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 Would you like to eliminate video and audio wires to your HDTV flat panel? How about wirelessly transmitting and controlling video anywhere in your house from a single HDTV set-top box?
That's the promise of the Ultra-Wideband (UWB) video solution from Tzero Technologies. Who is Tzero? They're the startup beginning to deliver wireless video and audio tools to the consumer electronics (CE) companies you know and love. While no products are available on store shelves today, we think this compelling UWB technology is worth understanding and watching. Read More for details.
This week at the IPTV conference known as TelcoTV in Dallas, TX, Tzero Technologies announced wireless UWB technology with a number of solution partners. While the announcements are clearly industry-centered, the upshot is that UWB solutions are gaining steam and closer to reality. Combine that with likely announcements from CE vendors at the CE-focused Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this coming January; we fully expect 2007 to be the year where we start seeing UWB products on shelves. What is Ultra-Wideband (UWB)? Without getting bogged down in technical details, the simplest way to think about Tzero's UWB implementation is that it wirelessly replicates an HDMI cable, including the CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) AV link remote control protocol. That means the technology can not only send video and audio, but also can pass through the CEC AV link standard back to the source. For example, you could be in your bedroom wirelessly watching content from the cable box located in your family room – even wirelessly controlling it. Tzero's UWB does this with a latency of 10ms and bandwidth of 480Mbits per second. With those specs, it's not limited to just one signal, instead it can transmit 3 HD video signals, digital audio signals, and send back remote control signals through one wireless connection. To accomplish this, Tzero compresses the video using the same compression standard (JPEG2000) used by the 4K (4096 pixels high!) digital theater projectors deployed in state-of-the-art cinemas. Even though the JPEG2000 technology is lossy (selectively removes some data to make the file smaller, while maintaining what's necessary), Tzero believes that the video that is output using their technology is visually the same as the source signal. While only a prototype, I was able to see it last September at CEDIA and was impressed with what I saw. Will it be variable quality, like WiFi? In other words, does wirelessly transmitted video degrade as the distance between devices increases, or goes through walls and floors? It's an obvious question because we've all experienced the WiFi drop in speed and reliability as we move away from the access point. The complicated answer: Tzero's implementation of UWB focuses on a high quality of service (QoS) with very low packet error rates of less than 1 error in 100 million packets, compared with WiFi which is generally greater than 1 error in 20 packets. The simple answer: it mimics a physical connection. Either it works at near full quality or it doesn't work at all – kind of like plugging in a virtual cable. This is important because the last thing you want to experience in HD video is a signal that fades in and out. In September, Gefen announced a UWB HDMI Wireless Extender based on Tzero's reference platform. Their HDMI wireless extender is capable of 720p or 1080i video sending video up to 60 feet without line-of-site required. Gefen's dongle solution means that it can be added to current HDMI compatible equipment. Just think of it as a virtual HDMI cable. While Gefen's announcement is interesting, I'm excited about seeing this technology embedded in consumer electronics like TVs, receivers, set-top boxes, etc. Today's announcement appears to be the first step. Standards? Other Technologies? Obviously, a big concern with interconnect technologies like cables and networking is standards. Tzero is part of the Intel-led WiMedia Alliance standards organization that promotes UWB. WiMedia's members comprise many consumer electronics, computer and wireless technology companies, including the companies that announced WiHD last week. While Tzero's UWB implementation is centered around video and audio distribution, UWB is also going to be used to replace USB cables, and future versions of Bluetooth will ride on top of UWB. Tzero's technology is interoperable with other UWB solutions. WiMedia isn't alone, however. Another standards body, UWB Forum is made up of members who are also in WiMedia such as Samsung, as well as some others who are exclusive to UWB Forum, like Belkin. Competing bodies like this can often create an adoption stranglehold (Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD), because consumers don't have a clear decision. But, when it comes to plumbing and imbedded technology like this, what will drive adoption is inclusion in market-leading products. With WiMedia products coming to market and future Bluetooth versions riding on WiMedia, right now WiMedia looks to be in the lead. You may also wonder how this relates to last week's WiHD announcement. WiHD doesn't yet exist. Last week's announcements basically stated that a specification is going to be finalized in 2007. Not much chance for products before 2008, and probably later. WiHD is interesting because it's planned to be multi-gigabit uncompressed streams. However, WiHD plans to use 60Ghz whereas UWB is 5Mhz. It's a substantial challenge to go beyond line-of-sight using 60Ghz. What does it mean today? The specific announcements from the companies below generate little interest for most of us consumers – they're geared to service providers. Basically, there's nothing yet to buy. But it's a big first step, and what we're hopeful for and excited about is the likelihood that we'll see mainstream consumer electronics announcements surrounding UWB at CES in January. The reality is that until there's cool tech you can buy for your home, it's no more than wishful thinking. We think that's coming soon and we'll keep on top of it and deliver the latest news as it materializes.
Tzero UWB announcements from companies delivering solutions to service providers include: Siemens
Siemens announced an IPTV multimedia router capable of distributing video wired and wirelessly using Tzero's UWB solution. Amedia Networks
Amedia is developing residential gateways that use Tzero UWB for the distribution of multimedia content around the home. Complete Media Systems
CMS is planning to use Tzero's UWB in a new HD set-top multimedia centers. Entone Technologies
Entone will be demonstrating their Hydra IP video gateway which uses UWB for the distribution of HD video. Magnum Semiconductor
Magnum is incorporating UWB into their newest reference DVD platforms. UTStarcom
UTStarcom will be demonstrating an IP video gateway that uses Tzero's UWB technology.
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