"If the control is changed to the same format as Bluetooth, it would be the upper version of the current Bluetooth spec," said Iwao Sugaya, department general manager of Sharp's first engineering department. "We want to propose it for the upper version of Bluetooth. Then, Bluetooth can send video data," he said.

The new Sharp camcorder, dubbed VL-MR1, is equipped with what Sharp is calling several industry firsts: a 22x optical zoom lens with synchronizing zoom microphone; a 680,000-pixel progressive charge-coupled-device (CCD) sensor to capture images at 60 frames per second; and a D-2 (RGB) terminal for the progressive output.

But the optional wireless AV remote controller is its biggest new feature. "It should be the first use of 2.4-GHz band spread-spectrum wireless communication for audio/video applications," said Akihiko Kumagai, group senior executive director of Sharp. "We propose a brand new camera shooting style."

The optional VR-SS1 AV wireless control unit comes in two parts: a transmitter that consists of a communication controller and 2.4-GHz spread-spectrum unit; and a receiver that consists of the spread-spectrum unit, the communication controller, an MPEG-2 decoder and a CPU.

The transmitter snaps into the camera in place of the LCD monitor. The monitor lifts out of the camera and unites with the receiver to form a remote controller with LCD monitor.

Video images shot by the camera are compressed into an MPEG-2 signal and sent out through the transmitter to the wireless remote controller at 6 Mbits/s on average, the company said. A user can control the camera remotely up to a distance of 20 meters while monitoring what is being shot.

"We want to offer this wireless transmission technology in wide applications such as home LAN. Combined with Viewcam camcorder, its function is . . . quite easy to understand," said Shuji Kozai, division general manager of Sharp's recording-systems division.

Sharp, which is a member of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group but not of the standard-driving "Promoters" group, developed a spread-spectrum module to realize this function. It uses four chips for the RF section and one chip for the baseband section.

Sharp's proprietary approach comes as Bluetooth backers scramble to finish final test specifications of the year-old version 1.0; the work is expected to be completed by year's end. The present Bluetooth data rate of 1 Mbit/s is not fast enough to send video data, so manufacturers are waiting for the next version.

Meanwhile, other groups are vying to dominate what is expected to be a lucrative home market for wireless data transmission: HomeRF (1.6 Mbits/s) and 802.11b (up to 11 Mbits/s). Bluetooth's data rates travel up to 10 meters, while HomeRF and 802.11 support transmission over considerably longer distances, albeit at a cost of additional power and die size. Some developers believe Bluetooth and 802.11 may wind up splitting the market for wireless LANs, though the two methods face certain interoperability issues.

Amid the market wrangling, Sharp is trying to leapfrog competitors. Its 2.4-GHz transmitter unit resembles Bluetooth except for output power and control, Sharp executives said. The unit dissipates 400 mA when it transmits and 250 mA when it receives, more than 10 times higher than the current Bluetooth spec. Using the same spread-spectrum method, Sharp's transmitter employs a direct-spectrum approach while Bluetooth uses a frequency-hopping scheme.

To achieve the 10-Mbit/s data rate, Sharp developed a proprietary "delayed-multiplex" method, but has not disclosed details of this technology as yet.

"Spread-spectrum wireless technology has been in existence for a long time — longer than Bluetooth — and has matured technically," said a Sharp spokesman. "We'll have a considerable chance to penetrate the market with this device before a high-bandwidth Bluetooth appears."

Sharp plans to offer the device on the merchant market in the near future and to launch the video camera and remote-control unit overseas in early fall. At present, the remote-control unit carries a price tag of about $950. "It is expensive now, but we are optimistic about lowering the cost," said Sugaya.