Nearly 80 million TVs will be Wi-Fi Direct-enabled by...

Nearly 80 million TVs will be Wi-Fi Direct-enabled by 2015, as “the main display” in most homes will be a key target for Wi-Fi Direct technology, according to In-Stat. Wi-Fi Direct -- which connects Wi-Fi devices directly for printing, sharing and display rather connecting to a router or hotspot -- will have a “marginal” effect on overall penetration of Wi-Fi, which is “already doing very well” with high penetration rates in PCs, PC peripherals, CE devices, and mobile phones, In-Stat said. Wi-Fi Direct will have the most impact in portable CE devices where Wi-Fi penetration is limited, it said. According to In-Stat, every PC, CE device and mobile phone that ships in 2014 with Wi-Fi silicon will be Direct-enabled and mobile PCs will adopt Wi-Fi Direct more quickly than other applications. Wi-Fi Direct-enabled device shipments are forecast to reach 173 million this year. Other applications for the technology include PCs and peripherals, digital cameras, camcorders, set-top boxes, digital photo frames and e-readers, it said. The Wi-Fi Alliance lists nearly 50 certified Wi-Fi Direct products from LG across various categories and 19 mobile phones, a laptop and adaptors from Samsung as Wi-Fi Direct certified. Sony is listed with two Bravia display wireless LAN products, an adapter and an internal Wi-Fi Direct card.