Belkin halts FlyWire Wireless HDMI transmitter production
Belkin FlyWire – we hardly knew ya. Actually – we didn’t know you at all! Belkin announced late last week that given the current “state of the economy”, the “retail price of $1499 would be out of line” (ya think?). Hence, Belkin has decided to halt production of the FlyWire wireless HD transmitter. Guess we’ll just have to stick with a single HDMI wire for now (or several for some).
Monster introduces SuperThin Cable for HDMI
We all love HDMI cables (maybe not the pricing sometimes) don’t we? They reduce cable clutter by simplifying connections between two devices down to a single cable.. But come on now.. we can do better right? Well that’s what the folks at Monster are saying with the introduction of their new “Powered” SuperThin Cables for HDMI. Yes.. as you can tell, these HDMI cables are indeed significantly thinner than standard HDMI cables (they measure a mere 3.5mm in diameter).
The new SuperThin Cables for HDMI are the first products developed in collaboration with RedMere and thanks to their MagnifEye Active technology, the cables offer great performance while boosting the HD signals directly within the cable itself without the need of an external power supply. This eliminates the need for heavy-gauge copper which of course means the cables can be made thinner, lighter, and more portable.
The SuperThin Cables for HDMI will be available in 4, 8, and 16 foot versions within the Monster DigitalLife product line. Here’s the pricing:
PC Mag reviews the Gefen Wireless HDMI Extender
Just spotted a new PC Magazine review of that Gefen Wireless HDMI Extender system that began shipping last week. Unfortunately it appears the system could use a bit more tweaking.. but before I get into that, here are some interesting tidbits from the review:
OK.. so here’s the bottom line from PC Mag:
“Gefen’s Wireless HDMI Extender is the first wireless HDMI we’ve tested, but its video-compression scheme can add distracting artifacts that hurt picture quality—plus it’s pricey.”
Sony introduces swivel HDMI connectors for those tight spaces
Ever find yourself with limited space behind the HDTV set or the A/V component in your home theater? You slide that new huge receiver into the cabinet and you realize there’s JUST enough space for the receiver.. but oh crap.. you still have to connect the cables! Or.. you wall mount the flat panel and you realize..crap.. the HDMI connectors are on the rear of the panel! Yes.. a royal pain in the ass!
Well Sony is attempting to address this problem (and make a buck or two too) with the introduction of new swivel high-speed HDMI cables. These new cables feature a rotating connector at the end allowing users to swivel the connector up to 90 degrees between the cable and the connector. Yes.. great for tight space environments and something I would have loved in my own home theater setup.
The new Sony cables lock at both 90 degree and 45 degree angles – all done without compromising any signal quality on the line. Other features on the new cables include:
The new cables are available this month in both a vertical and a horizontal series – each with two lengths. The DLC-HD10H and DLC-HD10V (3ft 3in) cables cost about $50 dollars while the DLC-HD20H and DLC-HD20V (6ft 6in) cables will go for about $60.
ASUS BR-HD3 Wireless HDMI Kit @ CES 2009
One new market that ASUS appears to be diversifying into is in the area of wireless HDMI. This makes complete sense when you consider ASUS is also in the wireless networking market with several products including the RT-N17 wireless N storage router and the WL-330gE portable wireless 4 in 1 access point.
Now what we have above is the new BR-HD3 Wireless HDMI kit. The kit contains both the transmitter and receiver, supports up to 1080i video and stereo linear PCM audio. It has one HDMI 1.3a input on the transmitter and one HDMI 1.3a output on the receiver. Too bad the units lack 1080p support (as well as multi-channel audio support)
Acer’s 24 inch G24 wide-screen LCD display available in U.S.
Acer also announced that their 24 inch G24 wide-screen LCD display is now available for sale in the U.S. The G24 is designed to match the look and feel of the new Aspire Predator gaming rig with its armored, angular exterior look and feel. Features of the G24 include:
The Acer G24 has an MSRP of $399.99.
Silicon Image InstaPort Technology enables fast HDMI switching
I absolutely love the premise of HDMI. I love that a single cable carries all the information between two digital devices. It simplifies life, it simplifies the complexity behind a home entertainment system. However, if there’s one thing that I don’t love – it’s the insufferable, yet necessary, HDCP authorization process that occurs every time a device connects to an HDTV set. This process inevitably results in lag times whenever you switch between HDMI enabled inputs. How many of you suffer from this problem? I know I do with my Samsung HDTV set. Switch to a new HDMI input and I get the “searching for a signal” message for 4 to 5 seconds. Utterly annoying!
Enter Silicon Image and their InstaPort Technology. With InstaPort Technology in devices such as HDTV sets, A/V receivers, and HDMI switches, HDMI input switching delays will be a thing of the past. A typical HDTV set will initialize the HDCP authorization process only when the input is selected – resulting in that perceivable delay. An HDTV set with InstaPort Technology will perform the HDCP authorization process when the HDTV connects to the device – not when the input is selected. InstaPort allows a digital television set to “perform simultaneous background HDCP authentication with all connected source devices as soon as they are connected to the DTV”.
Folks .. I WANT this technology in my next HDMI switching component – whether it’s in my HDTV set or in my A/V receiver or in a standalone HDMI switch.
To that end, Silicon Image announced that InstaPort technology will be featured in Samsung’s next generation HDTV sets and is also under evaluation at nine of the top ten HDTV manufacturers for next year’s models. Throw this into a next generation A/V receiver and I’m so there!
Panasonic’s new Free Angle HDMI cable
Let’s face it – HDMI connections are a thing of joy. A single cable for both audio and video – what better way to connect different home theater components right? The only problem with the modern day HDMI cable is the amount of clearance you’ll need behind your component to fit the cable in. Panasonic has a solution for this problem with the introduction of the world’s first free-angle HDMI cable. The new cable is version1.3a compliant and comes in two lengths – a 1.5 meter one and a 3 foot one. The Free Angle HDMI cable has a flexibility of 180 degrees and Panasonic reduced the amount of space needed for the HDMI cable to a mere 1.2 inches. These new cables will be available in October with the 1.5 meter going for $59.99 and the 3 meter going for $79.99.
Sony’s KDL-52XBR7 LCD HDTV delivers 240Hz
Still thinking about upgrading to a 120Hz LCD HDTV set? Well it looks like you’ve got a bit more catching up to do thanks to Sony’s latest HDTV set – the KDL-52XBR7 featuring 240Hz Motionflow technology. That’s four times the frame rate found in typical LCD sets and two times the frame rates of current high end sets. Other features include Advanced Contrast Enhancer (ACE) which helps deliver a dynamic contrast ratio of 80,000:1, the BRAVIA Engine 2, compatibility with BRAVIA Link modules, Digital Media Port, and a new multi-plane 3D graphics slideshow for digital photos and music stored on USB devices. The KDL-52XBR7 comes with four 1080/60 24p HDMI ports, two 1080/60p HD component inputs, a 1080/60p capable PC input, and an Ethernet port. You can expect the Sony KDL-52XBR7 this December.
IOGEAR gives you extenders for HDMI or DVI signals
IOGEAR has announced the new HDMI CAT5e/6 MiniExtender (GVE300) and DVI CAT5e/6 MiniExtender (GVE200) allowing users to expand the distance between their HD video source(s) and their display units. Both extenders come with a local transmitter unit and a remote receiving unit which are linked together by two standard solid Category 5 twisted Ethernet cables. The HDMI extender can provide up to 100 feet of additional distance for 1080p signals and 200 feet of additional distance for 1080i signals. The DVI extender supports a 1080p signal up to 100 feet away.
Here’s a picture of the HDMI extenders:
Here are the DVI extenders:
Both extenders are available now with the HDMI extender going for $279.95 and the DVI extender going for $69.95.
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