Topic: Cutting the Cord to Flat-Screen TVs

[Clive]

Flat-panel TVs look lovely on a wall -- the cords hanging from them, less so.

After a few years of false starts, the industry finally seems close to tackling that problem. At least three dueling wireless technologies for high-definition TVs will be on display at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, which starts Monday. Manufacturers promise that sets incorporating these technologies will be in stores before the next holiday season.

The heavyweight entry in the field is WirelessHD, a consortium that includes the biggest Asian names in electronics, including Sony Corp. and Toshiba Corp.

It's an unusual group, in that the home entertainment industry hasn't generally been a leader in wireless technologies -- most of them have been pioneered by makers of cell phones or computer networking gear.

But the consortium is set to announce Thursday that Intel Corp. is joining the group, which could broaden the reach of the technology from home entertainment applications to computers. Intel has been a champion of wireless technologies including Wi-Fi, and more recently, WiMax, a longer-range cousin.

The WirelessHD group is also announcing that it has completed the blueprints for chips that can beam HD audio and video from set-top boxes, DVD players and digital cameras to TV sets. The chips can be made small, and the intention is to have them built into devices, rather than be supplied in add-on adapters.

The technology uses a virgin band of the radio spectrum, around 60 gigahertz. That lets it avoid interference from other wireless networking gear and allows for extremely high data transfer rates, according to John Marshall, chairman of WirelessHD. Unlike other wireless TV solutions, WirelessHD won't need to compress the signal, which can result in a loss of quality.

To satisfy concerns by the Motion Picture Association of America, the organization of Hollywood studios, WirelessHD has intentionally limited the range of the technology.

"What WirelessHD has done is that we've made sure that the technology can cover a whole room -- even a large room, up to 10 meters (30 feet) -- but we've used techniques that make sure that it can't leak into the apartment next door," Marshall said.

That also means the signal won't reach from the living room into other rooms in the same home.
 
 

[Simon]

With all this wireless stuff about, we will all be glowing in a few years time.  I wonder how a wireless TV would affect your broadband connection, given that a DECT phone can play havoc even now?   

[Sandra]

Seeing the problems that wireless networking gives a lot of people then I dont think I would be rushing into Wi Fi TV.
Presumably you would still need a power supply voa cable, unless they are going to use some method of induction or worse still batteries in the TV  
The only wall in my lounge where I would consider having a wall mounted TV would be over the fire place.
That would be too high and I dont think it would be a good idea having the gas fire on with a TV panel above it.
Also it would restrict where the TV could be viewed from, as far as I can see the best place for a TV is where most people already have then and thats in the corner of the room and usually in the alcove at the side of the chimney breast.

The only use I can see for that would be in some kind of office setting for demonstration purposes, so why not just sink the wires into the wall or through the wall from behind the panel  

[sam]

argh... I'm a radio astronomer - get me out of this noisy mess.

[Clive]

Yes, it's bad news for radio astronomy.

[Sandra]

argh... I'm a radio astronomer - get me out of this noisy mess.

Canada would probably be a good place to go Sam 

Having said that if we didnt have all this radio stuff going on how would extra terrestrials know about us if they have some kind of SETI system looking for us 

[sam]

the power is too weak to really send into space these days - plus we generally target it to the ground - its a shame the first thing they will, if they received our signals and can process them will be good old adolf... 

[Clive]

That should scare them off! 

[sam]

unless they like that form of facial hair... they will probably think its a nice get together...

[Sandra]

It could be worse Sam, they may in another 40 years start getting eastbenders, coronation square, the missing X factor, lock the buggers in the jungle forever please and other crap like that and think that we are not intelligent enough to bother contacting