California-based Tzero Technologies has demonstrated its new second generation ZeroWire in Tokyo. The new ZeroWire enables wireless HDMI transmission with Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology, which is able to transfer Full HD (1080p) resolution video at 60 frames per second. The product is at first targeted at Japanese market, but has passed the regulatory tests in Europe and the U.S. as well.
Tzero calls ZeroWire the first commercially viable wireless HDMI solution with an estimated material cost of less than $50. It support HDMI 1.3a and HDCP and therefore is “Hollywood Approved”, according to the press release. With 480 Mbit bandwidth the ZeroWire is able to transmit Full HD resolution video and 7.1 digital surround audio at ranges greater than 20 meters.
Due to its higher bandwidth the rival WirelessHD is a more viable option for future technologies. WirelessHD supports theoretical data rates of up to 20Gbps but is limited by the 10.2 Gbit bandwidth of the wired HDMI 1.3a.
Result for: second generation
Despite the spectre of a recession looming over the US economy, Netflix Founder, Chairman, and CEO Reed Hastings is confident about his company’s position for the remainder of the year. Although he sees slower growth than last year he predicts that recent and future developments will continue to fuel profitability.
One of things Hastings spoke proudly about in a presentation that was part of the company’s third quarter earnings conference call today was the deal struck recently with the Starz premium cable network. Starz opted to close their Vongo service, choosing instead to let Netflix provide internet delivery for them.
He pointed out that one of the biggest stumbling blocks for providing such services is the contracts the big networks have that tie up major studio content, adding “With this new model we think we can generate increased profit for Starz, increased profits for Netflix, and over time for the studios.”
He also spoke extensively about innovations that are around the corner for the Netflix streaming service. The previous quarter saw the introduction of the first Blu-ray player that can be used to stream movies from Netflix, LG’s BD 300. He also hinted at additional players with Netflix support coming in the future, saying “we’ll announce more Blu-ray partnerships as they’re ready for consumers.”
But the company isn’t planning to ignore people who prefer to watch on a computer. In fact he indicated an important innovation in the form of support for Intel-based Macs. “This quarter we’ll begin the rollout of our second generation player software which runs on both Windows and Intel Macs,” he said. “It’s a huge step forward for online video players and we’ll be announcing the details shortly.”
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Result for: second generation
Microsoft has revealed that its popular Zune media player has hit 2 million units sold since its launch in November 2006. What the figure also reveals however is low or flat growth for the device, especially compared to sales of the Apple iPod.
The company originally promised it would hit one million sales before June 2007 and it did so but since then has kept quiet on sales for its player or any predictions on it.
Despite the flat growth the sales still helped Microsoft move up a percentage point in overall US marketshare, from 3 to 4 percent. Those figures are courtesy of the NPD Group.
It seems, for now at least, that there is fragmentation in sales after the launch of the second generation of Zune players. The original million sales were from the original 30GB model but since November 2007, Microsoft has been selling two cheaper flash-based Zunes as well as two HDD-based players.
The slowdown in sales could possibly have nothing to do with Microsoft at all. The current US economic recession has staggered spending all across the board and non-necessities such as MP3 players are sure to see a hit. MP3 players are also approaching saturation in the market and there are fewer first time purchases being made, regardless of brand.
Apple continues to flourish however with their iPod lineup and still control the market handily. In the last quarter 10.6 million iPods were sold, over 5 times the amount of Zunes sold in almost 2 years.
