WLAN chipset features video image transfer capabilities

Matsushita Electric Ind. Co. Ltd has developed a 5GHz WLAN chipset capable of transferring video images among IEEE 802.11a/e-compliant home A/V equipment.

Current WLAN chipsets have been designed primarily for the PC market for transferring data files. Wireless transmission of video signals required a powerful CPU and/or a bulky external circuitry for adjusting delay and jitter, making them unsuitable for installation into A/V devices.

Furthermore, the short preamble period of IEEE 802.11a signals made it difficult to realize a fast diversity function that automatically selects and switches antennas according to each received packet.

The embedded video transfer function of the new WLAN signal processor enables easier wireless transfer of video images, the company said. It is also equipped with a function for automatically switching antennas according to the strength of signals being received.

The chipset also features I/O ports that can directly transmit the MPEG-TS (Transport Stream) signal, the standard for video transfer format. It also features an automatic compensation function for adjusting the time delay and jitter, which may occur in wireless transmitting, enabling easy video transfer.