Ruckus Wireless to Broadcast IPTV, HDTV and Digital TV Over WiFi

By LAURA STOTLER

TMCnet IP Communications Columnist

 

Ruckus Wireless will bring together multicast IPTV, digital TV (DTV) and HDTV over WiFi in a public demonstration at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Ruckus plans to show how multiple HDTV, DTV and IPTV streams may be reliably transmitted over a standard, in-home 802.11g WiFi network through the demonstration.

 

New WiFi technology developed by Ruckus enables consumers to extend wireless capabilities to their in-home video systems, TVs and other set-top boxes. The demonstration at CES will include a number of different types of video streaming, including sending high definition digital video content from a media center system over 802.11g to a media extender for viewing on a television.

 

Other demonstrations will include using the Ruckus MF2900 WiFi wireless multimedia router to stream HD MPEG-2  digital video content on a media center system to an Xbox360. Content will be streamed using 802.11g to the gaming console, which will be equipped with a Ruckus MF2501 adapter as well as a tablet PC with integrated 802.11 b/g WiFi. Ruckus will also transmit multiple MPEG-4 IPTV streams of different televisions simultaneously over the Ruckus smart WiFi system to an Amino set-top box connected to a television. They will also be transmitted to PDAs and tablet PCs with integrated 802.11 b/g.

 

Ruckus also plans to demonstrate distribution of live analog and digital cable TV signals from satellite receivers, set-top boxes and recorded content from a digital video recorder to other devices in the home over WiFi. The Slingbox product from Sling Media will be used to digitize analog TV signals and encapsulate them in IP for transmission over the network.

"For service providers, moving digital multimedia around the home reliably and cost-effectively remains a significant obstacle to the successful deployment of IPTV and other triple-play services," said Jeff Heynen, directing analyst, Broadband and IPTV at Infonetics Research. "Up to now, this problem has been largely swept under the carpet because no one has really figured it out."

 

"A single WiFi network for every type of multimedia content is what consumers and carriers would really love to have, if they could get it,” said Heynen. “But the technology hasn't yet shown itself worthy of dealing with interference or providing a connection that is stable or predictable enough to support new services entering the home like IPTV."

 

"Emerging services such as IPTV are dependent on new ways to distribute IP-based multimedia throughout the home," said Selina Lo, president and CEO of Ruckus Wireless. "Consumers love WiFi for data but also want it for video and voice if they can reliably get it. Now they can, and we're proving it."

 

"Our technology lets users trust the air by literally creating WiFi links between endpoints that can be managed and monitored,”

added Lo. “Until now this just hasn't been possible. We've applied Internet techniques to the air. Our system picks the best path for a WiFi signal at any given time and can automatically steer that WiFi signal around interference in real time. This virtually guarantees a high-quality video experience for consumers without the hassles and complexity of wires and networks."

 

IPTV and WiFi will be discussed in even more detail at the upcoming INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & Expo, EAST in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The Conference will feature the exclusive IPTV Summit to help service providers decide which video services will increase their APRU. It will also feature the informative WiFi Telephony Summit to discuss the potential for WiFi technologies in the communications space. The show runs from January 24-27, 2006.

 

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Laura Stotler writes about IP Communications and related topics for TMCnet. She has covered VoIP and related technologies for seven years, contributing to Internet Telephony magazine and TMCnet, and as a freelance writer. To see more articles, please visit: Laura Stotler’s columnist page.