Share Wireless HDMI onboard your laptop!

with thanks to InAVate a repost of their article. click here for original

12 January 2010

Amongst all the fuss about 3DTV and Slate PCs at CES, another potentially game changing technology was also on display. Intel has announced what it’s calling WiDi (literally wireless display), a technology enabling your computer wirelessly connect to a display via HDMI. The really clever part is that it requires no additional hardware at the PC end as it’s built into Intel’s newest Core i5 and Core i3 mobile processors.

No you’ve no doubt seen InAVate cover wireless HD video applications before, but this one doesn’t involve as much external hardware.

The system takes advantage of WiFi via 802.11n as a data carrier. Intel’s own words on how it works are as follows:

Intel Wireless Display requires a laptop PC based on select 2010 Intel Core processors, Intel HD Graphics, and Intel Centrino wireless with Intel MyWiFi Technology enabled. In addition, the laptop needs to have Intel Wireless Display preinstalled. Finally, an adapter featuring Intel Wireless Display is required to receive the signals from the PC and display them on the TV. This adapter is connected to the TV via either HDMI (preferred) or standard AV cables.

Now, the sharp-minded of you will realise that the current crop of new digital signage players is running Intel’s Atom processors, designed for net books and the like. It’s not a great leap to consider than in 2 years time we might see i3 or i5 chips, or something similar in digital signage players, or indeed in a future generation of tablet PCs.

Boardroom AV just got a little less wired. One thing I can’t determine is if it carries audio signals too – something which is catered for by HDMI. The other caveat is that the moment it doesn’t support HDCP. However, the concept is good. Check out Intel’s video here