Wireless video will be the next big thing, if IHS iSuppli's latest forecast is correct-- WW wireless-video-enabled device shipments will reach 241.1m units by 2015.
Global shipments for such devices total just 6.6m for 2010.
Why such rapid growth? Customers, of course, demanding access to the kind of HD programming they have at home anywhere, on any device. Such demand is the fuel driving further advancement in wireless video technology.
According to iSuppli, video downloads on mobile devices alone will grow by 192% over the next 4 years-- reaching 1.5Bn downloads by 2014 (from 2010's 540m). Meanwhile IPTV shipments will reach 160m units in 2014 from 2010's 26m, growth of nearly 500%.
Newer mobile phones already carry HDMI-compatible interfaces (via Silicon Image's MHL technology), and Apple's iPad2 has HDMI support and HD video output.
Parallel to these advances is the manufacturers' adopting advanced internet-ready features in blu-ray players and digital TVs.
HDMI founder Silicon Image's recent acquisition of WirelessHD standard founder SiBeam points to a future of HD connections based on the company's millimeter wave solutions-- while the Wifi and WiGig Alliances work on gigabit-per-second wifi standards.
Thus, more HD content will be reaching the small screens, driving wireless video technology adoption ever further.
Go IHS iSuppli: 241m Wireless-Video-Enabled Devices to Ship by 2015