We’ve been conditioned to think about various solutions to wirelessly streaming high-definition signals—whether from cable/satellite providers or Blu-ray player or whatever—as how to take unruly cords out of the room where your primary HDTV is set up. But Vizio is going to offer an alternative scenario for us to consider at the upcoming CES convention.
Working with wireless chipset maker Celeno, the TV maker is planning on showcasing a portable 24-inch LCD HDTV that will receive HD programming from a set-top box via 802.11n Wi-Fi. The goal is to get people thinking about a wireless HD solution that eliminates the need for multiple set-top boxes in multiple rooms where TVs are or could be (home office, kitchen, kid’s bedroom, etc.). As with other similar setups, there would be a master set-top box where video sources are connected and the embedded wireless chip beams the video signals throughout the house.
Vizio and Celeno promise that their implementation will be robust enough to send high-def streams to multiple rooms. The solution uses real-time H.264 compression as well as numerous technical enhancements to the CL1300 Wi-Fi chipset to boost range and throughput. Of course, until products are in consumers’ homes being put to the test, we won’t be able to verify how well the solution works, but having the country’s top-selling TV manufacturer putting its weight behind it means we might be closing in on a future where wireless HD is the norm instead a technical problem waiting to be solved.
But don’t get too excited yet. At the moment, there aren’t any specific Vizio products announced that make use of Celeno’s chipset, so it’s unclear when this will come to market. Perhaps Vizio will clear this up as part of its 2010 lineup announcement this week.
