The chips which currently cost about $10, takes advantage of the 60GHz spectrum which has high data rates, but can’t go very far. That spectrum also doesn’t pass through walls, people or objects, which means that Silicon Image has had to develop new adaptive beam-forming technologies to make sure players who are using their phones to project a mobile game on their TV screens can play without inadvertently interrupting the signal.

For the last five years, the effort to commercialize this band of unlicensed spectrum has been hotly contested by different chip companies and standard. Silicon Image bought a company called SiBeam in 2011 to score WirelessHD, long after I thought the other standards were doomed when Intel and Broadcom created the WiGig alliance in 2009 to push a different standard. But the executives at Silicon Image insist the two technologies can co-exist in the spectrum band, and that WiGig is more of an effort to push Wi-Fi into higher data rates — you can achieve multigigabit speeds with WiGig and WirelessHD radios.

So Silicon Image is hoping the gamers, concerned about latency, will demand WirelessHD radios inside their mobile handset and help bring the technology to the mass market. Already, one can buy the radios to plug into televisions or other screens for $30 or $40 and computer makers already put WirelessHD into their high-end gaming machines. The latest Silicon Image chip is finally small enough and efficient enough to fit inside the crowded handset form factor. Mobile games should be able to buy devices with WirelessHD by the second half of 2013.

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They are working on new multi-gigabit Wi-Fi chips that use the 60 GHz band and can be used to connect devices such as computer displays and peripherals. This technology is referred to as WiGig. Intel has toyed with the idea of using 60 GHz wireless for connecting servers inside data centers. Nitero is part of a crowded market and will be jostling with the likes of Silicon Image, Beam Networks, Tensorcom, Peraso Technologies and others. Beam, Peraso and Wilocity have also recently announced that their chips are ready for the world.

A lot has to happen for 60 GHz technologies to take off. For instance, they need to find willing buyers among PC makers — not an easy task given how tight-fisted most PC makers are. Of course, a vertically integrated company like Apple that can bundle these chips inside their various products — notebooks, displays and even Apple TVs — and make everything work seamlessly and jumpstart the technology’s adoption.

Mind you, this gigabit Wi-Fi technology is not to be confused with the gigabit Wi-Fi products being developed by the likes of Broadcom using the 802.11 ac standard. Several home networking companies are developing 802.11ac-based routers for the home.

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Vizio TVs Get More than Just Netflix Streaming; will also offer Amazon, Blockbuster, Pandora, Flickr, Yahoo widgets, will sport built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi and a remote with a slide out QWERTY keyboard. (Gizmodo)

Hulu Heading for SageTV Hardware; unlike other Hulu-to-TV solutions, it doesn’t require a PC in the mix. (ZatzNotFunny!)

Move Networks Optimizes Interface for Mobile Devices and Netbooks; adaptive streaming company customizes its player for Intel Atom-based mobile devices. (emailed release)

MySpace Coming to TV Sets; social network widget on their way to Toshiba and Samsung big screens, lets you interact with friends and send messages. (Wall Street Journal Blog)

Silicon Image Unveils LiquidHD; company hopes to unite various networking protocols to more easily connect PCs, consumer electronics devices, portable electronics and Internet connections. (VentureBeat)

Seagate Launches FreeAgent Theater HD Media Player; it’s a set-top box that transfers digital content via a hard drive. (Seagate)

Toshiba to Use Sony’s Cell Processor for New Set-Top Box; device will be able to record up to six HD channels at once and improve the look of any video. (The Associated Press)

Macrovision Working to Stream Web Video to TVs; the next version of the company’s interactive programming guide would include access to web video on connected TVs. (Multichannel News)

Panasonic Shows Off 1080p 3-D Set; Gizmodo says the picture looks good, but glasses are still dumb (and Stacey at GigaOM says 3-D sucks; its just a way to get you buy more gadgets). (Gizmodo)

Sling and DISH Team Up for DVR; the ViP 922 has 1TB of storage, can access five video sources (including satellite, broadband, over-the-air), and allows users to watch content from any computer or cell phone with web access. (CE Pro)

Sony Beefs Up Bravia Line; TVs to get connected directly (no external adapter) and offer Amazon VOD, YouTube and Yahoo. (CE Pro)

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