14 DAY TRIAL // The wireless gigabit specification allows devices to communicate, without wires, at speeds of multiple gigabits per second. It is the key to Intel's view that all cables could be a thing of the past by 2020, or even 2016 if you just look at PCs.
DisplayLink is one of the major backers of the WiGig technology specification, even though it's primarily a provider of USB graphics technology.
It didn't totally step away from its primary bread and butter though. Indeed, the company has adapted the WiGig standard for use in monitors.
Case in point, it used the opportunity provided by the latest Intel Developer Forum to show off video being streamed to two 4K monitors through a single WiGig connection.
Dual 4K monitor streaming over 60 GHz WiGig
This is, in a nutshell, what the company's demonstration consists of. If you happen to live or pass through San Francisco between September 9 and 11, you can see it for yourself at the Intel Developer Forum DisplayLink booth #750.
A 60 GHz WiGig 4K dock allows dual 4K 3098x2160 resolution displays at IDF '14 in San Francisco without compromises on image quality and latency. The video is run on a WiGig integrated notebook.
WiGig can be a great asset for laptops that don't have 4K-capable displays themselves, but do possess the graphics and CPU hardware needed to run it.
WiGig will eliminate cables by 2020
At IFA 2014, one of the things Intel said during its keynote on September 5 was that all cables would be gone in a few years.
It might take until 2020 or so for everything to really ditch them, but PCs could do it by 2016. All thanks to wireless charging technology and WiGig support.
There is no point in wired LAN connections if wireless Ethernet is actually better after all. Same for HDMI/DVI/DisplayPort cables if it's already possible to wirelessly stream 4K graphics quality.
And if the world starts integrating magnetic resonance charging stations into tables and desks, we won't need power cables either. The line between tablets and all-in-one computers is already blurry, and people have been gravitating away from desktops and towards laptops for years.
All that's left is to enable cable-free operation for desktop PCs and workstations and cable-free computing solutions like WiGig will fully take over. No wonder DisplayLink is preparing for when USB tech is no longer of primary relevance: the time is coming faster than previously thought.