New UWB Technology Demonstrates HDTV Transmission Through A Wall
Campbell, CA -- FOCUS Enhancements' semiconductor group Hillsboro, OR has demonstrated high-definition TV (HDTV) transmission through a wall using its ultra wideband (UWB) technology. This technology extends Multiband OFDM Alliance (MBOA) performance to better meet the requirements of video distribution throughout the home of the future.
FOCUS Enhancements' technology goal is to provide a true personal area network (PAN) larger than 10 feet and deliver rich media and crisp video content to UWB receivers in environments typically encountered in a standard home or small office. The company's technology is designed to be seamlessly interoperable with the MBOA UWB Standard while, at the same time, extending performance in two critical areas -- data rate and range. Current devices in the home that can clearly benefit from this extended performance are personal/digital video recorders, TVs, set-top boxes, and DVD players.
FOCUS Enhancements expects to sample UWB chipsets towards the end of the first half of 2005 and modules containing UWB chip-sets later in the year. Performance expectations are anticipated to range from 880 Megabits per second (Mbps) at 8 meters to 37 Mbps at around 40-plus meters.
"We have been increasing our UWB capabilities and are taking wireless concepts to the next level," said Brett Moyer, president and CEO of FOCUS Enhancements. "As wireless is the medium of choice for tomorrow's content delivery, UWB is expected to enable wireless transfer of any type of media in large data files throughout the home and possibly even larger networks. Our goal is to capture the market share focused on transmission quality for distance and speed."
"We have essentially doubled the IEEE's targets of 110 Mbps over 10 meters," Tom Hamilton, executive VP and general manager of FOCUS Enhancements' semiconductor group, added. "Other solutions fall short in delivering sustained high-resolution video, are hampered by short range, and/or are subject to interference from microwave ovens and cordless telephones. We have managed to overcome these obstacles -- even sending an HD stream through a wall -- and come up with something that can actually work in the real world."
Source: FOCUS Enhancements