Motorola snags developer of wireless HD

Motorola Ventures, the venture capital division of Motorola, has invested in a small U.S.-Israeli company that specializes in wireless technology for media systems, the company announced Tuesday. Amimon, which showcased its technology at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, has developed wireless high-definition interface (WHDI) that can be added to semiconductor chips and enable wireless transmission of uncompressed high-definition TV. The technology works with high-speed interfaces such as HDMI and VGA graphics display systems, making it possible for wireless flat-panel TVs, PCs and other components to offer the same image and sound quality as hardwired versions, according to Amimon. WHDI offers transfer rates of up to 3GB per second for 1080p video.

Motorola joins other heavyweights in the home-entertainment market with this latest investment, whose amount was not disclosed. Apple TV--Apple's wireless router, set-top box and PC combo--is a foray into wireless home media network technology, as is a wireless plasma TV that Samsung is expected to release later this year.