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35.com and Lenovo Bring Wireless Home Digital Interface Integrated Tablet to Mobile World Congress 2012

Uri Kanonich / February 23, 2012 / No comments

WHDI founding member AMIMON, the market leader in wireless HD and universal mobile connectivity, is bringing the only wireless solution that can mirror the mobile interactive user experience to the TV to Mobile World Congress 2012, February 27-March 1 in Barcelona.

WHDI will be featured in the Israeli Mobile Alliance Pavilion at Hall 6, Stand C50 and visitors will be able to see:

  • 35.com tablet with integrated WHDI
  • Lenovo IdeaPad tablet with integrated WHDI
  • iPad and iPhone connected wirelessly through WHDI to the big TV
  • Multiple WHDI transmitters connected to  multiple TVs through the power of the WHDI standard
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Category: 35.com, AMIMON, iPhone, Lenovo, Mobile, Mobile World Congress, Tablet, WHDI, Wireless HDMI / Tags: , , , , , , ,

The Mobility That Changed My Life

Uri Kanonich / February 2, 2012 / No comments
Mobile devices have changed the way people get their content. They have changed the nature of the content made, the way in which it is transmitted and the way it is available to be viewed. Over the next four weeks, we will be looking into where people get their content, what they expect from their content and how that is effecting consumer behavior. At the end of the month, you can find us at Mobile World Congress, where we can talk about the subject in person!

First, let’s look at the devices that started this revolution in consumer behavior. The iPhone hit the market only a few short years ago, in the summer of 2007, but it did not take long for smartphones of every variety to become a ubiquitous part of modern life. With smartphones came an adjustment in the demands put on data and content. Where before, laptops offered a degree of mobility, smartphones offered virtually unlimited mobility. Then came tablets, which combined the mobility with a more viewer-friendly experience. People got used to getting high quality content, when and where they wanted.

So where is the TV in all of this? It is still there, but out of the loop. TV’s biggest problem is that it can’t move. However, that is also its biggest advantage. It can’t move because it is the biggest, best picture quality in the household; it is still the king of the household’s media. Pulling the TV back into the loop means connecting it to all the content that came out of the rise of the smartphones and tablets. Mobile devices rely on Internet content, and Internet content has become a crucial part of our culture. So, in order to get the TV back into the loop, it needs to be connected to the content that resides in our mobile devices.

Well dear TVs, if you can’t beat them, join them. WHDI allows TVs to connect to the mobile devices people have fallen in love with and come to depend on since the summer of 2007 by mirroring the content in the devices to the TV. TV stays king, mobile stays the means of finding and storing content. TV is back in the loop.

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Category: HD video, HDTV, home entertainment, iPhone, Mobile, Mobile World Congress, Smart TV, Tablet, WHDI, Wireless HDMI / Tags: , , , , , , ,

The New Living Room: How Consumer Electronics are Going Personal

Uri Kanonich / January 12, 2012 / No comments
The world of consumer electronics is in a transition now, no doubt. The world is going personal. This has been the trend for years, but lately has becomes ubiquitous. Everything is personal. From your pizza to your trainer, to your payment plans, to your news aggregation, to your work environment to your content options to the way your structure a day. The world is adapting to your needs and proclivities and so should your living room.

The way most people find and consume content now is that personalized content arrives on their personal device: notebook, tablet, smartphone. People have their devices on them at all times and prefer to use them. But people also still like the centerpiece of consumer electronics, their TV. Getting the content from the devises that house content to their favorite viewing device has been a challenge often met with an inflexible and distinctly non-personal answer. It is either force people to view content from the TV by forcing “smart” TV systems on them with limited programming, or take away their mobility and flexibility by connecting their devices to the TV with cables, wires, etc. Neither of these answers are what people want.

Now let’s get personal. People want solutions tailored to them, solutions that don’t restrict their device usage and don’t make them change their content habits or limit their content choices. Smart TV, smart Blueray, or really smart anything is not the answer. That is not personal.  I have a rule: Evening time I am  at home, I am not smart. I just want my stuff to work. I want one solution to be able to use the content I already have in the way I want to use it. A personal solution.

One solution to fit them all. One solution. All devices. The is the new living room. That is WHDI.

To hear more about the new living room, speak with WHDI founding member AMIMON at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show, going on now, at suite #23121 at the Hilton Hotel.
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Category: AMIMON, CES, home entertainment, Mobile, Smart TV, Tablet, WHDI, Wireless HDMI / Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Onward and Upward

Uri Kanonich / November 23, 2011 / No comments
The people have spoken and they are ready to move away from cable. Home entertainment is in a new era, and people’s content expectations and the manner in which they consume are rapidly changing. People now have more variety in their programing and variety in the ways in which they can access their programs. Where once the rigid nature of the TV Guide ruled home entertainment, now entertainment is increasingly available when and where the costumer wants.

So where are people getting their content? A recent study conducted by Philips found that “the vast majority (80%) of people who watch video content online do so on laptops, and nearly half (45%) say having the ability to send the content wirelessly to their high definition TV would motivate them to either downgrade or cancel their cable plans altogether.” People are getting their content online. However, it is clear that they still want to watch their content on their televisions. That they are choosing their preferred content on their laptop rather than the content provided by cable companies on the TV shows that cable’s only remaining draw is the screen it comes across on.

There is of course a “best of both worlds” solution for modern home entertainment: WHDI. Content from your laptop mirrored wirelessly on your big screen.

Here are some more interesting statistics from the study:

  • Three in five Americans say they seek technology that will maximize their home entertainment experience
  • More than 90% of consumers believe wireless technology is the way of the future.
  • One in three consumers is watching more online video content than one year ago
  • 55% of 18-34 year olds watch online content more than four times a week
  • 87% of 18-34 year olds prefer wireless devices to those with cords.

It’s clear that wireless technology is the future and that people are ready for it. Cable companies have to adapt, or people will continue to move onward and upward to the better content and viewing options provided by the Internet.

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Category: AMIMOM, HDTV, home entertainment, IPTV, Mobile, Smart TV, Tablet, WHDI, Wireless HDMI / Tags: , , , , , , ,

I Really Want a Brainless Tablet

Jason / November 3, 2011 / No comments

Well, when I say brainless, what I mean is that I want a nice ultra-slim tablet on which I can access all the content in my home.

What I hate right now is that my content is spread all over the place. Some of what I have I can see or play only on my notebook. My Blue-Ray and cable movies I can see only on my TV. I want all of this content, but I want to be able to take it with me and move around, not hop from device to device. So why can’t all of my content just be on one device when I want it?

What I need is a nice screen, the size of a tablet, that can get content from all these video sources—something I like to call a brainless tablet. Why brainless? I don’t really need the fancy “multi-core, multi-GHz, multi-clock, super-powered, super-charged” CPU inside, I just need the screen. I want my notebook to run my games, but to play them from my brainless tablet. I want my blue Ray to play my movies, but to watch them on my brainless tablet.

This sounds familiar right? It should, and not just because it’s a great idea. Both Motorola (with their Atrix brainless laptop) and Asus (with their brainless tablet) offer products based on this idea, but there is one thing missing. They aren’t wireless! They are always connected to the content; they actually ask you give up your phone! What’s the point if it’s not wireless? The convenience of mobility is just as important as the convenience of consolidation. I want to play videogames on the couch, watch TV while I cook, and watch a movie from bed. this is all about convenience. I want it all, in one place, on the move.

WHDI Standard allows me exactly that. I can connect to any device with zero latency and with high definition quality and make a real wireless brainless tablet. With my whole house on the standard, I can use my tablet as the center for all my content regardless of from where it originates. That’s convenience. That’s a no brainer.

 

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Category: AMIMON, HDTV, home entertainment, Mobile, Tablet, WHDI, Wireless HDMI / Tags: , , , , , ,

The Move Away From Digital TV

Jason / October 25, 2011 / No comments

Last month, Broadcom, a global leader in semiconductor technology, made two moves that signal a shift in their focus and in the video market.

First, Broadcom acquired NetLogic Microsystems in what the New York Times called a “bid to capitalize on the world’s surging data needs.” Second, Broadcom decided to shut down its digital TV operations.

The moves follow a shift in consumer demands away from traditional DTV and toward mobile, multi-device solutions for their content. DTV is becoming a commodity, low margin business and not a key differentiator.

With these moves, Broadcom is making a strategic push into semiconductor chips for advanced networking devices. With NetLogic, Broadcom gains a portfolio of patents and technology that complements its vast chip business for consumer devices like cell phones and set-top boxes. Essentially, Broadcom is moving away from the TV and toward mobile devices as a chief source of content.

More recently, Intel also announced that it is going to “wind down” its DTV business; relocating its resources to “ultrabooks,” smartphones and tablets – which it calls “top corporate imperatives”. Intel also announced an increased focus on IP-based content delivery networks. Clearly, they too believe that the future of the video market lives in multi-device, IP-based solutions.

So where does that leave the TV?

It’s probably more accurate to ask, where does that leave whatever the TV will become? There will always be a market for large, high definition screens, but the way content arrives in that screen is changing. WHDI is part of that change. While Broadcom, Intel and others innovate in mobile devices, WHDI keeps them all connected. Content can come to any device in the house and be mirrored on the TV; with WHDI, content is never locked on one device. WHDI frees users and their content – access it on any device and bring it to any display. Isn’t that what we all want?

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Category: HD video, HDTV, home entertainment, iPhone, IPTV, Mobile, Smart TV, Tablet, WHDI, Wireless HDMI / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Making a Really Smart TV

Yoavnc / August 23, 2011 / No comments

What makes a TV truly smart? Currently, a “smart” TV means an Internet-enabled TV which can deliver OTT as well as traditional broadcast media. Basically, this encompasses on-demand streaming (e.g. Netflix) and a few other applications.  However, this approach prevents TV’s from reaching their potential – true intelligence requires more.

One of the biggest problems facing today’s Smart TV model is its very limited application space. Most TVs are tied to a specific, closed set of applications (the proverbial “walled garden”) and there is no common platform that enables developers to easily bring applications across multiple TV brands. The result is that, outside of a handful of common applications, there is a small hodgepodge of different applications for different TV brands. This limits the ability of developers to reach users and forces the customer to learn a new TV-based application interface for each new smart TV they use.

People talk about creating one common Smart TV platform (Yahoo widgets, Google TV, and now MeeGO), but this is a difficult job, and none of these efforts has met with much success. But this problem has been solved for PCs, now even tablets and mobile phones. These platforms have huge numbers of apps, games, etc. that consumers recognize and enjoy. There are common platforms for developers and common user interfaces that consumers understand.

So what makes a truly smart TV? First, be a TV! TV’s should let consumers easily leverage all of the other applications and content currently available on their laptops, tablets and mobile phones. Sure, support some easy applications internally in the TV if that is what consumers want (e.g. video streaming), but do not force the customer to put down their laptop, tablet or smartphone just to bring content or applications to the TV screen.

A truly smart TV allows a user to access any program or content in any manner, on the device of his or her choice. If the user prefers to access social media link on a mobile device, a truly smart TV should enable him to do so. In other words, a truly smart TV is a TV that enables smart connectivity. This is where the WHDI standard (Wireless Home Digital Interface) can help.

The content that people want is already in their hands, in systems they know well. Why take away this familiarity? If the app they want to use is on their phone, let them use their phone! If the app is also on the TV and the user wants to use it, great, but if not, WHDI will bring it from any device, in real time, to the TV.

With WHDI, it is possible to mirror devices that people are using to give them a better experience rather than ignoring those devices. Giving TVs Internet connectivity via Wi-Fi or otherwise is a great achievement, but for true intelligence, TV makers need to realize that personal entertainment does not exist exclusively within their boxes and they have to engage the user on his or her own terms.

This post first appeared on the IBC Official blog. You can find us at IBC 2011 (Israeli Pavilion, Hall 3) where we will be showing how WHDI-based technology is the right solution for production monitoring via wireless video.


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Category: AMIMON, Applications, home entertainment, iPhone, IPTV, Mobile, Smart TV, Tablet, WHDI, Wireless HDMI / Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

New WHDI-Based Product

Uri Kanonich / August 9, 2011 / No comments

Yesterday, GALAXY announced the release of the GALAXY WHDI Stick, the ultimate solution to connect your HD devices wirelessly to your TV. The stick can be connected from any HD source device to any HD display device and delivers the WHDI standard Full HD 1080p experience!

Click here to see more details and the GALAXY WHDI Stick.

After the jump, some some pictures from the release:

Read more

Category: Gaming, HD video, HDTV, home entertainment, iPhone, Mobile, Tablet, WHDI, Wireless HDMI / Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Olion and WHDI “Moov” Angry Birds and More to the TV’s Big Screen

Davids / July 19, 2011 / No comments

Ever wish you could supersize the Angry Birds destruction by playing on your TV? Want to dish out your frustrations with those evil pigs on a huge screen?

 

Well, Olion has developed Moov – a product that uses WHDI technology to let you do just that. With Moov, everything you can do on your iPhone is brought to life on the bigger screen of your HDTV.

Using Olion’s Moov prototype case to wirelessly connect your iPhone to your HDTV, you can play games, watch videos, browse the web, and anything else you normally do on your smart phone, while the phone’s screen is duplicated to your TV.

Olion’s Moov prototype integrates a WHDI board that mirrors your phone’s screen to an HDTV from up to 30 feet away with nearly no discernible lag (latency is less than 1ms) in both portrait and landscape. As you will see in the video below, the graphics are stunning.

There is no particular release date for Moov yet, but we certainly hope to see it on the market soon! Check out Olion’s demo video where they take Moov (and through it, Need for Speed) for a test drive, and yes…they also play Angry Birds.

Category: AMIMON, HD video, HDTV, home entertainment, iPhone, Mobile, WHDI, Wireless HDMI / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Smartphone Convenience, Fun and Productivity – Now on a Bigger Screen

Davids / July 12, 2011 / No comments

We are finishing up our run of posts about products we saw at Computex 2011 with…one of our own!

At the conference, AMIMON and 35.COM debuted a first-of-its-kind smartphone and wireless monitor solution with a tremendous response.

The product uses WHDI to allow consumers to use their companion monitor to do anything possible on the smartphone, wherever the phone happens to be stashed.

You can play games, watch movies, browse the Internet or compose documents on the larger screen. You can even use the monitor as a phone for a Skype call. Although, who has time to Skype call with all the games, movies and Internet, now on a bigger screen?!

It was a pleasure to work with 35.COM, and together we developed a fantastic product. More information to come later, so stay tuned!

 

 

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Category: 35.com, AMIMOM, Computex, HD video, HDTV, home entertainment, Mobile, WHDI, Wireless HDMI / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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