You can raise some serious doubts about the chances of the new WirelessHD standard that by next year aims to create a short range, high bandwidth wireless technology. The projected January launch indicates that the standard's backers hope to make a big splash as the forthcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

A quick glance under the average desk demonstrates that cables today can make a big mess. But Bluetooth's failure to live up to its self created hype meanwhile has demonstrated that wireless technologies don’t necessarily provide a usable alternative.

01 Nov 2006

The new WirelessHD standard is pushed by A-list consumer electronics manufactures such as Samsung and Sony and aims to provide enough bandwidth to power high definition video over a 10 meter/30 foot distance.

At such distances, you're talking about connecting a set-top box to a TV and a stereo. But you're out of luck if you were hoping to steam HD video from the living to a bed room. Few consumers however will be willing to pay extra to retire the few living room cables, especially if you never see them once a new system has been put in.

WirelessHD furthermore offers functionality similar to Ultra Wideband (UWB), not to mention the Homeplug alliance's Ethernet over power line initiative.

technorati tags: ces, consumer+electronics+show, homeplug, wirelessHD, intel, samsung, sony, CE, networking, wireless

This posting is also available on vnunet.com's CES Blog.