WiMedia-Certified AL5000 Chipset Enables High-Quality Wireless Displays
DisplayLink and Alereon today jointly announced the availability of a reference design for a Wireless USB display adapter that allows PCs to connect to nearby standard displays without wires while delivering beautiful image quality and instantaneously interactive performance.
The reference design enables PC accessory OEMs to easily develop wireless display connectivity adapters and similar products. It will be demonstrated publicly by Alereon at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2008) from Jan. 7-12, 2008 in Las Vegas, NV, in the WiMedia Pavilion (WiMedia Booth South Hall 3 – Booth# 31642) and in the Wireless USB Pavilion (South Hall 4 – Booth# 35625).
The reference design pairs Alereon’s Worldwide WiMedia Alliance-certified AL5000 chipset with DisplayLink’s network display technology to provide a solution that achieves the high image quality and the performance of wired displays without the wires. In addition, this is the only adapter design available that allows manufacturers to produce a Wireless USB adapter that meets all regulatory requirements across the globe.
The design uses Wireless USB to deliver fast ultra-wideband (UWB) speeds using a standard wireless USB input and output resolutions up to 1680 x 1050 and 16.7 million colors with smooth DVD video playback and quick responsiveness.
“A display connected using this wireless reference design feels and looks to a user exactly like a wired display,” said Hamid Farzaneh, DisplayLink president and CEO. “As evidenced by the proliferation of wireless mice and keyboards, the availability of the technology to bring the same freedom to monitors is just what OEMs need to spur explosive growth in this market.”
Because the design is based on Alereon’s Worldwide WiMedia Alliance-certified AL5000 chipset, products based on it will be compatible with future Wireless USB-enabled notebook computers from major PC vendors.
“Providing a standards-based design is critical for our OEM partners so they can be assured of compatibility with broadly available laptops and notebooks,” said Eric Broockman, CEO of Alereon. “Our partners require the combination of standards-based wireless technology, exceptional throughput and worldwide footprint to achieve mass adoption.”
Alereon’s AL5000 Worldwide Wireless USB chipset integrates all of the essential RF circuitry, including synthesizer VCO/PLL, anti-alias filters, LNAs and transmit/receive (T/R) switches, Media Access Controller (MAC) and Baseband Processor (BBP). The chipset is bundled with all the firmware and software drivers necessary to develop a worldwide Wireless USB product covering the entire WiMedia spectrum from 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz. The AL5000 Worldwide Wireless USB chipset is the only available chipset that meets all regulatory requirements worldwide.
DisplayLink technology is comprised of high-performance Hardware Rendering Engine (HRE) network display chips and Virtual Graphics Card (VGC) software that power high-quality, fully interactive 32-bit true-color graphics with real-time video playback across a USB link. They are designed for monitor manufacturers, PC OEMs and PC accessory companies who want to develop easy to use high performance products such as USB-connected monitors, video-capable USB laptop docking stations, Skype video phones, picture frames and other devices. The company’s adaptive compression algorithm and graphics protocol can also transmit graphics over other standard network interfaces, including wireless USB, Ethernet or Wi-Fi.
About DisplayLink
DisplayLink Corp. is a network display chip and software company that creates simple connections between computers and displays – via USB, making the benefits of expanded visual workspace available to everyone. Using universally accepted wired or wireless networking protocols and proprietary software compression techniques, graphically rich content can be transmitted easily between a single device and multiple displays and enjoyed in a more organized and productive way.
Leading global manufacturers have integrated network display technology into an array of consumer electronics including USB-enabled monitors, video docking stations and display adapters. Because of the unique ability to unleash content from hardware to multiple screens, an array of innovative devices is on the horizon. Founded in 2003, DisplayLink’s venture backers include Atlas Venture, Benchmark Capital, DAG Ventures and DFJ Esprit. The company is headquartered in Palo Alto, CA, with main R&D and product development activities in Cambridge, UK. More information can be found at http://www.displaylink.com.
About Alereon, Inc.
Alereon, Inc. is a fabless semiconductor company using revolutionary Ultra Wideband (UWB) radio technology to develop high-bandwidth, low-power, low-cost Wireless USB and WiMedia UWB chipsets that are ideal for today’s personal computer and portable products, like digital cameras, mp3 players and cell phones. Our mission is to replace the complex tangle of wires that interconnect today’s electronic devices with wireless links. For more information, visit http://www.alereon.com.
