June 30th, 2008
Wi-Fi in cable set-top boxes coming (not so soon)
Cable TV providers are planning to add wireless to their set-top boxes, according to panelists at a recent Connect event sponsored by Park Associates and the CEA.
A report in EE Times say cable companies like Cox Communications are planning to deliver signals to home via coaxial cable, and then add a wireless link for shuffling the signal throughout the home. Cox is in the early stages of planning its network architecture, but an official says that it is likely to include multimedia over coax as well as Wi-Fi.
Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait about two years for this solution.
Other panelists noted that more TV makers are starting to include Wi-Fi in their sets. HP has sold a MediaSmart 802.11g TVs for a couple of years now, and Westinghouse will ship in the fall an HDTV that uses ultrawideband chips from Pulse~Link that now support HDMI.
Another company, Celano, said it has engineered 802.11 chips that can deliver up to four HD video streams up to 120 feet. It should work with any Wi-Fi client and is up for Wi-Fi certification now.
For the past 15 years, Rik Fairlie has covered technology and the business of technology for numerous publications and Web sites. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
