Friday, June 25, 2010
Rocketfish Wireless HD Adapter Delivers 1080p Video
Posted by Reid Kistler in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 12:30 PM
"Best Buy is now expanding beyond commodity products such as A/V cables to offer highly specialized components. The $600 Rocketfish WirelessHD Adapter (model RF-WHD100), for example, can stream an HDMI signal (with surround sound and 1080p video) across a room without wires. It's comparable to the $1,000 Gefen Wireless for HDMI UWB."
This is an odd fish, in a manner of speaking: apparently the Rocketfish RF-WHD100 is among a mere handful of wireless 1080p solutions - but faces new technology (WHDI: Wireless Home Digital Interface) that is likely to completely outperform it by year's end; it is less expensive than the current competition - but still costly enough for most potential buyers to give careful thought before purchase. Still, if your HD display is located away from the rest of your system, and you dread the thought of running wires around the room, Rocketfish has a solution for you - at least as long as the distance falls within 32-7/8 feet, with a clear line-of-sight. (That is the official specification: "32-7/8 ft." Cannot help but wonder what happens at 33 feet, or beyond?) Personally, waiting for WHDI, with its promise of a 100 foot range (and through walls!) seems attractive; but then I would also be willing to relocate gear rather than spend $600 on any in-room A/V transmission device. For those with deeper pockets, is this an appealing product? Or will you wait for WHDI?