Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Backup/Recovery
To confirm this we pulled out a newer laptop that had a 2.4GHz processor and had recently been upgraded with Windows 7. We downloaded the Windows 7 drivers from Q-Wave’s web site, and found that this faster laptop was able to transmit our HD files to the Samsung TV with better frame rates.
A solution looking for a problem?
However, when using an HDMI cable, the Windows 7 version of the software currently fixes the resolution on the external screen at 1280 x 1024. This isn’t a problem if you use the dock’s VGA connector, and Q-Waves tell us that there’s a fix for the HDMI output due very soon that will allow you to select lower resolutions, as you can with the Windows XP and Vista software.
To be fair, the 1280 x 1024 resolution worked well enough – the only problem being that this is a 4:3 aspect ratio (or 5:4 to be precise), so we had to use the Samsung TV’s own aspect ratio controls in order to stretch the image out for the widescreen display.
Verdict
From a technical point of view the Wireless USB AV Kit is really rather impressive. The question is simply whether you really need a wireless connection to a second monitor or HDTV. Home users already have numerous options for playing music and video from a PC on an HDTV – so the Wireless USB AV Kit may only attract people with a phobia about cables. However, its appeal may lie with business users, enabling them to walk into a boardroom with their laptop and have a presentation up and running on a large display in a matter of seconds. ®
More AV Kit Reviews...
Western Digital WD TV Live |
LaCie LaCinema Black MAX |
Elgato EyeTV DTT Deluxe |
SiliconDust HDHomeRun |
Q-Waves Wireless USB AV Kit
COMMENTS
Projectors?
So if I had a wall mounted projector, could I use this to link up a HDMI switch on the other side of the room that has BD player, Xbox 360 etc plugged into it?
Solution looking for a problem?
So, in a few years our laptops might all have a UWB transmitter so we can do this in conference rooms rather than plugging and unplugging VGA cables all the time. Programme the Crestron so you can select which device to bring up on the big screen, and away you go.
But in a consumer sense... there is no application. If you have to be 3m from the screen to get decent transfer rates, and you get a 1-second lag, and you lose the hardware acceleration of your dedicated graphics chipset, then it's a very silly piece of kit.
I'll stick with my HDMI wallplates thankyou very much.
FAIL
This is a bit of kit for meeting rooms, not living rooms.
As a previous commentard already said, mentioning games in the same article where you point out that the graphics hardware of your PC will be bypassed in favour of a USB device is stupid.
As for watching DVD's (or blueray), great, no cable, but also not in HD and in stereo. No thanks.
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