Back in 2008 wireless HD was the talk of the town. During the 2008 CES show many companies showed off their wireless HD solutions pitching the day when needing wires to hang your HDTV on the wall would be pointless. However, even while companies were trying to sell the dream there were some pretty big glaring issues.
According to a 2008 Gizmodo.com article:
Sony showed us its 720p/1080i wireless HD system (transmitter picture in inset above), compressing the video with a few artifacts and a three-second latency, but able to transmit the signal 100-300 feet. This version also had a backchannel for remote commands to be sent back to the transmitter.
Summing up, hold off with that sledgehammer you’re about to use to smash the drywall to install HDMI cable for your home theater projector.
It sounded very promising until you reread and you start to understand that latency may be the downfall of this technology. People have grown to get accustomed to instantaneous gratification. If most people have to wait a second after they change a channel, they will the find the experience unbearable. Combine this latency with the latency which already exists between remotes and televisions and you have a dangerous picture.
The second part which made it difficult is that manufacturers were reluctant to add this functionality to their televisions. Even though wireless HD was the talk of the town in 2008, the only television which caused a lot of stir because it included wireless HD capabilities is the Panasonic TC-P54Z1. With it’s $6,000 pricetag the bar is set enormously high for anyone looking to get their hands on a wireless equipped television.
Another blow was dealt when Belkin to kill off their Flywire HD transmitter. Belkin fell for all the frenzy and craze and thought people would be willing to pay several hundred dollars to make due with their own television without wireless capabilities. With the faltering economy and slow sales they decided to cut their losses and turn tail.
Even with all of these strikes against wireless HD, all hope may not be lost. Internet connected HDTVs are growing in popularity. Verizon has been speaking about the “openness” of their network and the ability for them to add devices to it in the same way that Sprint works with Amazon to provide internet access to the Kindle. FiOS is a great product and with 4G right around the corner in multiple major metropolitan areas, it may not be very long until we see wireless broadband HDTVs with a monthly service paid to a wireless company instead of a cable company.
Other Must-Read Articles
