IBM and MediaTek this week began an initiative that will fast-track the development of a ultra-fast wireless chipset capable of transmitting a feature-length HD motion picture to a TV set, computer or hand-held mobile device almost as quickly as it takes a user to push a remote control.
The emerging technical scheme would permit users to eliminate some of the wiring for media center systems, allowing the connection of HD sets to set-top boxes and placing the devices anywhere convenient in the immediate home or office environment.
Both companies have independently been researching millimeter wave (mmWave) technology (the highest frequency portion of the radio spectrum where massive amounts of information can be sent quickly), as well as digital chipsets. IBM said the bandwidth for data transmission available at the mmWave frequency band enables at least 100 times higher data rates than current Wi-Fi standards.
A 10 GB file that typically would take up to 10 minutes to upload using Wi-Fi could be uploaded with a mmWave chip in only about 10 seconds, according to IBM.
