WHDI Reviews – Wireless HDTV News

The Philips SWW1800/27 Wireless HDTV Link is a wireless HD video streaming kit that comes in the usual transmitter-receiver pair. It is yet another solution for making your HD a/v set up wireless but it sets itself apart from the rest of the crowd thanks to its surprisingly long range and reception quality. With good image quality and quick response time, it is one of the best solutions of its kind in the market right now.

The SWW1800/27 from Philips has one major advantage over every other transceiver that we have covered so far — long range. The product specification proclaims a range of up to 75 feet and real life reviews show that it is indeed close to that. However, it seems to have some trouble penetrating walls sometimes, so be wary. In-room installations should not be a problem at all though, there’s no line of sight necessary for it to work.

There are 4 inputs in toto — 2xHDMI + 2xComponent video. One good thing about it is that it comes with an HDMI cable so that you can connect the receiver to your HDTV right out the box. There are even two sided sticking pads for hiding the receiver behind your HDTV. Messy option but it makes the package more complete.

Performance seems to be good in most cases but there have been reports of it lagging for certain videos without any visible reason. It seems to have complications when it thinks that a certain inout is non-HD, creating problems.

Connection is a breeze because there is no set up necessary. However, it is strictly a receiver and does not pass along commands to your devices. So you have an extra remote to deal with. Also, the receiver has only one HDMI out and no component out for older HDTV’s.

Over all, the Philips SWW1800/27 Wireless HDTV Link is an elegant and effective solution but it comes with a hefty price tag of $690. However, it might be a worthy purchase for those who have elaborate a/v setups and need to clear the wire clutter.