WHDI Reviews – Wireless HDTV News

Gefen EXT-WHDMI Wireless HDMI Extender

The Gefen EXT-WHDMI Wireless HDMI Extender is your basic Wireless HD two-piece transceiver kit. It uses WHDI to send full HD video content of up to 1080p over the air. It also supports fully Dolby 5.1 surround sound, which you can hook up to your home theater sound system for the full effect.

The kit consists of the usual two pieces — transmitter and receiver. The transmitter has one antenna, two HDMI inputs, one component video in and a pair of stereo audio in out. It requires a constant 5V DC power supply to be operational. Its design is conducive to permanent set ups and not meant to be moved around.

The receiving unit has two antennas (for better reception it seems), one HDMI out and one pair of stereo audio out. It too requires a constant 5V DC power supply to remain operational. You will have to install it permanently near your display or projector.

Both units have a very good built and exude quality. The antennas and the housing — all of it stands out from the flimsy plastic wireless HD transceiver kits that are usually found on the market. Both feature metal housings with minimal controls that are situated on the front of the units.

Since you can plug in up to 3 different sources (2 HDMI + 1 Component Video), the transmitter unit has a source selecting button with labeled LED indicators to show you which source you are on at the moment.

The Gefen EXT-WHDMI Wireless HDMI Extender uses a feature called Ultra-Wideband to enable support for large amounts of the data that need to be transmitted for full HD videos. It has a range of 30 feet if you are using line of sight. The distance will have to be shortened if the signal is going through a wall to an adjacent room. However, that also means that the kit can also easily work without line of sight.

The WHDI chip shows its presence during the operation in terms of no visible lag and good picture quality. Not compatibility issues have been reported so far and it works with PS3, Xbox, general DVD and Blu-Ray players. It would also work with computers and laptops that have HDMI ouput. It also features support for HDMI 1.3 Lip Sync features and is compliant with HDCP. This means you can also transmit HD content that requires the transmission path to support content protection. This feature is often left out in wireless hd kits and hence many of them cannot transmit protected HD content.

Buyer reviews are very positive with special mention of the lag free performance and the picture quality. The only setback in the performance is that it can support only 1080i at 60Hz. For 1080p it will switch to 24Hz.

The Gefen EXT-WHDMI Wireless HDMI Extender delivers a solid performance and is very well built with streamlined features. The price higher than all competing models but the reliability and HDCP support makes up for it for the buyers.