Wi-Fi Alliance Introduces Wi-Fi Certified Miracast Program

The Wi-Fi Alliance has launched its Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Miracast certification program. The industry trade group says that Miracast devices provide simplified discovery and setup steps to allow users to quickly transmit video content from one device to another. Industry analysts predict annual shipments of Miracast-certified devices to exceed one billion units within the next four years.

According to the Wi-Fi Alliance, Miracast users can do things like view pictures from a smartphone on a big-screen television, share a laptop screen with the conference room projector in real-time, and watch live programs from a cable box on a tablet. Miracast connections are formed using Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Wi-Fi Direct, so access to a Wi-Fi network is not needed; the only necessity is Miracast-certified devices.

"Wi-Fi users around the world want to experience multimedia on the device of their choice - no matter what brand - and Miracast is the breakthrough they have been waiting for," asserts Edgar Figueroa, CEO of Wi-Fi Alliance. "We have been delighted with the level of enthusiasm and support among our member companies for this new offering."

Miracast supports protected content streaming, enabling devices to stream feature films and other copy-protected materials. To protect premium content, Miracast uses a wireless adaptation of the trusted content protection mechanisms widely used today for cabled interfaces like HDMI and DisplayPort. In addition, the latest WPA2 security protections are automatically enabled on every device, making the transport of all multimedia content private.

The technology underlying Miracast was developed in Wi-Fi Alliance by a diverse group of mobile and consumer electronics manufacturers, and silicon vendors to standardize methods for simplified video sharing. Based on the Wi-Fi Alliance Display Specification, products bearing the Miracast brand interoperate across vendors, making it easy to enjoy video on screens throughout the home or office.

The first products to be designated Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Miracast, and which form the test suite for the certification program include:

• Broadcom Dualband 11n WiFi
• Intel WiDi
• Marvell Avastar USB-8782 802.11n 1x1 Dual-band Reference Design
• MediaTek a/b/g/n Dualband Mobile Phone Client, MT662X_v1 and DTV Sink, MV0690
• Ralink 802.11n Wireless Adapter, RT3592
• Realtek Dual-band 2x2 RTL8192DE HM92D01 PCIe Half Mini Card and RTD1185 RealShare Smart Display Adapter

The first consumer products certified since testing opened to vendors include the LG Optimus G smartphone, Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone and Samsung Echo-P Series TV. "As a leader in N-screen technology, Samsung has introduced AllShare Cast [based on Miracast], which is incorporated into most of Samsung's high-end smart mobile devices including the GALAXY S III, GALAXY Note 10.1, and GALAXY Note II, " notes Hankil Yoon, senior vice president of product strategy team, Samsung's mobile communication business. "We will continue to support the program, and plan to offer more Miracast-certified devices to our customers going forward."