Samsung: content deals are complex.(HOME NETWORKS)

- Working on Its Own Wi-Fi Variant forWireless HD

Wireless Watch reports that Samsung says its biggest problem in getting Internet-delivered entertainment to its TV sets is the complicated business deals that content owners require, not the technology that's required.

Hyun-Suk Kim, VP of R&D for Samsung's television products, told a press conference this week, "Hardware-wise, everything is ready, but the problem is there are so many parties that want to have their own share, so it's complicated."

Samsung is working with Intel and Yahoo to use widgets as a way to bring Web content to PCs and TVs. Intel and Yahoo recently released a software developers "kit for the Widget Channel."

Wireless HD

On the matter of getting HD video wirelessly to TV sets, Kim said the company was working on several projects.

In July Samsung said it would support Amimon's WHDI technology, which uses a derivative of the 802.11n fast Wi-Fi approach. It has also reiterated its backing for SiBeam and the WirelessHD would-be standard, which uses the 60GHz band.

With approaches based on Wi-Fi extensions and 60GHz fighting it out, and possibly even converging--and with Ultra Wideband-based systems also likely to make a rejuvenated effort in a year or two--there would seem to be plenty of choices.

Notwithstanding, Samsung said this week that it is also defining its own variation on Wi-Fi for its digital TVs and could release the technology early next year.

He said Samsung is working mainly on 60GHz and its own Wi-Fi platform for short-term digital TV network releases, but remains interested in UWB and other options for the longer term.