Tzero Technologies and Analog Devices presented a wireless HDMI connection yesterday. Although the companies are not the first to come up with such an interface, the two do have the first of a standardized variant: their solution follows the blueprint that Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, Sharp and Sony established in July 2003. This Wireless HDMI standard uses ultrawideband (3.1 to 10.6 GHz), which can transmit several gigabytes per second over short distances. Reliability is the focus, says Tzero marketing chief Dan Karr: ‘WiFi offers good results, but is not stable enough for video applications.’ Reliability would also not suffer if more signals are offered simultaneously in the same room: according to the standard, at least three HDMI transmitters must be able to work side by side.
“Women are happy about this,” said spokespersons for both companies. The non-tech-interested wives of this world would play an increasing role in the purchase of televisions, but drop out when the thick and expensive HDMI cables come into the picture. The wireless HDMI connection could break this barrier. A more serious argument is that of cost: Although no final price has been announced yet, an HD device can be equipped with Wireless HDMI for around a hundred dollars, according to Karr. That makes little difference to the costs of a wired solution, if it is not cheaper already. How the price of the newcomer compares to that of the DisplayPort or UDI connections is unknown, but Tzero and ADI expect their solution to be found in consumer electronics from November.