At CES last week, no fewer than seven technologies were in evidence that deliver digital video signals to display products. While fellow analyst Pete Putnam last week mentioned one of the newer ones, the sheer number of similar solutions begs the question of viability. A summary of the technologies is below - look to the upcoming issue of Large Display Report for more technical details.

Aldo Cugnini
Analyst

· DisplayLink is a proprietary solution that connects a PC monitor to a PC using a standard USB cable and driver software that incorporates video compression. Owing to limited time, this reviewer did not get a critical look at video quality, but look to a future article for an in-depth look. DisplayLink also announced at CES that Sony has chosen its network display technology for its Sony VAIO Universal Dock, said to be the first USB-based universal notebook dock product on the Japanese market that allows notebook users to connect either a VGA or DVI display to a laptop using USB 2.0.

· Wireless USB and "Certified Wireless USB" are proprietary and standardized (respectively) technologies that provide a wireless alternative to wired USB. These wireless technologies have a higher throughput than Bluetooth, but at a higher cost. The high bandwidth can accommodate lightly-compressed video at up to HD resolution.

· DisplayPort is a VESA-endorsed technology that uses copper wire or optical fiber. It can carry high-bandwidth digital audio and video streams, and the latest version of DisplayPort (1.3) supports High-definition Digital Copy Protection (HDCP); an earlier version included the proprietary DisplayPort Copy Protection (DPCP).

· WHDI is a proprietary wireless interface that uses a variant of the proposed 802.11n spec. While company materials say the video is "uncompressed," the technology essentially uses lossless video and channel coding to deliver HDTV signals. Motorola Ventures announced an equity investment in Santa Clara, CA based WHDI developer Amimon Inc.

· The WirelessHD consortium announced it has completed the development of a wireless specification (they call it "a first") for high-definition baseband video transmission and will present the format to adopters in early 2008. The WirelessHD specification defines a wireless protocol that enables consumer devices to create a wireless video area network (WVAN) that supports HDTV. Since its inception in October 2006, the group has grown to include 40 early adopter and promoter companies. The consortium is currently comprised of Intel, LG, Matsushita (Panasonic), NEC, Samsung, SiBEAM, Sony and Toshiba. The WirelessHD 1.0 specification supports DTCP content protection from the Digital Transmission Licensing Administrator (DTLA). At CES, Panasonic unveiled a new a WirelessHD 1080p full-HD transmission system.

· HDMI has all but replaced DVI and would appear to be the current de facto standard for hardwired digital interface to a display.

So how will this all shake out? The answer, as always, lies in a combination of technology, cost, and marketing. While all of these systems claim to support up to HD resolutions, compression may comprise performance. Also, the target devices, while seemingly exchangeable between PC and TV applications, will dictate cost and convenience. A wireless interface is convenient when the display is physically distant from the driving electronics; but this may be moot when both are co-located. The USB interface adds considerable convenience when daisy-chaining or repeatedly reconfiguring displays, but this is not going to be a mass-audience need. DisplayPort has a higher throughput than HDMI, but how many users need supra-HD signal interconnect? This writer’s bet is that HDMI will be around for quite some time as the mainstream interface of choice - with the various alternative wired and wireless technologies seeing more limited use in more constrained applications. Keep your eye on the supporting companies, too.

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