FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla.-xG Technology announced the successful demonstration of its radio-frequency modulation and encoding platform, xMAX, by broadcasting a data stream equal to full-motion MPEG-2 video with stereo sound at a distance of 18 miles using only 50 milliwatts of power.
“Similar systems require as much as 50,000 watts for transmitters to achieve similar coverage at a much lower video quality and screen size,” said Joe Bobier, inventor of xMAX and president of operations at xG. “This turns a lot of long-held beliefs about RF communications and spectrum utilization upside down.”
The company explained that its xMax technology is a novel way of encoding RF signals and can be used in either wireless or wired applications, including cable and copper. By improving range, xMax reduces the amount of infrastructure required to provide coverage to a given area. And less power translates into improved battery life for mobile devices, which remains a major challenge for high-data-rate wireless devices.
Covering more than 1,018 square miles, xG’s low-power digital broadcast uses the Industrial Scientific Medical 900 unlicensed spectrum-a notoriously crowded and interference-prone band also referred to as Part 15.247 of Federal Communications Commission regulations. XG said its staff used an omni-directional antenna on a single tower in the Ft. Lauderdale-Miami area for the demonstration, highlighting the technology’s extensive range and low-power requirements.
