Have you ever dreamed of enjoying true high-def video without dealing with messy connecting cables from DVD players, cable set-top boxes, and anything else that uses HDMI? Philips has introduced a new device at CES that should make that dream a reality by mid-2007.
Called Wireless HDMI, appropriately enough, it is the first device that can transfer an uncompressed high-definition signal over the air. Intended to replace conventional home theater wiring, the device can produce true 1080p HD without any cabling
And best of all, it'll work from 25 feet away--which is the limit for HDMI cabling before video and audio degradation sets in. It works with any device that would normally connect to a TV via HDMI, including DVD players and set-top boxes from cable TV companies.
Wireless HDMI works like this: Your source equipment, say a DVD player, plugs into a small transmitter. The signal is sent in the ultra wideband range and picked up by another small box, a receiver that is designed to fit behind most HDTVs, whether wall mounted or on a stand.
The Philips spokesman says that because Wireless HDMI operates in the ultra wideband range, it's not subject to interference from Wi-Fi networks, Bluetooth devices, cordless phones, microwaves, and cell phones.
The Wireless HDMI system should be available in May with a suggested retail price of $300.
For more up-to-the-minute blogs, stories, photos, and video from the nation's largest consumer electronics show, visit PC World's CES 2007 Live Coverage Infocenter.
