The Ultra Wideband Blog

YouTube and UWB

What these two things have in common? And what is Google thinking? $1.65 billion for YouTube, a company with an unproven business model along with what The Wall Street Journal terms “potentially huge censorship and copyright problems.”

Despite the challenges, this deal is a clear indicator of how much the world of video distribution is changing. So is the recent announcement by NBC to carve $750 million from its operating budget by 2008. Traditionally broadcast seems to be struggling, while new modes of accessing video content are taking off.

Through all of this turmoil – from broadcast to on-demand, over-the-air to online - one thing will most definitely remain constant, people’s desire to watch TV on their TVs. Sure, clicking on a video clip works great on a PC and 17-inch monitor. But taking that convenience to the 42-inch flat panel for Saturday night movie watching is a big challenge.

One of the missing pieces is UWB. It will be able to stream video from a set-top box, media gateway and Media Center PC to displays throughout the home. It will deliver incredible performance and convenience. And maybe, just maybe, it should be known from here on out as YouWB.

Wibree, Why Now?

There was quite a bit of coverage for Nokia’s new wireless offering Wibree. It is supposed to operate up to 1Mbps at a range of up to 30 feet. It transmits in the 2.4 GHz band, and is purported to be 10 times more energy efficient than Bluetooth, according to the press.

But far from glowing reviews, Wibree is being met with some healthy skepticism. Engadget expects consumers to be reluctant to part with their now familiar Bluetooth devices. GigaOM muses “Do we need another short range wireless standard? To this, WiFi Net News answers with a definitive “No, no, no, no. We don’t need another wireless standard with a silly name.”

So what do you think? Do we need another wireless technology? Or do existing Bluetooth offerings fit the bill?

Ultra Wideband at CEATEC

This week, Tzero demonstrated wireless video at the CEATEC tradeshow in Japan. The event is the largest international exhibition in Asia featuring imaging, information and communications products and Tzero participated with Japanese distributor Kaga Electronics Co, Ltd. Together, the two companies showcased the power of ultra wideband and its ability to take DVD-quality video from source to display flawlessly.  Omrom also announced their new UWB antenna and received excellent coverage in publications like EE Times.

In addition, the show hosted a seminar on ultra wideband and wireless HDMI that was attended by nearly 100 individuals hungry for information on this new technology. The reaction from customers and partners at the event further demonstrate that the market is ready for ultra wideband, especially in a place like Japan where it can be extremely difficult to run new cabling.

Read more about CEATEC.