Airgo Networks Inc.’s TrueMIMO technology was showcased in two new wireless-in-the-home launches that were announced last week. Though pre-802.11n technology will not be certified until sometime next year, Airgo is shipping products built according to the IEEE’s draft 2 specifications, which are largely based on Airgo’s Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output technology that is said to deliver Wi-Fi at speeds up to 540 megabits per second.
In the Netherlands, Airgo’s TrueMIMO is being launched in a media server configuration offered by direct broadcast satellite provider CanalDigitaal. The operator will offer the Caton V2O Wireless Home Media Network, a home video streaming system that uses high-speed Wi-Fi technology to enable video recording as well as live content viewing at up to three TV sets within a home.
The companies bragged that the new offering eliminates the need for additional wiring throughout the home in order to watch and record satellite programming from more than one TV.
Caton said its V2O is equipped with a hard-disk recorder, full electronic programming guide and an intuitive user interface. The recorded content on the hard-disk recorder can be accessed on any wireless television set in the house.
CanalDigitaal said it expects the V2O Wireless Home Media Network to be available in the fourth quarter for a selected group of its customers. CanalDigitaal is the largest digital TV operator in the Netherlands with more than 650,000 subscribers.
At the IFA trade show in Berlin, Airgo’s MIMO technology was featured in STMicroelectronics’ SimpleWare Home platform, which the companies described as offering Airgo’s MIMO Wi-Fi connectivity among home entertainment devices so that content can be centralized and easily moved around in a home.
Consumers can use the technology to play their personal multimedia content such as DVDs, CDs and games as well as digital music, photos and video on TVs and stereos throughout their homes.
“More and more consumers are downloading videos to their PCs or MP3 files to their cell phones, but most have no way of playing this content on their TV or stereo because they can’t easily move multimedia content from one device to another,” explained Christos Lagomichos, corporate vice president and home entertainment group general manager at STMicroelectronics.
In addition to Airgo’s MIMO technology, the Caton V2O set top boxes are also stocked with software from Universal Electronics Inc.
Airgo said the equipment is ready for production, though the company did not set a date for commercial availability.
