Wi-Fi alliance launches Miracast streaming standard

In a bid to find a standardised solution for wireless streaming over multiple devices, a lot like Apple’s AirPlay, the WiFi alliance has launched a Wi-Fi Certified Miracast Certification Program. Miracast builds up on WiFi Direct and lets two WiFi devices talk without having to route the data through the internet or connecting to a WiFi network. What’s more, since it is a certified standard, users will be able to use it across different brands and devices.

According to a press release on the WiFi Alliance’s website, “Miracast users can view pictures from a smartphone on a large screen television, share a laptop screen with the conference room projector in real-time, and watch live programs from a home cable box on a tablet.” Miracast will also be able to stream full 1080p videos and use media such as Blu-ray which is copyrighted with DRM. Miracast uses “protected content streaming” or high-bandwidth digital content protection (HDCP) 2.0/2.1. HDCP 2.x is an adaptation of trusted content protection mechanisms widely developed for wired interfaces.

There are already a few consumer products available that are certified since testing started for vendors which included the Samsung Galaxy S3 smartphone, LG Optimus G smartphone and Samsung Echo-P Series TV. All the major vendors including Qualcomm, Nvidia, and Texas Instruments are planning to support the standard and come up with more such devices. Samsung, having already been working on a similar technology called AllShare Cast is already on board the program, which means that Samsung devices are expected to fit in nicely with other brands rather than forcing a walled ecosystem down their users throat, unlike Apple which is expected to stick to AirPlay for now. While commenting on the launch of Miracast certification program, Brian O’Rourke from IHS iSuppli Research said “This is a big step forward in a market migration from single-vendor display solutions, into an offering from a wide array of vendors. With more than 1.5 billion Miracast devices expected to ship in 2016, the program is poised to have

broad adoption.”