Here are a few reasons why you shouldn't spend $600 on this now. One, it's too early a technology to be sinking money into. Two, since it's early, the price will drop dramatically in the next year or two if you really want wireless HDMI. And three, we love wires, especially for situations like watching HD movies where you want to have as little interference to your picture as possible.

But if you really want it, here it is. [Best Buy via Dvice]

The updated platform is available now for people like Belkin to use in their Flywire wireless HD products (Flywire uses the first-gen Amimon chip). Amimon's main benefit is a stated range of 100 feet, through walls, which is more than most other wireless HD specs.

AMIMON's Second Generation Wireless 1080p Chipset Now Available

Chips to Enable HDTVs to Support the WHDI Standard

SANTA CLARA, CA—(Marketwire - April 29, 2009) - AMIMON Inc., the market leader in wireless HD semiconductor solutions, announced today the immediate availability of its second generation baseband chipset. The second generation transmitter and receiver chips (AMN 2120/2220) are designed for the WHDI™ (Wireless Home Digital Interface™) standard and are the first chipset capable of wirelessly delivering full uncompressed 1080p/60Hz HD content throughout the entire home.

The second generation chipset is based on the revolutionary video modem technology operating in the 5GHz unlicensed band, pioneered by AMIMON and the backbone of WHDI. The robustness of AMIMON's video modem technology has been proven in consumers' homes with AMIMON's first generation chipset which was integrated into wireless HDTV products from leading TV manufacturers. The second generation chipset offers significant enhancements both in quality and in feature-set.

Key features of AMIMON's AMN 2120/2220 include:

— Designed for the WHDI standard

— HD video: 1080p/60Hz & high quality computer graphics; equivalent video rates up to 3Gbps

— Range: multi-room - beyond 100 feet (30 meters) through walls

— Latency: less than 1 millisecond

— Hollywood approved HDCP 2.0 copy protection

— Low power consumption modes for portable devices

— Low cost - mass adoption price points

— 5GHz unlicensed band with support for Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS)

The second generation chipset provides CE manufacturers with a low cost HD wireless connectivity solution. The chipset is built on a programmable platform that can be tuned for conformance with the WHDI standard specification. The chipset interfaces directly with the video I/O's, saving the cost of any additional components such as CODEC chips, memory buffers and controls.

The AMN 2120/2220 chipset can be embedded into CE devices such as LCD and plasma HDTVs, multimedia projectors, A/V receivers, Blu-ray DVD players, set-top boxes (STBs), game consoles, computers, DVRs, PCs and HD video accessories/dongles, allowing wireless streaming of uncompressed HD video and audio.

The WHDI standard, promoted by the top CE manufacturers is the only standard to enable whole home, wireless uncompressed HDTV connectivity.

"The first generation chipsets received considerable interest, as AMIMON sold over 100,000 chipsets in 2008 and we expect increased demand for the second generation chipsets," said Noam Geri, vice president of marketing and business development for AMIMON. "AMIMON's first generation chipset made wireless HDTV in the home a reality; the second generation WHDI chipset will make mass-market, interoperable standard-based wireless connectivity in every home a reality."

"Among home entertainment enthusiasts 1080p HDTVs are in high demand and ease of use technologies, such as a wireless interface alternative, are expected to see increasing demand from consumers," said Randy Lawson, Senior Analyst, Digital TV Semiconductor and Display Drivers for iSuppli. "AMIMON's technology provides an effective solution to meet the growing consumer, as well as OEM, desire for ease of use features while maintaining the high quality 1080p."

AMIMON's second generation chipsets and reference designs are available now. AMN2120 and AMN2220 interface directly to AMIMON RF transceivers AMN3110 and AMN3210 respectively. Pricing for production quantities of the WHDI transmitter chipset AMN 2120/3110 is $20 and of the WHDI receiver chipset AMN 2220/3210 is $25. Companies, engineers and developers interested in additional information should contact AMIMON at info@amimon.com.

For further technical details please visit: www.amimon.com/technology.shtml.

About AMIMON

AMIMON is a fabless semiconductor company pioneering wireless uncompressed high-definition video for universal connectivity among CE video devices. AMIMON is a founding member of the WHDI™ (Wireless Home Digital Interface) SIG formed by leading CE companies to define a new industry standard for multi-room wireless HDTV connectivity.

AMIMON is headquartered in Herzlia, Israel, with offices in Santa Clara, Calif., USA; Tokyo, Japan; and Seoul, Korea. More information is available at www.amimon.com and www.whdi.org.

WHDI is a trademark of AMIMON, Ltd. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are those of their respective holders.

Something like this might not do well to come from Toshiba, as WirelessHD is limited to line-of-sight transmissions and NFC is slower than Bluetooth, in addition to hardly being equipped on anything. The design concept is fantastic though, and this shiny almost-ball could sit anywhere in your room and look great (or at least interesting). The driving force behind the design is even more enticing: make the unbound device look like something you could put on your coffee table, shelf or counter, because, well, that's exactly where it might end up. [Ubergizmo]

The change in range is due to the chunk of spectrum being used (5GHz for WHDI and anywhere from 3.1 to 10.6 GHz for UWB). UWB is a low-power, short-range broadcast because it has to play nice with the other protocols found on the wide breadth of spectrum it calls home. (For better or worse, Monster's wireless HD kit is wireless up until the point it needs to use your home's coax wiring to gain whole-house coverage).

WHDI, however, is camped out in a chunk of unlicensed 5GHz spectrum just like 802.11n Wi-Fi, meaning it must be able to tolerate the reasonable levels of interference only from other devices that use the same frequencies, and can broadcast at higher power levels than UWB—enough for a range of "over 100 feet." WirelessHD, a third major spec also funded by Samsung and Sony, plus Panasonic, Toshiba, LG and NEC, uses the 60GHz band, and apparently has problems unless the transmitter and receiver are within line-of-sight.

Components will be paired through menu systems using a pass-key, like Bluetooth. The spectrum can hold around six streams of 1080p video at a time, although real-world interference may vary. A likely scenario would be streaming from a WHDI cable box or Blu-ray player downstairs to 3 TVs throughout your house while still having room for HD gaming in the den.

The fact that a few heavies like Panasonic are still notably missing could mean another standards battle is on the horizon. While WirelessHD already claims a published 1.0 spec, and Monster's UWB product should be out by the fall, the WHDI spec is due to be finalized at the end of the year, with products hopefully popping up in time for CES '09. Stay tuned until then—as one format war ends, another begins.

Basically, on one end you have 2 HDMI ports, 2 component video ports and a composite port. Video from all your set-top boxes go in there, from the 480p Wii to the 1080p PS3. You select inputs the way you'd select them in a switcher—at any given time, the thing is only streaming one signal, upconverted to whatever resolution you choose. If you have an audio system nearby, you can send audio out of it via optical cable or digital coax. The system keeps the audio that goes out in sync with the picture that's distributed all over, so there's no lip-out-of-sync issues.

The video (and optionally, audio) is encoded and transmitted to a receiver unit with HDMI and optical outputs, so it can be the only thing next to your TV or projector. The transmitter also has a coax output, and the receiver has a coax input, to receive the signal. (When you're transmitting UWB through your house, it apparently doesn't interfere with your cable-TV signal.)

That means users could stream HD video content with full 1080p resolution between their HDTV displays, Blu-ray, DVD players and/or set-top boxes within a room or between adjacent rooms and transmit A/V contents up to 330 feet over existing coaxial cables. Monster expects their new wireless HD products to hit the market by this October. Check out the press release for full details.

Press release:

Monster Teams with Sigma Designs to “Go Wireless” in HD Home Entertainment with Exciting New Wireless HDAV and UWB-over-Coax Combination Solution

New Monster® “Wireless Digital Express HD” for HDMI Cable Replacement System Offers Both In-Room and Room-to-Room A/V Signal Distribution

New York City – June 12, 2008 – Monster, the world’s leading manufacturer of audio and video connectivity solutions, and Sigma Designs (NASDAQ: SIGM), a leader in digital media processing system-on-chip (SoC) solutions for consumer electronics, today announced a collaboration to create advanced wireless solutions for HDMI™ home entertainment distribution.

The first fruit of the Monster/Sigma Designs partnership will be the new “Monster® Wireless Digital Express HD” system, which will use Sigma’s Wireless HDAV™ for High-Definition (HD) A/V cable replacement as well as its UWB-over-Coax technology to offer consumers an elegant “wireless and no new wires” combination solution for enjoying HD content throughout the home. In addition to letting users stream HD video content with full 1080p resolution between their HDTV displays, DVD players (including Blu-ray), and/or set-top boxes within a room (or to an adjacent room), Monster’s Wireless Digital Express HD system will allow room-to-room HD entertainment streaming, transmitting A/V contents up to 330 ft. over a home’s existing coaxial cables. Monster’s Wireless Digital Express HD line of products was officially announced at Digital Downtown 2008, a CES showcase running June 12-14 in New York City. Monster® Wireless Digital Express HD products are scheduled to reach the market by October 2008.

“After evaluating other wireless solutions for A/V cable replacement, we chose Sigma as a partner for our entry into the wireless distribution arena simply because the company’s solutions proved to be the most reliable and because they meet Monster’s strict quality parameters,” said Noel Lee, The Head Monster. “In addition, Sigma’s UWB allows us to continue offering our customers the quality service levels they’ve come to expect. Together, we are achieving a “virtual wireless” solution for the whole home by combining wireless for in-room HD content streaming and UWB-over-Coax for room-to-room streaming.”

Monster’s Wireless Digital Express HD is powered by Sigma’s Wireless HDAV™ which features Sigma’s UWB Windeo® chipset and its Intelligent Array Radio™ (IAR) technology. Sigma’s IAR technology incorporates three antennas to deliver the industry’s most reliable wireless link that is uninhibited by walls, objects or people, also referred to as non-line-of-sight activity. Sigma’s Wireless HDAV solution will ultimately enable Monster’s customers to mount their HDTVs on walls without the need for multiple HDMI and A/V cables spread throughout the room or hanging across the walls. Meanwhile, users will experience the same advanced high definition signal quality they have come to expect via traditional wires.

Sigma’s Wireless HDAV and UWB-over-Coax combination solution also powers the Monster Wireless Digital Express HD product with long range capability to cover the whole home with wireless connectivity that achieves mobility and flexibility for in-room video streaming. At the same time, the solution maintains the highest quality of service that is required for HD content that travels from room-to-room. Finally, Sigma’s UWB technology is based on the most preferred WiMedia™ Alliance standard supported by many of the world’s leading technology companies. The WiMedia standard-based architecture and interoperability enables economies of scale and rapid market adoption.

“We are excited that Monster has chosen Sigma’s wireless HDAV and “no new wires” UWB-over-Coax solutions to power the new Wireless Digital Express HD product,” said Hung Nguyen, vice president and general manager at Sigma’s Wireless Products Division. “Monster’s selection of Sigma’s UWB technology further validates that advanced wireless home connectivity is here now, ready for our home high def products. We are delighted to offer Monster customers a simple way to set up and experience broadband wireless connectivity between their home entertainment products, and once and for all eliminate the need for any new complex wiring.”

More about Monster Wireless Digital Express HD

Monster’s Wireless Digital Express HD product includes transmitter and receiver elements inside box equipment that encodes older video formats to 1080P HDMI, can upscale all inputs to 1080p format, and offers in-room and adjacent room wireless connectivity, and 330 ft. plus range of coax connectivity room-to-room. In addition, the product offers a fully integrated Infrared (IR) distribution solution as well as inputs for two HDMI ports, two component, one composite video/S-video with audio, coax digital, optical digital with outputs of coax digital, optical digital F-connector for coax, 3 IR emitters and a serial communication input. The input switching is IR controlled for advanced whole home control capability. The Wireless Digital Express HD can be software updated through its included USB port.

More about Sigma’s Wireless HDAV Solutions

Sigma’s Wireless HDAV streaming is a technology for transporting HD multimedia using standard-based encoding technologies over Ultrawideband (UWB) to replace high definition audio/video cables. Sigma enables developers of home networking systems to eliminate cables between a television and set-top box or High-Definition DVD player using wireless HDAV, the first technology solution to support both the H.264 format and UWB based on the WiMedia® standard. Wireless HDAV streams high-definition content from device to device at distances up to 330 feet.

Sigma’s wireless solution combines the Fujitsu H.264-compliant MB86H52CODEC with Sigma Designs’ SMP8634 Secure Media Processor decoder and UWB Windeo® chipset, the only UWB chipset that uses Intelligent Array Radio (IAR) technology. IAR ensures the highest reliability in wireless connections between devices and also delivers through-wall and range extension capabilities. Using the MB86H52 to compress raw video allows wireless HD video streaming without compromising visual quality.

Amimon says by its late 2007 release, it will be able to support 3Gb/s throughput by binding two 20MHz channels together. Hey, wait a minute, that's enough to drive a 1080p display. Amimon will be flaunting this wireless HD technology at CES, and we'll train our eagle eyes on it and give you a full report. – Charlie White

Product Page [Amimon, via Extreme Tech]

Wireless HD [via Yahoo News]