ojs,
I just came across this article:
Wireless News: Take that Atheros! GlobespanVirata ups 11g to 140Mbps
The announcement said Nitro XM (Xtreme Multimedia) increases throughput rates up to 140 Mbps or 40 times faster than 802.11b products while being fully compatible with all 802.11g and 802.11a/g products.
Looks like the technology is getting closer to being able to stream DVD Video. Here is a little more about the heart of the problem for streaming: (From Tom's Networking)
Any consumer entertainment product manufacturer seriously working on wireless streaming video (and any consumer who has experienced the "freedom" of wireless networking) knows that wireless communications are by nature highly unreliable. These industry giants know they'd better have systems that can deliver acceptable pictures under very adverse signal—and therefore throughput—conditions, or the products will stay on the shelves.
The real smart ones—including Panasonic and Toshiba—are pursuing IP-over-coax systems and wired delivery systems in addition to wireless. Coax is likely to be present in any room where serious, i.e. high definition, video watching will take place, and wires will always beat wireless for reliable delivery of high-speed data. Makers of high performance streaming video products also realize that they'll probably need to move to 802.11a to get the clearer spectrum and larger number of channels needed to deliver high-definition video, or multiple lower definition streams.
The real performance issue is to maintain high (enough) data rate over the desired range. For residential applications, the problem is not so much long range, as it is a relatively "closed" environment that tends to quickly knock down signal strength, or bounce signals around like crazy, creating lots of multipath.
Take Care,
Richard