HD-capable TVs, without the mess of wires, cables, and connectors so often found smashed and crammed behind consumer’s entertainment gear.

“The availability of high-definition wireless connections stands to eliminate the morass of cables, switches and other complexities traditionally needed to support the wide variety of devices consumers have and will continue to buy,” said John Marshall, Chairman of WirelessHD, in a statement. “With high-definition wireless links, media streaming and transmission from any source to any display or recorder is dramatically simplified by removing the need for a hard-wired connection. WirelessHD will provide a high-speed wireless digital interface that will enable customers to simply connect, play, transmit, and port their HD content in a secure manner.”

WirelessHD looks to develop solutions in the unlicensed 60 GHz spectrum, to enable fixed and portable video devices to receive and/or transmit uncompressed high-definition video. The “uncompressed” qualifier is important: if the WirelessHD Consortium can pull it off, that means high-definition video transmitted wirelessly will have all the fidelity of the original source material Target devices include high-definition televisions, HD disc players, digital video cameras, game consoles, and (of course!) PCs and portable media devices. WirelessHD technology shouldn’t require devices to have line-of-sight contact, and should offer Bluetooth-like ranges (e.g., about 30 feet). The consortium hopes to have a specification completed in the first quarter of 2007, with products starting to hit consumer markets at the end of 2007 or the beginning of 2008.

Editors' Recommendations

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Audio / Video

Best Buy just slashed the price of the Sonos One SL wireless speaker

The Sonos One SL wireless speaker on a bedside table.

Sonos is one of the most popular brands in the audio industry, so if you're looking at speaker deals, you wouldn't want to miss this chance to get the Sonos One SL for a very cheap price of $159 from Best Buy. We're not sure how much time is remaining on this $41 discount from the wireless speaker's original price of $200 though, so if you don't want to miss out, we're recommending that you complete your purchase right away. Every minute of delay increases the risk of having this offer slip through your fingers.

Why you should buy the Sonos One SL wireless speaker
The Sonos One SL is a cheaper version of the first-generation Sonos One, but it retains most of the features that made the latter an extremely popular wireless speaker ahead of its successor -- the second-generation Sonos One that's featured in our list of the best smart speakers. The Sonos One SL is capable of stereo sound if you pair two of them, as well as multi-room playback if you have more than one of the wireless speaker installed around your home. With a tweeter and a mid-woofer, the Sonos One SL will be able to fill your room with high-quality audio.

Audio / Video

JBL sale: Bluetooth speakers, wireless earbuds, and more, from $30

JBL Authentics 300.

JBL is one of the most popular brands in the audio industry, so you shouldn't pass up any chance to enjoy savings when buying one of its devices. If you're on the hunt for Bluetooth speaker deals, wireless earbuds deals, or discounts for any other type of audio device, you should check out what's available in Best Buy's JBL sale. You can get something for as low as $30, but there are bargains for some of JBL's premium products as well. Take a look at our recommendations below or go through everything that's on sale -- either way, you need to hurry because there's no telling how long stocks will last.

What to buy in Best Buy's JBL sale
The JBL Flip 6 portable speaker. JBL / JBL

Audio / Video

Next-gen wireless headphones will get lossless hi-res audio with a little help from Qualcomm

Man listening to wireless headphones.

Qualcomm has announced its latest S3 and S5 Gen 3 Bluetooth chipsets for audio products like wireless earbuds, headphones, and speakers. Along with the usual improvements in performance, some of these chips break new ground in terms of audio quality, thanks to the addition of hi-res support to the company's aptX Lossless Bluetooth codec.

Until now, aptX Lossless -- which requires Qualcomm's Snapdragon Sound technology on both sides of the wireless device equation -- has been limited to CD-quality audio.