WirelessHD
Encyclopedia
WirelessHD is an industry-led effort to define a specification for the next generation wireless
digital network interface
for wireless high-definition
signal transmission for consumer electronics
products. The consortium currently has over 40 adopters; key members behind the specification include Broadcom
, Intel, LG
, Panasonic
, NEC
, Samsung
, SiBEAM
, Sony
, Philips
and Toshiba
. The founders intend the technology to be used for the Consumer Electronic devices, PCs, and portable devices alike.
The specification was finalized in January 2008.
radio band. It allows for either compressed (H.264) or uncompressed digital transmission of high-definition video and audio and data signals, essentially making it equivalent of a wireless HDMI
. First-generation implementation achieves data rates from 4 Gbit/s, but the core technology allows theoretical data rates as high as 25 Gbit/s (compared to 10.2 Gbit/s for HDMI 1.3 and 21.6 Gbit/s for DisplayPort 1.2), permitting WirelessHD to scale to higher resolutions, color depth, and range. The 1.1 version of the specification increases the maximum data rate to 28 Gbit/s, supports common 3D formats, 4K resolution, WPAN data, low-power mode for portable devices, and HDCP 2.0 content protection.
The 60 GHz band usually requires line of sight between transmitter and receiver, and the WirelessHD specification ameliorates this limitation through the use of beam forming
at the receiver and transmitter antennas to increase the signal's effective radiated power
. The goal range for the first products will be in-room, point-to-point, non line-of-sight
(NLOS) at up to 10 meters. The atmospheric absorption
of 60 GHz energy by oxygen molecules limits undesired propagation over long distances and helps control intersystem interference and long distance reception, which is a concern to video copyright owners.
The WirelessHD specification has provisions for content encryption via Digital Transmission Content Protection
(DTCP) as well as provisions for network management. A standard remote control allows users to control the WirelessHD devices and choose which device will act as the source for the display.
Wireless
Wireless telecommunications is the transfer of information between two or more points that are not physically connected. Distances can be short, such as a few meters for television remote control, or as far as thousands or even millions of kilometers for deep-space radio communications...
digital network interface
Network interface
Network interface may refer to:* Network interface controller, the device a computer uses to connect to a computer network* Network interface device, a demarcation point for a telephone network...
for wireless high-definition
High-definition video
High-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels or 1,920×1,080 pixels...
signal transmission for consumer electronics
Consumer electronics
Consumer electronics are electronic equipment intended for everyday use, most often in entertainment, communications and office productivity. Radio broadcasting in the early 20th century brought the first major consumer product, the broadcast receiver...
products. The consortium currently has over 40 adopters; key members behind the specification include Broadcom
Broadcom
Broadcom Corporation is a fabless semiconductor company in the wireless and broadband communication business. The company is headquartered in Irvine, California, USA. Broadcom was founded by a professor-student pair Henry Samueli and Henry T. Nicholas III from the University of California, Los...
, Intel, LG
LG
LG may refer to:*LG Corp., a South Korean electronics and petrochemicals conglomerate*LG Electronics, an affiliate of the South Korean LG Group which produces electronic products* Lawrence Graham, a London headquartered firm of business lawyers...
, Panasonic
Panasonic
Panasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation, which was formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd...
, NEC
NEC
, a Japanese multinational IT company, has its headquarters in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. NEC, part of the Sumitomo Group, provides information technology and network solutions to business enterprises, communications services providers and government....
, Samsung
Samsung
The Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea...
, SiBEAM
SiBEAM
SiBEAM Inc., now a subsidiary of Silicon Image, was a fabless semiconductor company and a developer of high-speed wireless communication platforms. The company was among the leading innovators of millimeter wave...
, Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
, Philips
Philips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
and Toshiba
Toshiba
is a multinational electronics and electrical equipment corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is a diversified manufacturer and marketer of electrical products, spanning information & communications equipment and systems, Internet-based solutions and services, electronic components and...
. The founders intend the technology to be used for the Consumer Electronic devices, PCs, and portable devices alike.
The specification was finalized in January 2008.
Technology
The WirelessHD specification is based on a 7 GHz channel in the 60 GHz Extremely High FrequencyExtremely high frequency
Extremely high frequency is the highest radio frequency band. EHF runs the range of frequencies from 30 to 300 gigahertz, above which electromagnetic radiation is considered to be low infrared light, also referred to as terahertz radiation...
radio band. It allows for either compressed (H.264) or uncompressed digital transmission of high-definition video and audio and data signals, essentially making it equivalent of a wireless HDMI
HDMI
HDMI is a compact audio/video interface for transmitting uncompressed digital data. It is a digital alternative to consumer analog standards, such as radio frequency coaxial cable, composite video, S-Video, SCART, component video, D-Terminal, or VGA...
. First-generation implementation achieves data rates from 4 Gbit/s, but the core technology allows theoretical data rates as high as 25 Gbit/s (compared to 10.2 Gbit/s for HDMI 1.3 and 21.6 Gbit/s for DisplayPort 1.2), permitting WirelessHD to scale to higher resolutions, color depth, and range. The 1.1 version of the specification increases the maximum data rate to 28 Gbit/s, supports common 3D formats, 4K resolution, WPAN data, low-power mode for portable devices, and HDCP 2.0 content protection.
The 60 GHz band usually requires line of sight between transmitter and receiver, and the WirelessHD specification ameliorates this limitation through the use of beam forming
Beamforming
Beamforming is a signal processing technique used in sensor arrays for directional signal transmission or reception. This is achieved by combining elements in the array in a way where signals at particular angles experience constructive interference and while others experience destructive...
at the receiver and transmitter antennas to increase the signal's effective radiated power
Effective radiated power
In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains...
. The goal range for the first products will be in-room, point-to-point, non line-of-sight
Line-of-sight propagation
Line-of-sight propagation refers to electro-magnetic radiation or acoustic wave propagation. Electromagnetic transmission includes light emissions traveling in a straight line...
(NLOS) at up to 10 meters. The atmospheric absorption
Absorption (electromagnetic radiation)
In physics, absorption of electromagnetic radiation is the way by which the energy of a photon is taken up by matter, typically the electrons of an atom. Thus, the electromagnetic energy is transformed to other forms of energy for example, to heat. The absorption of light during wave propagation is...
of 60 GHz energy by oxygen molecules limits undesired propagation over long distances and helps control intersystem interference and long distance reception, which is a concern to video copyright owners.
The WirelessHD specification has provisions for content encryption via Digital Transmission Content Protection
Digital Transmission Content Protection
Digital Transmission Content Protection, or DTCP, is a digital rights management technology that aims to restrict "digital home" technologies including DVD players and televisions by encrypting interconnections between devices...
(DTCP) as well as provisions for network management. A standard remote control allows users to control the WirelessHD devices and choose which device will act as the source for the display.
Promoters
- BroadcomBroadcomBroadcom Corporation is a fabless semiconductor company in the wireless and broadband communication business. The company is headquartered in Irvine, California, USA. Broadcom was founded by a professor-student pair Henry Samueli and Henry T. Nicholas III from the University of California, Los...
Corporation - DellDellDell, Inc. is an American multinational information technology corporation based in 1 Dell Way, Round Rock, Texas, United States, that develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. Bearing the name of its founder, Michael Dell, the company is one of the largest...
, Inc. - EpsonSeiko Epson, commonly known as Epson, is a Japanese technology company and one of the world's largest manufacturers of computer printers, information and imaging related equipment...
Corp. - Intel Corporation
- LG ElectronicsLG ElectronicsLG Electronics is a global electronics and telecommunications company headquartered in Yeouido, Seoul, South Korea. The company operates its business through five divisions: mobile communications, home entertainment, home appliance, air conditioning and business solution...
Inc. - PanasonicPanasonicPanasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation, which was formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd...
Corporation - PhilipsPhilipsKoninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
Electronics - NECNEC, a Japanese multinational IT company, has its headquarters in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. NEC, part of the Sumitomo Group, provides information technology and network solutions to business enterprises, communications services providers and government....
Corporation - SamsungSamsungThe Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea...
Electronics, Co., Ltd - SiBEAMSiBEAMSiBEAM Inc., now a subsidiary of Silicon Image, was a fabless semiconductor company and a developer of high-speed wireless communication platforms. The company was among the leading innovators of millimeter wave...
, Inc. (merged by Silicon Image in 2011) - SonySony, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
Corporation - ToshibaToshibais a multinational electronics and electrical equipment corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is a diversified manufacturer and marketer of electrical products, spanning information & communications equipment and systems, Internet-based solutions and services, electronic components and...
Corporation
Competition
- Wireless Gigabit AllianceWireless Gigabit AllianceThe Wireless Gigabit Alliance is an organization promoting the adoption of multi-gigabit speed wireless communications technology operating over the unlicensed 60 GHz frequency band....
(WiGig) promotes a different specification for multi-gigabit wireless communications operating over the same unlicensed 60 GHz spectrum. - Wireless Home Digital InterfaceWireless Home Digital InterfaceWireless Home Digital Interface is a consumer electronic standard for a wireless HDTV connectivity throughout the home. It is being driven by AMIMON, Hitachi Ltd., LG Electronics, Motorola, Samsung Group, Sharp Corporation and Sony....
(WHDI) specification uses 20 or 40 MHz channels the 5 GHz unlicensed band, offering lossless video and achieving equivalent video data rates of up to 1.5 or 3 Gbit/s. - Wireless USBWireless USBWireless USB is a short-range, high-bandwidth wireless radio communication protocol created by the . Wireless USB is sometimes abbreviated as "WUSB", although the USB Implementers Forum discourages this practice and instead prefers to call the technology "Certified Wireless USB" to distinguish it...
offers computers without a video-out port to connect to external monitor or TV via the USB ports.
See also
- Extremely high frequencyExtremely high frequencyExtremely high frequency is the highest radio frequency band. EHF runs the range of frequencies from 30 to 300 gigahertz, above which electromagnetic radiation is considered to be low infrared light, also referred to as terahertz radiation...
- IEEE 802.15IEEE 802.15IEEE 802.15 is a working group of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers IEEE 802 standards committee which specifies wireless personal area network standards. It includes seven task groups.-Task group 1 :...
- UWB
- Wireless Gigabit AllianceWireless Gigabit AllianceThe Wireless Gigabit Alliance is an organization promoting the adoption of multi-gigabit speed wireless communications technology operating over the unlicensed 60 GHz frequency band....
- Wireless Home Digital InterfaceWireless Home Digital InterfaceWireless Home Digital Interface is a consumer electronic standard for a wireless HDTV connectivity throughout the home. It is being driven by AMIMON, Hitachi Ltd., LG Electronics, Motorola, Samsung Group, Sharp Corporation and Sony....
External links
- Official website
- SiBEAM
- Civil mm-wave Regulation in US
- WiDi by Intel a proprietary WirelessHD interpretation