Turn your TV wireless

Posted on 10 Jan 2008 at 00:52

As we reported earlier in the week, many manufacturers are planning on releasing wireless TVs in 2008. However if you've already got a TV you're happy with, but still want to get rid of all those unsightly AV cables, then the Flywire from Belkin will interest you. Put simply it converts any HDMI equipped TV into a wireless TV.

Announced at the CES show this week, the Flywire consists of two parts. The transmitter, pictured, sits beside your AV sources - games console, DVD player, Freeview or Sky box etc. It has video inputs on the back which you connect your kit to. For HD sources there are two HDMI and two component inputs. Plus there's S-video, composite, and even SCART, for standard definition video. The only thing missing is a D-sub connector - so media center PCs without DVI outputs will need upgrading.

The second part is a compact receiver - a little smaller than most broadband routers. This sits beside, or is attached to the wall behind, your TV. It has a single HDMI output for connecting to the TV. All the video sources from the transmitter are converted to a digital signal and output through the HDMI port, however no upscaling is performed.

Belkin claim it will work at up to fifty feet, and will handle uncompressed 1080p video without a problem. Results on the show floor were impressive, with video from a Blu-ray player transmitted flawlessly. Apparently it will work even through walls, but we're sceptical of that claim until we've tested it for ourselves. It should be available around July or August, but the price is likely to be a rather steep £300.

Author: Seth Barton in Las Vegas

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