IBM and MediaTek propose chipset that wirelessly transmits HD videos

Yorktown Heights (NY) - IBM announced this weekend that it has formed a joint initiative with MediaTek to create a new chipset that can wirelessly send a high definition movie to another source almost immediately.

The two companies hope the new standard will eliminate the need for countless, cumbersome wires that almost all set-top boxes require. The technology is built from millimeter wave radio signals. IBM claims the bandwidth in its chipset is more than 100 times higher than current Wi-Fi standards.

According to the chip maker, the new technology allows users to send a 10 GB file in under five seconds, ahead of the Wi-Fi speed of around 10 minutes.

Users could, for example, send a high definition video to their TV from their iPod wirelessly in about the same time it takes to push a button. Alternatively, it could be used as the new standard for syncing devices to a computer, getting both devices up to date without the need for a docking station, and in a fraction of the time it currently takes.

IBM has four years worth of mmWave research, and this has the potential to be its biggest use of the technology to date.

"This will enable a world where you can have your entertainment when you want and where you want it," said IBM research VP Dr. TC Chen.