New UltraGig WirelessHD Transmitter for Mobile Devices Offers Cable without Wires

The issue of streaming content (think gaming) from a smartphone or tablet to the big-screen TV in the living room is a conundrum that manufacturers have long been trying to crack. Apple (News - Alert) offers the Airplay functionality for instance—but it requires Apple TV to send content to the set.

Silicon Image is questing after a more standardized solution, in the form of the UltraGig 6400 WirelessHD transmitter.

Specifically designed for smartphones and tablets, the UltraGig integrates a 60GHz RF transceiver, baseband processor and embedded antenna array into a single IC package that can be embedded into handsets to deliver “a cable-quality connection without wires.”  

It makes use of the WirelessHD effort to define a standard specification for wireless HD signal transmission between consumer electronics products. The consortium has more than 40 adopters. Key members behind the specification include Broadcom, Intel (News - Alert), LG, Panasonic, NEC, Samsung, SiBEAM, Sony, Philips and Toshiba.

The technology is meant to be used for the full range of consumer electronic devices, PCs and portable devices in an effort to create a connected home where content can be beamed around from device to device. A high-capacity version like the UltraGig can support intensive bandwidth content types, like interactive video, gaming and HD live-streaming.

This is especially relevant given the staggering uptake of mobile and portable device use inside the home. “By 2015, smartphones and tablets are estimated to represent a $3 billion+ market for wireless connectivity ICs,” said Peter Cooney, practice director for semiconductors at ABI Research. “Driven by the use of mobile products for gaming and other interactive video applications, there is increased consumer demand for connecting these powerful devices to large displays and televisions. Consumers will expect wireless connections to provide the same experience as a wired solution.”

The UltraGig 6400 combines the intelligent beam-forming technology of a 60GHz RF transceiver with an embedded antenna array to enable a secure, high-bandwidth video link to WirelessHD-compliant receivers and displays, thereby eliminating all interference with Wi-Fi-based solutions. The integrated high-performance baseband network processor ensures that high-quality HD video can be transmitted with near-zero latency and without consuming host processor resources—an approach suited for mobile gaming and interactive video applications.

“By offering superior performance in an ultra-small form factor package, the UltraGig 6400 establishes a new benchmark for mobile HD video wireless connectivity,” said Jim Chase, director of marketing of the wireless division at Silicon Image (News - Alert). “Mobile devices powered by the UltraGig 6400 will be able to take advantage of a cable-like wireless video connection to other devices in the growing WirelessHD ecosystem.”