Wireless HD Now on TV (in Japan)

Transferring wireless, high-definition content is a puzzle that hardware vendors have long been trying to solve. It’s hard to cram that much data into a fast wireless stream using unlicensed spectrum such as Wi-Fi or Ultra-wideband, but plenty of companies are trying. However, for any technology to win out, getting consumer equipment manufacturers to put the proper chips in their products will be key.

Today Amimon, a silicon startup pushing a whole-house wireless HD technology called WHDI has managed to hit that customer milestone by getting its chips inside the latest Sharp X-series of televisions to be released in Japan. Customers have the choice of spending from $3,000 to $4,600 on a plain X-Series TV or adding about $875 and making it wireless using Amimon’s WHDI technology.

That’s quite a premium to get rid of wires, but people will likely pay it. As well as the price premium, the wireless receiver box that attached to the TV adds about 50 percent more fat to the TV’s 1.5-inch depth. The wireless version of the TV also comes with a transmitter box that a consumer plugs their DVD player, camcorder, camera or whatever else into so they can stream the wireless content to the television.