WHDI Reviews – Wireless HDTV News

As the release date of the “new iPhone” is getting closer, people are getting curious about latest technological marvel from the Apple stable. According to rumors, the latest iteration to the iPhone series is said to have an eight pin connector and a MagSafe like design. There have been many reports about the small size of the connector but very few have been able to explain its working. Reports also reveal that this reduction in the size of the connector is being done to accommodate the audio jack.

The current iPhones available in the market sport a 30 pin socket and looks pretty dumpy on the device. The new version of the iPhone looks to bring down the dimensions as well as the weight of the smartphone. In this process, the company might look to bring down the connector’s size close to that of a microUSB port. It has also been reported that the connector might work as a MagSafe connector.

For those who are not familiar with a MacBook might not be aware of a MagSafe port. Basically, an Apple MacBook’s power cable is known as a MagSafe port. This uses magnets to keep the cable attached which can be plugged in either right way up or upside down without facing any problems. This rules chances of any damage to your device or cable in case you accidentally pull the thing out. iLounge suggests that Apple Inc. might incorporate the flip over friendly design instead of the magnetism in its latest iPhones and other products.

Apparently, it has been said that this rumor has come from an iPhone accessory manufacturer. Apple’s decision of discontinuing with the 30 pin connector would mean that you will not be able to use other non-iPhone specific cables with the latest devices.

Nexus Q is a latest media player or entertainment device in Google Gadget’s Nexus family. Android 4.0 Operating System along with Ice Cream Sandwich, is used in this Nexus device. The media player was introduced by Google on 27^th of June this year in the market. It was also announced that Google would launch Nexus in United States at the price of $299. According to some sources, it is found that Google is postponing the launch of this Nexus media player. The media player is considered as the first self-designed and marketed Nexus entertaining device.

The decision shows the strain on Google’s burgeoning hardware qualifications. People who had pre-ordered this Nexus device have received an email informing the immeasurable delay in launching of this device. Google has stated that they need to add some more functions in that device, as a reason for delay. Google has also offered a preview version of nexus Q for free to those appliers. Other news is that at Google’s I/O event, this device has received less elaboration because of Google-designed tablet.

Reviews were given by people present there in the event on the features and abilities comparing with other available gadgets. Most of the reviews discussed the lack of usability of the device. It is an entertaining device which is called as a first social streaming media player from Google. Three main devices of Google Nexus family have lots of expectations from the gadget lovers. But delay in this Nexus Q media player has made the people to think on its hardware essentials.

It is the first device that links a streaming video box to an audio amplifier. Google has attracted huge amount of people with this new media player with innovative concept. Apart from these Nexus products, Google is also trying to promote “Google Glass”. Some reviews shows that Google will begin their selling of Nexus 7 by this month. Nobody knows the release date of Nexus Q.

This September, Apple enthusiasts will be up for a surprise! Apple speeds up to launch a new product on a September 12 major event, someone who is known to the plan revealed. It is predicted that the much awaited redesigned iPhone 5 will be launched on that day.

One of the worlds’s most known and prestigious company, Apple unfolds its latest and much awaited Smartphone around the fall, allowing the new technology, to hit the stores in September, the peak time for holiday shopping. The fifth replication of the iPhone will bring a revolution in the mobile industry as people expect it to sport a much slimmer look and have a larger screen than before, along with a smaller dock connector.

However, the company completely denied commenting on it on Monday. The launch of Apple’s iPhone is one of the biggest events on Silicon Valley’s calendar and is being highly watched over by trade investors, consumers, analysts and enthusiasts. The sources on condition of not revealing their name said that the date may shift from September 12.

Just few months back, Samsung launched it Galaxy device in recent months, leading Apple in the crude battle for mobile supremacy. Both the companies hold more than half of the global Smartphone sales. It was the Technology blog iMore which first reported the launch of the new iPhone on September 12 event this Monday.

SAN FRANCISCO: A US phone and network safety provider, AuthenTec made an announcement on Friday that it has surrendered to Apple. The US Securities and Exchange Commission in regulatory filings posted on the firm’s website that Apple will buy $8 a share, delivering a 56.9 % premium as per AuthenTec closing share price on Thursday.

According to a report by technology news from AllthingsD  “Apple is paying $356 million for AuthenTec’s acquisition which is its biggest deal in the recent times”. The headquarter of  AuthenTec in Florida, USA delivers a wide range of network security products to many companies like Lenovo, Motorola, Samsung, Cisco, HP and Fujitsu.

Some analysts have taken the fingerprint sensor feature used for security and authentication in the bill payment of phones of the firm to be the main reason for Apple’s purchase. While filing with the Security and Exchange Commission, AuthenTec said it has reached a mutual agreement with its buyer, Apple to share between them some confidential information which may require the development of a 2D fingerprint sensor apt for use in an Apple product. Apple would take the advantage of this acquisition to show its high knowledge in the tough competition in the mobile payment market.

In the agreement, Apple is ready to pay $20 million to buy comprehensive licenses and few rights of the firm’s technology and copy right. In the agreement, Apple has also the option to license tech and copy rights from the firm on a continuous and comprehensive base up to $115 million.

As quoted by AuthenTec, “the deal is subjected to the rules and regulation approval and other conditions and is expected to end in the 9^th month of 2012.

Philips SWW1890/27 Wireless HD Net Connect

The Philips SWW1890/27 Wireless HD Net Connect is a computer to Wireless HD wireless transmission kit. It includes a HDMI dongle that is plugged in to your laptop/desktop’s HDMI port and a receiver that has a HDMI output to which you can connect your HD TV or projector. Setup is completely painless for this kit. It is truly plug and play. Just plug the transmitter dongle and connect the display to the receiver and you are done.

However, both units need a constant power supply. The receiver comes with its own power adapter for this purpose. The dongle however needs to pull it from the computer’s hub. For this, you will need to plug an extra cable from the dongle in to one of your USB ports. So even though it is a completely wireless set up, it blocks up one USB port. Once both are powered up and running, the pairing happens automatically and there’s no intervention necessary from the user.

Running a WHDI chip in the background, this kit from Philips transmits uncompressed HD signals over the 5GHz band. This ensures that the kit does not interfere with other wireless devices or receive interference from them. The transmitted signal is maintained at 1080p at 60GHz, giving your pristine HD quality without the hassle of wires. Since this based on WHDI, there’s no visible lag and is a good kit to be using for gaming that requires real time response from your transmitter and receiver. The best thing about this kit is that it does not require line of sight and can be placed across a distance of 23foot (6 meters) range — which is enough for you to sit on the couch with your laptop and transmit the images to the TV or projector. It is definitely designed to connect devices within the same room.

Philips SWW1890/27 Wireless HD Net Connect is designed to look very sleek. It has an over all dark finish that blends right in with the rest of your a/v equipment and sits in perfectly in most kinds living room décor. Its staid yet stylish looks are also similarly well-matched to a corporate environment. If you are presenting from an HDMI port equipped laptop to an HD projector — you can use this kit to avoid long wires in the boardroom. It is perfect for a permanent set up inside the boardroom of your company as well. Everything on your laptop will be shown at perfect 1080p HD. You can use it to either give you an extended desktop so that you can separate displays or you can mirror everything that’s happening on your screen.

Buyer reviewfor the Philips SWW1890/27 Wireless HD Net Connect in places like Amazon is quite positive. Users report enjoying the flexibility of a no line of sight setup and the great image quality that this set up provides. For the price, it provides really good performance and is very stable as well.

KanexPro WHDI30M Wireless HDMI Extender Kit for HD Home Theater

The KanexPro WHDI30M Wireless HDMI Extender Kit is a powerful wireless HD solution for your home theater setup. It has all the necessary features that make for a great Wireless HD kit. Using WHDI, the KanexPro can broadcast compatible HD signals up to a distance of 50 feet (15 meters). And within that distance it has no requirement for line of sight. It also supports a multitude of formats.

The wireless HD system comes with built in support for Dolby Digital, DTS-HD and Dolby True HD Audio. These format compatibilities highlight its position in the market as a high-end product for serious a/v enthusiasts. Its HDMI connection also supports High Speed HDMI standards, ensuring great color depth, lossless HD audio and proper lip sync.

KanexPro can transmit 1080p @60Hz signals without any compression or quality loss. This makes it great addition to those who don’t want to go through the hassle of installing wires. It give you the clean look of a professionally installed home theatre system without the problems of getting one actually installed at your home.

The KanexPro WHDI30M Wireless HDMI Extender Kit  has flat looking, non-descript black plastic bodies for both its transmitter and receiver. Both the units require a constant supply of power from the included power adapters. Both the transmitter and the receiver have single HDMI ports of respective types. Their black color and simple design ensures that they can easily be hidden from view and won’t attract much attention even if left out in the open.

Since the HDMI in and out ports on the transmitter and receiver respectively are class compliant — this kit is compatible with any HDMI capable input and out device. This means you can connect your HDTV or HD projector to your Xbox, Playstation, Blu-Ray player and more without having to worry about wires and/or compatibility.

There is practically no setup required from the users side. Once both units have been successfully connected to respective devices and powered, they will find each other automatically and start transmitting your video to its intended destination.

Even though the kit is a little on the expensive side, it has the Apogee brand to back it up. This is a high quality kit that sits apart from the other kits that have more features but lower quality. One of the best things about the kit in fact is its long range that does not need line of sight. This gives the user a certain amount of flexibility in terms of placing the transmitter and receiver.

KanexPro WHDI30M Wireless HDMI Extender Kit is clearly meant for the high-end market. User reviews are overall positive. Buyers are especially happy with the quality of video that is delivers. With no visible lag even at the highest HD resolution, it is also perfect gaming on larger screens using your console.

ASUS WiCast EW2000 Wireless HD Video Transmitter and Receiver`

The Asus WiCast EW2000 is a wireless HD transceiver that can broadcast wireless HD video signals from your laptop to TV. It comes in the usual transmitter-receiver pair and both have HDMI connections for connecting to their respective devices. Both units have a fully black finish with a glossy finished cover on top bearing the Asus branding.

Both units need a constant power supply for operating. The receiver unit that connects with the TV comes with a power adapter for this. The transmitter unit can either be powered via USB or via its own power adapter. Using USB power will ensure that you don’t have to tied down to one place but you have to sacrifice two USB ports for it. The video signal is sent VIA HDMI and it also transmits the audio. It supports the transmission of up to 8 different channels of audio to the receiving unit.

The package comes with all the necessary cables. There’s the transmitter and the receiver; a short HDMI cable for connecting your laptop/desktop to the transmitter; a long HDMI cable for connecting the receiver to the TV/Projector; a mini-USB to dual USB cable for powering the transmitter from the laptop and two power adapters. Asus also thoughtfully includes a travel pouch for carrying the Wicast EW2000 around with you.

The EW2000 is based on WHDI (1.4) technology and has a data throughput of 3Gb/s. If you can maintain a line of sight, the range will go up to 33 feet. It supports full 1080p @60Hz while still maintain 1ms latency. This latency also makes it perfect for gaming. It make it much easier to play all your computer games on a larger screen because there are no wires to run.

The Asus WiCast EW2000 operates over a 5.15 ~ 5.85GHz frequency, which allows it to avoid interference from other wireless devices in the vicinity.

Transmitting HD videos wirelessly creates no deterioration in the quality and the image quality remains the same as compared to standard HDMI wires. The best thing about the EW2000 is that since it is HDMI based, the units are truly plug n play. There’s no need to install any drives on your computer and the transmitter and receiver pair up automatically. There’s no need for any human intervention. The pairing happens very quickly so there’s no waiting period either. It supports playback from Blu-Ray players as well.

Average buyer rating for the Asus WiCast EW2000 is quite high. People find the effortless set up extremely helpful. They are also happy with the quality that this system maintains. One of the only complaints about it is that the transmitter takes up two USB ports when it is using USB power to run. The units have a good build quality and are sturdily built to last through prolonged usage.

WHDI Wireless 5GHz HDMI Extender Transmitter/Receiver Kits HD TV PC Video 1080P

This is an unbranded WHDI based Wireless 5GHz HDMI Extender Transmitter/Receiver Kit that supports a full 1080p HD resolution. Even though it is not from a specific brand, it has all the features that you can ask for in a kit like this.

It comes in two parts — the transmitter and the receiver. They are both similarly designed and have provisions to be propped up vertically. The design is flat and sleek, which makes it look quite good. All the connecting ports are along the sides of the boxes. And since the stand is rotating, you can also lay them both flat down to get a stacked set up.

The list of supported features is pretty impressive. The kit supports HD video resolutions of up to 1080p and that too at 60Hz. If you are looking to have a set up that requires the kit to transmit through walls, it will give you a range of about 10m, which is roughly 32 feet. With line of sight available, it can go up to 20m, which is about 65 feet. Given that the other products in the market feature a maximum range of 30 feet at line of sight, this kit definitely poses some advantages over the others.

Specifications and Features

• Instant Wireless HD transmission
• Transmission range up to 20m (65.6 ft) with line of sight
• Transmission range up to 10m (32.8 ft) through walls
• Video Resolutions up to 1080P @ 60Hz
• Supports HDMI 1.3 and HDCP 1.2 Protocols

Another useful feature on this Wireless 5GHz HDMI Extender Transmitter/Receiver Kit is its support for HDMI 1.3 and HDCP 1.2. HDMI 1.3 ensures that you get fully synced video and audio and there’s no lag in that regard. HDCP support ensures that you can playback HD content that is encrypted with this standard. A lot HD content now required HDCP support to prevent piracy. This becomes an issue when your wireless HD kit does not come with HDCP support.

Even though these units boast of very high-end features, they still maintain a price point of below $200. This shows in the housing, which is all-plastic and the small parts like the switches and buttons.

However, the kit does come with its own HDMI cable and two power adapters — one each for the two units. Both the transmitter and the receiver require a steady power supply during operation. Which why they need to have a permanent set up and be plugged in at all times. The receiving unit looks the same as the transmitter except that it only has one HDMI out port that is meant to go to the HDTV or projector, whichever you are using. The Transmitter has a physical switch for switching between inputs on one side and the ports are on the other side.

The units operate over a 5GHz frequency, which should be able to dodge most of the other domestic wireless networks and hence be free of interference.

Overall, this Wireless 5GHz HDMI Extender Transmitter/Receiver Kit has a good price to performance ratio. If you are not looking to own a branded piece, then this is something you can easily go for.

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.

HP Wireless TV Connect

The HP Wireless TV Connect is a wireless HD connection kit that uses Amimon’s WHDI technology to broadcast HD signals over a wireless connection. It comes in the usual transmitter & receiver pair and it is optimized for use with desktops and laptops.

The transmitter and the receiver are designed as simple black boxes with a matte finish and strategically placed heat vents. The transmitter and the receiver units both have a nicely styled vertical stands to sit on. The transmitter also comes with a hanging bracket or clip that can allows it to be clipped on the back of the lid, somewhat like how webcams can be clipped on to laptop screens.

Set up is extremely simple since the connection is over HDMI, which is a dedicated display port. It is purely plug and play without any drivers. This also means that it can work on any computer with an HDMI out regardless of the OS.

Both units require external power. The receiver unit comes it with its own power source and it needs to stay powered at all times to be operational. The transmitter draws power from a free USB port on the computer. Both require HDMI ports to connect to. HP has thoughtfully added a USB splitter cable so that the USB port used for powering the device does not become blocked altogether and can be used by other devices. However, this device will only be able to use the USB port for data transfer and not for drawing power.

The box also contains the stands, the clip, two HDMI cables, power adapter for the receiver and a USB cable.

The kit supports video resolutions of up to 1080p @60Hz. Audio support includes S/PDIF DTS HD, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby, Digital Plus, AC-3 (5.1 channel) and HCDP 1.0. It has a transmission range of up to 5 meters (about 17 feet), which is often enough for a multi-room setup. There is no requirement for line of sight, which is a problem for many other Wireless HD kits like this.

The HP Wireless TV Connect can thus transmit full HD audio and video, including surround sound for your home theatre system. The HP TV connect is good for streaming HD videos and movies from your laptop and also for sharing photos and using your HDTV or projector as an external display for more workspace. Buyers have also reported good gaming experience through the kit because of almost negligible lag.

Since the transmitter is a large box, it is better suited to permanent set ups between your desktop and HDTV even though it is encouraged for use with laptops. However, the transmitter does not need to connect to anything other than the laptop for power and input, there are no wires tying your laptop down to one spot and you can easily move around.

Buyer reviews note that the HP Wireless TV Connect also works for computers with only VGA ports through a VGA to HDMI converter but the resolution will not reach HD because of the limitations of the VGA standard. Picture quality over HDMI is quite good with vivid colors.