Michael's Insight

Panasonic unveils first 3D consumer video camera

Shoot Your Home Movies in 3D [Bit Rate - Multichannel News]

If you've already invested in a 3D television or are exploring the possibility of purchasing one soon, Panasonic has announced a new 3D content option that's coming in October - 3D home video. The consumer electronics manufacturer says that its HDC-SDT750 will be the first consumer 3D video recorder. With a 3D conversion attachement, the camera shoots 3D video through 2 lenses, each capturing a "left eye, right eye" perspective. Each of the images is recorded in 960x1080 pixels.

Without the 3D attachment the camera shoots full 1080p HD and 5.1 channel audio. Users will be able to connect the device via a HDMI cable to a 3D television to playback videos shot in 3D. When it goes on sale this fall, it's expected to retail for $1,400.

GigaOM: AT&T U-Verse upgrade "underwhelms"

AT&T Underwhelms With U-Verse Upgrade [GigaOM]

The reviews are in on AT&T's recent announcement of an upgrade for it's combination broadband/multichannel video product U-Verse, and according to GigaOM, the upgrade "underwhelms." The upgrade that AT&T plans to perform to its U-Verse product is called pair bonding. Currently, U-Verse customers must be located within 3,000 feet of a piece of field equipment called a video-ready access device or VRAD. Much further away, and the copper twisted pair that carries the U-Verse DSL and video will have too much signal loss to be effective. With pair bonding, AT&T hopes to reduce some of that signal loss to extend U-Verse's range from the VRAD. 

What won't pair bonding accomplish? First of all, it won't increase U-Verse broadband speeds or the amount of channels that U-Verse can carry. It won't increase the number of televisions that can watch HD channels in each U-Verse household - which is currently limited. It merely increases the distance from the VRAD that U-Verse service can travel.

For customers looking for faster broadband speeds, more HD and other product upgrades, pair bonding won't be an upgrade.

3D YouTube coming to the Sony PS3

Sony Exec: YouTube Will Go 3-D on the PS3 [NewTeeVee]

Sony continues its trend of 3D announcements by recently previewing an upcoming PlayStation 3 update that will provide for 3D streams from YouTube. This update will reportedly be available sometime within the next 12 months. YouTube has had 3D capability for some time now, but a fully functional 3D video site on a device like the PS3 is the next step for the online video giant.

Earlier this year, Sony updated their PS3 firmware to make the device HDMI 1.4 compatible, which allowed for 3D gaming when connected to a 3D television. They subsequently launched four 3D games and even bundled these new releases with their 3D enabled Bravia televisions.

Apparently, this is just the tip of the iceberg for Sony’s 3D plans, which are rumored to include Blu-ray 3D compatibility for the PS3, as well as support for 3D photos and broadcasts, in future firmware updates. Sony is fully invested in the 3D movement and is putting the PS3 at the forefront of the movement, hoping that it will begin to drive users to its other various 3D products.

New HD launched in Columbus, Evansville and Bowling Green

Yesterday, I announced some exciting new additions to our digital television product – new QuickView channels and Primetime On Demand. Today I have some more announcements for our customers in Columbus, Evansville/Henderson and Bowling Green.

As part of our continued commitment to deliver the highest quality HD channels, 6 new HD channels are now available in Columbus, 8 new HD channels are now available in Evansville/Henderson, and 4 new HD channels are now available in Bowling Green.

As you can probably imagine, customers contact us each day because they want more of the best HD channels available. The HD channels we’re announcing today are some of the most highly requested channels out there.

The new HD includes:

• Columbus - 6 new HD channels: Spike, Comedy Central, Hallmark, MTV, Nickelodeon and HD Pay per view.
• Evansville/Henderson - 8 new HD channels: Spike, Comedy Central, Hallmark, MSNBC, Cartoon Network, Golf, Fox Sports Ohio, and HD Pay per view
• Bowling Green - 4 new HD channels: Spike, Comedy Central, Hallmark and HD Pay per view.

Now, for those of you in other markets, rest assured that more HD is on the way. As many of you know, we’ve already announced plans to transition our Lexington and Northern Kentucky districts to an all-digital format. This will allow us to deliver around 100 of the best HD channels and a 50 Mbps broadband service, or even faster, in both of those areas. And I can tell you we’ve got really big things in store for Louisville, too.

We’ll have more on these fronts in the coming weeks.

QuickView Channels and Primetime OnDemand now available on Insight

As readers of this blog know well, technology is changing more rapidly than ever. That’s why we work every day to keep our customers on technology’s cutting edge and this announcement today is a part of that.

One of the cool new features now available for free to all of our customers with HD/DVR boxes are QuickView channels. These channels, which now show up on channels 100, 300, 400, 500 and 800 on the Insight lineup and show multiple mini-screens of high quality live video streams on a single TV screen.

The QuickView channels are a great way to see an overview of key programming available in a specific genre, including sports, news, music and children’s shows.

Customers can use their remote control to navigate and highlight channels on the QuickView channel. When a channel is highlighted you will hear that channels audio. Press the OK/Select to directly tune to a channel or VOD Menu.

Each QuickView has a set of links on the left that function as navigation to the other QuickView channels. There is a link to the associated genre of on demand content on each Quickview channel and a ticker scrolling along the bottom of the screen provides us with a new way to send important messages about products and features to customers.

In addition to the QuickView channels, we’re also rolling out Primetime OnDemand which provides customers with over over 100 hours of your favorite primetime programming available the next day on video on demand.

This means that if you missed a program last night you can see it OnDemand today. It’s also free to all customers on all full-featured Insight Digital boxes.

I also think we have some really exciting programmers on board (listed below), so check it out today.

• TBS
• TNT
• USA
• ABC/Disney
• NBC Broadcast
• Cartoon Network
• HGTV
• Food Network
• AMC
• WE
• Animal Planet
• Planet Green
• Travel Channel
• FX
• National Geographic
• Speed Channel
• Big Ten Network
• Syfy
• Bravo
• Oxygen

Sony plans launch of two new movie channels

Sony Reportedly To Launch 2 Movie Channels Later This Year [WSJ]

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Sony will be introducing two new cable movie channels later this year.  According to the report, the two channels have a tentative launch date of October 1. 

First, Sony will launch its first ever wholly-owned U.S. cable movie channel, Sony Pictures Movies HD. This channel would not be a premium movie channel like HBO and Showtime, but would rather be a basic cable service.

The second announced Sony channel is FearNet, which is actually a joint venture between Sony, Comcast and Lionsgate. FearNet has previously been available as an on demand service (including on Insight On Demand) and focuses 100% on horror films.  Sony apparently has plans to turn FearNet into a full-fledged cable channel.

New HD video interface looks to replace HDMI

The Successor to HDMI: All Your Video Through CAT6 [NewTeeVee]

Someday very soon, computer networking cable may take the place of HDMI as the standard for high definition video conduit between HD devices. Several consumer electronics manufacturers, including Samsung and LG, are working on the successor to HDMI. Dubbed HDBaseT, it promises to use CAT6 Ethernet cable to move HD video from one device to another.

One advantage of HDBase T includes an ability to stretch transmission distance from just a few feet with HDMI up to well over 300 feet over CAT6. Transmission speed over CAT6 is 100 Mbps, more than enough to accomodate HD. HDBaseT also avails users of the ability of connecting multiple televisions to a single PC serving as a media center. 

According to the coalition promoting HDBaseT, the first devices sporting the interface will debut later this year, with the platform becoming more mainstream in 2011.

Hulu announces subscription viewing

Hulu Plus is Real: $10/Month for iPhone, iPad and TV Viewing [Gizmodo]

Hulu announced this week the long rumored creation of a monthly subscription service it is calling Hulu Plus. Hulu Plus is targeted toward users that want additional content on devices other than a computer, and will cost subscribers $10 each month for access. It won't replace the current free access to prime time broadcast content on Hulu however.

The subscription service promises to offer full seasons of several television shows in high definition. Currently Hulu's free service allows viewers to watch the last 5 episodes of shows. For mobile viewers, Hulu Plus will give iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch viewers access to content, and Hulu Plus will be accessible from several broadband-connected televisions, Blu-ray players and gaming consoles. Viewers that want ad-free content will be disappointed with Hulu Plus - there are still ads during the traditional commercial breaks. So, advertising will remain a backbone of the Hulu revenue model.

Access to Hulu Plus is limited to users that have received invitations currently, but will be open to all starting next month.

Best practices for HDTV shopping

23 Tips For Buying the Best HDTV [Gizmodo]

In the market for a new high def television? Gizmodo has some HDTV evaluation tips from Dr. Raymod Soneira, president of a company that manufactures video calibration and diagnostic products. Next time you're off to the store to compare a wall full of flat screen LCDs and plasmas, you might take a copy of Dr. Soneira's checklist with you to help you distinguish subtle differences in picture quality.

Many of these tips revolve around the idea of taking your own evaluation material to watch on a retailer's HDTV display models. Frequently retailers have a loop of the same video playing on all their display models. Dr. Soneira recommends creating a DVD or USB drive of still images that test color accuracy - especially dark colors and black. If that's not an option, there are movies with interior and darkened scenes that can test color reproduction.

On LCD sets, Dr. Soneira recommends testing the viewing angles by shifting viewing positions around a set displaying a still photo. And if a salesperson will let you, test changes in the the color settings.  It will help you determine whether a better picture is possible.

ESPN counts 1.7 million online World Cup viewers in first four days

World Cup Stats: ESPN3 Scores 1.7M Viewers in 4 Days [NewTeeVee]

The 2010 World Cup is one of the first major sporting events available for viewing on three platforms simultaneously - television, streaming online and mobile phone. ESPN has reported online viewing counts for the first four days of the tournament via ESPN3 which total 1.7 million viewers. On the mobile platform, viewers have streamed over 1 million videos of the soccer games in the same time period.

How does online and mobile viewing stack up against traditional television when it comes to the World Cup? Sixty-five percent of the ESPN/ABC audience for the games only viewed them on television, while 24 percent watched on television and another medium and 11 percent only took in the tournament on another medium. Those watching via another platform took in more content than the television only viewers, accounting for 52 percent of the usage of World Cup content.

Nielsen busts the cord-cutting myth

Busting the Cord-Cutting Myth: Video in the Interactive Age [Nielsen Wire]

Online video enthusiasts have claimed for some time that large numbers of cable video customers were dropping their video service in favor of online video streamed over broadband. The impact of the so-called cord cutting movement has been a topic of significant discussion among trend watchers, but with little data to support the notion, its been unclear how large it really is. Nielsen has released data regarding cord-cutting, revealing that it's largely non-existent over the past three years.

The percentage of U.S. households with broadband but without cable video service was 3.9 percent in January of this year. That's unchanged since last January and only marginally higher than in January of 2008. On the other hand, the percentage of households with cable video and broadband has jumped from 54.8 percent to 66.3 percent from January 2008 to this January. This indicates a strong trend toward customers subscribing to both products, but little to no evidence of widespread cord-cutting.

Given that Nielsen also has found that online video viewing only accounts for 2.5 percent of all video consumption of Americans, it's no surprise that the cord-cutting phenomenon isn't showing up in the research about customers' behavior toward cable's video product.

MOCA 2.0 standard finalized

MOCA 2.0 Pushes Network Speeds Toward 1 Gbps [Broadband Reports]

The Multimedia Over Coax Alliance (MOCA) has announced the finalization of the MOCA 2.0 standard, which looks like it has a lot of promise in moving large amounts of data, such as high definition video, around a home. MOCA aims to use existing coaxial cable in the walls to move multiple streams of HD video around the home. The MOCA 2.0 standard will push those streams from room-to-room at 400 Mbps in standard mode and 800 Mbps in an enhanced mode.

Compare that to the current MOCA standard, which maxes out at 175 Mbps. MOCA 2.0 will be backward-compatible with current MOCA certified devices, so there's no need to ditch equipment for MOCA 2.0 compatibility.

The new MOCA standard has also baked in new power saving modes to reduce energy usage and reliability improvements to reduce latency and error rates in transmissions.

Does web video compliment or compete with television?

Web Series Tap Prime Time [Wall Street Journal]

It seems everyone with either a television or an Internet connection has voiced an opinion on the TV versus Internet video issues, with opinions ranging from Internet video posing no threat to Internet video completely replacing TV as we know it. 

Until recently, the reality was that regular TV viewership had actually increased since the Internet video movement began, causing many to think that Internet video would never be anything more than a complimentary service to cable and broadcast TV. However, the Wall Street Journal recently posted an article noting a significant change in the way Internet video is viewed that may shed a little more light on the topic.

Peak viewing time on video streaming site Blip.tv has moved to 8:00pm to 11:00pm eastern time, in direct competition with prime time broadcast and cable programming. Nielsen ratings also indicate primetime growth of Internet video viewership, rising 14% during those evening hours.

Previously, online-video watching thrived during the daytime, causing many to lean toward the “complimentary” view of Internet video. With the primetime numbers going up, Internet video providers could gain more access to programming options and advertisements, which could significantly strengthen the industry.

Another important note in the Wall Street Journal piece is that “Internet video” does not only consist of YouTube video and similar short clip video. The CEO of Revision3, another online video provider, said that 40% of his company’s users claim to watch their videos on a TV through various hardware or software products (up from 25% last year).

World Cup sets Internet traffic record

Updated: U.S.-England Draws 13 Million Viewers [Multichannel News]

Saturday's U.S. v. England match in the World Cup came up short of being the most watched soccer match in U.S. television history, coming in fifth according to Nielsen. Nearly 13 million viewers watched the game, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Three World Cup finals, a Women's World Cup final and the Brazil vs. U.S. game from the 1994 World Cup all drew larger television audiences, but this weekend's game was the most watched opening round game of the World Cup in the U.S.

Internet viewing of the World Cup was a different story, setting a record for Internet usage during the first weekend's games. Akamai's measurements indicated that on Friday, Internet traffic for World Cup news peaked at 12.1 million visitors per minute, surpassing the previous single day record of 8.5 million during President Obama's inauguration.

World Cup, most watched sporting event worldwide, begins today

The Big Draws: A Viewer’s Guide to Key Matches [Multichannel News]

The globe's most watched television event starts today, as Mexico squares off against host country South Africa in the 2010 World Cup. Cable viewers will find the games televised live on the ESPN family of networks, with a few high-profile games carried on ABC. HD viewers will find every game on ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD, and viewers wanting to watch games on the run can find them on ESPN3 via a broadband connection.

ESPN is also debuting its 3D programming effort with select matches to be televised on ESPN 3D.

Multichannel News has profiled several match-ups in group play, which comprises the first two weeks of the tournament. They've set expectations high with a prediction that Saturday afternoon's USA/England game will set a record for U.S. viewership of a soccer game. Soccer fans will also be treated to other powerhouse games in group play like Portugal v. Brazil and Cameroon v. Netherlands.

The World Cup only takes place every four years. In 2006, it attracted over 26 billion cumulative viewers over the month-long schedule of games and a similar audience is expected this year.

CALM Act passes Senate Commerce Committee with ASTC standards

CALM Act Expected to Pass Out of Senate Commerce Committee [Multichannel News]

Known as the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act, it's on track to pass the U.S. Senate with important changes that will help resolve differences in volume levels between TV programming and commercials. If you've watched cable programming then saw commercials with much louder audio, you likely have a keen understanding why Congress is grappling with this issue.

This week the Senate's Commerce Committee adopted the Advanced Television Systems Committee's (ASTC) recommended practices for handling variances in programming and advertisement volume as part of the CALM Act. The committee passed the legislation out for consideration by the full Senate.  If passed, cable and satellite operators and broadcasters would be required to implement the CALM requirements to normalize volume levels within a year of it's passage.

The committee also made other amendments to CALM: making the volume handling standards an FCC mandate, providing for any ASTC successor standards to be part of the law and providing temporary waivers to smaller cable operators that would have a financial hardship to comply with CALM. Assuming CALM passes the full Senate, the House would have to agree to these changes before the legislation could become law.

Conversations took place for months in hopes of finding a voluntary solution before Representative Anna Eshoo (D-CA) introduced a bill.  It's a perfect example of when private industry should proactively act responsibly to avoid having to deal with the consequences of legislation.  Even I supported the legislation when no solutions were forthcoming. 

Apple reportedly planning next Apple TV set-top

Could streaming move AppleTV from hobby to serious business? [ArsTechnica]

Is Apple's television set-top about to grow-up? ArsTechnica reports that Apple is working on a new version of the Apple TV product that takes the current media storage device in a completely different direction. The new device is expected to run on the A4 chip that powers the iPad and a version of the iPhone operating system. The flash memory in the device is also rumored to be minimal - because, rather than storing media on internal storage, the device is expected to stream video in 1080p.

ArsTechnica indicates that the device would need some additional video processing power to stream full HD video and any Apple streaming solution would need data centers to power a streaming video service.

So, while Apple and Google battle it out in the mobile sphere, it appears that the television screen may be the next place both companies are turning their attention. Last month Google announced its Google TV operating system based on the Android mobile OS and now Apple appears to be preparing to meet their challenge with an iPhone OS-based streaming set-top. The second half of 2010 and 2011 looks to be jam packed with exciting developments in the broadband-connected television space.  Rest assured we're working hard to make sure you will have all of these options available to you as an Insight customer.  Right now, we're making room for much higher Broadband speeds and lots more HD product.  We'll keep you posted.

SlingPlayer Mobile appears poised to debut on Android

SlingPlayer Mobile for Android teased on an EVO 4G [EngadgetHD]

Television viewers may soon have another option when it comes to taking their channels on the road. SlingMedia's SlingPlayer Mobile appears to be heading to mobile phones running Google's Android operating system. According to Engadget, Sprint's new 4G EVO phone has been spotted demoing SlingPlayer Mobile. Viewers with a Slingbox connected to their cable television and broadband can currently tune in using an iPhone and likely an Android phone in the near future. Sprint's EVO debuts this week.

The iPhone version of SlingPlayer Mobile attracted a lot of negative attention for AT&T, the exclusive mobile provider for the iPhone in the U.S. Due to AT&T's mobile network's trouble handling the bandwidth needs of the application, Apple required SlingMedia to disable the application's ability to stream video unless it was connected via a wi-fi broadband connection.

Engadget doesn't report on whether Sprint or other providers with Android devices will take a similar approach to this newest version of SlingPlayer.  We shall see.

ESPN predicting 3D will be more popular than DVRs

3DTV 2010 Event: Bratches Bullish on ESPN 3D Uptake [Multichannel News]

Even though fully one-third of U.S. households now have at least one DVR, according to the latest Nielsen Television Audience Report, ESPN believes that within the next 10 years, 3D television adoption will eclipse that of the DVR. To be clear, ESPN is betting big on three dimensional TV, launching ESPN 3D this summer with several of the World Cup games to be broadcast in 3D and plans to cover nearly 100 total sporting events in 2010. According to ESPN's executive VP for sales and marketing Sean Bratches at a 3D TV event this week, sports enthusiasts are likely to be early adopters of 3D television, driving 3D adoption to the point that it surpasses DVRs by 2019.

ESPN is already working with advertisers to develop 3D advertisements for the format, and the network has already filmed the first This is SportsCenter promo spot in 3D. ESPN 3D will debut on June 11th with carriage in over 40 million households. Incidentally, that's more homes than ESPN's first HD channel launched with in 2003.

Comcast launches social media platform for TV viewing

Comcast's Tunerfish adds social media check-ins to your TV watching [EngadgetHD]

On Tuesday, Comcast announced a new social media platform aimed at TV watching named Tunerfish. This announcement comes just a couple weeks after Comcast’s social media ambitions were made clear through the company’s acquisition of Plaxo. 

Tunerfish is essentially a Foursquare-style platform in which users are encouraged, through various games and contests, to share their TV watching experiences. It will allow viewers the ability, not only to see what their friends are watching, but to view larger trends of TV viewership.

Although Comcast is the company behind this new endeavor, they have not branded the site with the Comcast or Xfinity logos and appear to be opening the site to TV watchers across the globe. 

Tunerfish has Facebook and Twitter integration with an iPhone app on the horizon. It is currently in closed alpha mode, but beta is set to be launched in the coming weeks.

Time Warner Cable floating new movie distribution model

Hollywood Considering $20-$30 Movie Theater Sidestep [Gizmodo]

When a movie is released in theaters, there is generally about a four month waiting period before that movie is released on DVD. That wait period is usually even longer if you’re hoping to find the movie on demand through Netflix or another service. 

Time Warner Cable has decided to challenge this release schedule and pitch a new idea to the major Hollywood studios. The idea: allow people to pay $20 to $30 to watch movies on demand, in their home theaters, a mere 30 days after the theater release.

This would be a major shift in the way movies are released to consumers, and it would be pretty bad news for several parties, including movie theaters which would now have competition from the home theater and Netflix which is currently forced to wait well beyond the DVD release date.

Hollywood is reportedly considering the Time Warner Cable proposal. In this digital world, where pirates often have copies of movies flowing over the torrents the same weekend as a movie's release, studios must develop new distribution schemes that put movies in the home theater faster. Cable on demand is a natural platform for rapid distribution that millions of Americans already have in their homes without the need to purchase additional hardware.

Google may be unveiling open source television operating system this week

Proof That Google TV Will Make Its Debut Tomorrow [Tech Crunch]

You’ve probably seen the rumors about Google’s web-based TV project. Reports have been floating around that Google will soon be launching a new TV platform called “Smart TV” in connection with Sony, Intel, and Logitech. The platform is expected to be based on Google's nascent Android open-source operating system.

The technology site, TechCrunch, is claiming that it has proof that this is much more than mere Internet rumor. Google apparently set up a press site for it's developer conference to address the issue and provide some screenshots of the eventual product. The URL of the screenshots Google provided ended with “day-1-announcements.”

Well, the clever team at TechCrunch decided to tweak the URL on the screenshots Google provided, and uncovered some new information.  Under a URL ending with “day-2-announcements,” TechCrunch found a site that simply said, “Insert Android press release / TV press release”

If this is all true and it means what TechCrunch thinks it mean, this press release will come at some point on “day-2,” which would be Thursday, May 20.

Profiling 25 excellent home theater designs

Electronic House sifts through, selects 25 greatest DIY home theaters [EngadgetHD]

Looking for some ideas for a do-it-yourself home theater? Engadget points to a slide show by Electronic House of 25 home theater enthusiasts that built their dream media rooms - from expansive to attic. The slide show features pictures of home theater set ups that are likely to offer inspiration to others looking to assemble their own theater.

Each featured home theater is linked to an article that describes the inspiration for the particular design, the specs of the equipment, how the homeowner built the room and installed the equipment and how much the setup cost. My favorite is the garage that was converted into an elegant HD screening room. Voters on the site picked a pirate themed theater as their overall favorite.

If you're thinking about investing in a space for your home theater, there are plenty of ideas to think about from these 25 outstanding projects.

Rogue satellite threatens neighboring satellites

MSOs Downplay Rogue Bird Trouble [Light Reading]

It's called Galaxy 15, and you may be hearing about it's problems in recent news reports. Galaxy 15 is a satellite owned by the world's largest provider of fixed satellite services, Intelsat, and it's gone rogue. The satellite normally occupies a specific location in orbit around the Earth, but recently engineers lost control of this one after a solar storm stuck it and forced it out of position toward another communications satellite.

You may be asking yourself, "What does Galaxy 15 has to do with me?"

The satellite that Galaxy 15 is drifting toward is the SES World Skies' AMC-11 satellite, which is responsible for the delivery of a significant amount of programming to cable networks. That programming includes MTV Networks, Discovery Communications, Comcast Networks, In Demand, Scripps Networks, and A&E Television Networks. The possibility exists that if Galaxy 15 drifts too close to AMC-11 programming distributed through AMC-11 could be disrupted due to interference from Galaxy 15.

Such interference could disrupt the programming cable customers count on - not just for Insight, but for all cable providers.  

There are a lot of very smart people working to figure out a solution to this potential problem. Solutions range from trying to stop Galaxy 15 from creating interference by shutting it down to moving AMC-11 to a different location in space. Some of the networks have backup satellites while others are hoping for the best.  Needless to say, we are following this situation closely and focused on avoiding any disruptions of programming.

Intel working on new wireless standard to connect televisions to other devices

Will Content on a Smartphone Someday Power Your Television Set? [GigaOM]

Looking for a way to wirelessly connect your television to your computer, or a mobile device? Intel is working on a new protocol that promises to make connecting other devices to a television seamless and wireless. Called Wireless Display technology or WiDi, the protocol allows devices to connect to a television via point-to-point wi-fi. The first generation of the technology will use an Intel device that connects via a cable to a viewer's television. The device functions like a wireless bridge, connecting devices - like a computer with a media center - to allow content from those devices to be streamed to the television.

GigaOm predicts that the technology won't supplant the WiGig alliance that is working on super-fast home wireless technologies, but could be a means of connecting mobile devices to a television. Because the WiDi protocol only works with a few newer Intel processors, however, the chip maker will need to either broaden WiDi's compatibility or figure out how to get its chips into more and smaller mobile devices.