Sharp ready to roll out wireless HDTVs

There was a time, somewhere back in the Dark Ages before cable and satellite, when the television set needed only to have a single connection--plug it into the wall outlet, and it was good to go. That day may finally have returned for Sharp's newest line of ultra-thin LCDs with the help of Amimon, an Israeli company that developed its first chips for wireless HDMI connections last summer.

The technology--known as WHDI, for "Wireless High Definition Interface"--can send 1080p signals up to 100 feet and "through four or five walls," according to Dvice, which witnessed the the system in action and found the quality to be excellent. Amimon's technology will debut in Sharp's X-Series HDTVs in Japan, with screens of 37, 42, and 46 inches, which will eventually make their way to the U.S. market.

The wireless TVs do, however, have a couple of drawbacks: One is an additional $800 cost; the other is that they still require a separate box to house all the necessary gear. (It probably can't be accurately called a "set-top" box anymore, lest it teeter on the top edge of the screen.) Still, if you have issues with exposed wires, this could go a long way toward keeping OCD symptoms under control.