LG Adds Intel WiDi To 2012 Cinema 3D Smart TVs

LG's 2012 Cinema 3D Smart TV line-up will be the first televisions to natively support Intel WiDi, the chip manufacturers Wireless Display streaming video standard. The deal will see LG's sets capable of displaying content streamed from Intel WiDi-compliant laptops and computers, via WiFi, without the need to plug in a separate adapter as has been the case to-date.

The number of gadgets that will be able to squirt video over to LG's new TVs via WiDi is set to increase, however. The technology is gradually showing up in smartphones, and is a natively supported feature in Qualcomm's new Snapdragon S4 chipsets, so the likelihood is that more than just laptops will be capable of pushing their content to the big screen. Being able to use a phone in that manner is arguably more useful, in fact, since you could easily set up a mini-office or gaming station without being caught up in HDMI cables.

WiDi use should also be relatively transparent to the user, with no active WiFi connection – such as to a router – being required, nor indeed an internet connection. Instead, a point-to-point connection is established with the TV itself.

The first new LG Cinema 3D Smart TV sets with integrated WiDi support will be shown at CES 2012 next month. No word on how much the new models will be, nor when they will go on sale.