Sony and Toshiba may be the chief advocates for two very different, incompatible next-gen DVD formats, but they probably agree on more HD-centric issues than not. Both firms, along with Matsushita Electric Industrial (Panasonic), NEC Corp., Samsung and chipmaker SiBeam this week said they have begun working as a special interest group to develop specs for WirelessHD, a wireless high-definition digital interface that is intended to enable HD audio/video streaming and high-speed data transmission for CE devices.
In addition to actively promoting the new format throughout the industry, WirelessHD proponents say they will present the format for adoption as soon as specs are completed next spring.
The ongoing migration to HD content and the proliferation of digital source devices, the group said, "Has intensified consumers' desire to simply and flexibly connect to highest-quality [HD] displays and consumer electronics systems."
The group's efforts will be among the first to emerge as an industry initiative for wireless uncompressed digital video transmission. The group said it plans to use the unlicensed 60 GHz band range. So far it's unclear how the group will make its technology available and how it will compete with other wireless options already on the table, notably ultra wideband (UWB).
