Panasonic and Samsung Invest in SiBEAM

In a move that is likely to signal at least a tacit endorsement of wireless video networking, Panasonic (News - Alert) and Samsung announced they have capital invested in high-speed networking chips firm SiBeam

 

The strategic investment from the companies is expected to further the development of SiBEAM’s WirelessHD semiconductor products, which include SiBeam chipsets with OmniLink60 technology that operates in the 60GHz band and represent the world’s first to be developed and produced in CMOS, according to the company.

 

“SiBEAM is leading the charge in utilizing millimeter wave technology to drive innovation in the consumer electronics industry,” said John LeMoncheck, president and CEO of SiBEAM. “Panasonic and Samsung’s (News - Alert) investments signal their commitment to SiBEAM’s solutions, designed for wireless high definition content transfer.

 

Although the companies have not disclosed the amount of the investment, the New York Times today cited sources close to the deal as estimating approximately a combined $40 million.

 

The move is significant for the LCD and plasma manufacturers because SiBEAM was the first to market with the WirelessHD technology and designed for the streaming uncompressed and lossless high definition video, audio and data. The Sunnyvale, California-base company is also a founding member of the WirelessHD Consortium that includes several leading consumer electronics manufacturers, including both Panasonic and Samsung.

 

LeMoncheck said the support “will serve to further energize our product lines and will have a profound impact on our consumer electronics business.”

 

Panasonic has worked closely with SiBEAM since 2006 to promote WirelessHD technology, according to Brad McManus, director of Panasonic Venture Group. “We exhibited a new audio visual lifestyle that WirelessHD enables at CES (News - Alert) earlier this year, and we anticipate bringing such products to market next year."

 

SiBEAM’s semiconductor systems are the only option for uncompressed, lossless high definition audio, video, and data at 4Gbps, end-to-end. These chipsets are designed for consumer electronics manufacturers, PC manufacturers, network infrastructure providers and others to incorporate into their next generation product lines for wireless communications.

“Samsung’s vision is to enable the ‘seamless experience’ to consumers by allowing them to enjoy the digital devices in their homes without having to deal with the complexity of wired connections. SiBEAM’s technology will be instrumental in accelerating our realization of this goal,” said Michael Jeon, Investment Manager of Samsung Ventures. “Samsung is excited to support a technology that complements our efforts in developing state-of-the art wireless home entertainment products.”