Wireless hi-def group formed

A handful of major consumer electronics manufacturers have banded together under the banner of the WirelessHD special interest group, announced Tuesday, to develop a specification for shifting high definition content around the home wirelessly.

LG Electronics, Matsushita/Panasonic, NEC, Samsung, SiBEAM, Sony and Toshiba form the group that has tasked itself with developing a specification for a wireless high definition digital interface (WirelessHDT or WiHDT).

The technology would allow high definition audio video (AV) streaming and content transmission for consumer electronics devices. The first specifications are expected to be available in spring 2007.

The formation of the working group comes as wireless home networks are increasingly struggling against an ever growing tide of multimedia content, with consumers seeking stable solutions for shifting their digital media from room to room.

In the quest for a solution, some companies like Ruckus Wireless are looking at optimising wifi connectivity between devices to make the technology more stable as transmission speeds increase. Others, like powerline network technology vendor DS2 see the home’s existing powerline network as the answer.

But in order to provide adequate coverage around the whole house, analysts believe consumers will end up adopting a mixture of fixed and wireless technologies to get the job done.

WirelessHD intends to use the unlicensed, globally available 60GHz frequency band for transmission, with the platform targeted to be built into a wide range of AV devices in both fixed locations and portable around the home.