WHDI Group Working Toward New Standard

WHDI developer Amimon has assembled tech giants into a special interest group, with the goal of publishing a new standard multi-room wireless high-def media by the end of the year.

WHDI developer Amimon has announced it has formed a special interest group with industry heavyweights like Samsung, Motorola, Hitachi, Sharp, and Sony to form a new special interest group dedicated to developing a new industry standard for multi-room, high-definition wireless media. The group hopes to have the details hammered out by the end of 2008, based on current WHDI technology.

“The development of the new standard will ensure that when consumers purchase CE devices and take them home, they will enjoy a fast, easy, and hassle-free wireless connection that delivers the highest quality,” said Amimom CEO Dr. Yoav Nissan-Cohen, in a statement. “The WHDI standard’s objective is to enable an enriched customer experience with multi-vendor interoperability.”

WHDI operates in unlicensed 5GHz frequencies to enable wireless, secure transport of high-definition, uncompressed video to compatible devices over a range of up to 30 meters; the technology can (obviously) also be applied to audio. However, while many companies have demonstrated wireless high-definition video solutions, solutions have yet to establish any presence in the home entertainment market. There’s even some question whether there’s really any demand for wireless high-definition video solutions outside super-pricey custom home theaters and complex multi-room media center setups.

Nonetheless, adoption of wireless HD video no doubt be aided by the adoption of a single technology standard that would enable gear to talk to each other transparently—putting your high-def video games on the living room PC may no longer involve hauling hardware from room to room and dealing with sloppy cables, at least.