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Wireless wonders allow transfer of movies between computers, TV

By Doug Bedell
The Dallas Morning News

EZ-Stream Universal Wireless Multimedia Receiver

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For many, the act of moving camcorder video from computer to the home-entertainment center is still handled by "sneakernet." Users simply dump edited projects onto a CD or DVD, then walk to the den with the disc.

But electronics makers want to change that, causing a battle among products bridging the computer-to-television chasm.

The struggles have accelerated with the development of Wireless-G, or the 802.11g Wi-Fi standard.

For many, the act of moving camcorder video from computer to the home-entertainment center is still handled by "sneakernet." Users simply dump edited projects onto a CD or DVD, then walk to the den with the disc.

But electronics makers want to change that, causing a battle among products bridging the computer-to-television chasm.

The struggles have accelerated with the development of Wireless-G, or the 802.11g Wi-Fi standard.

Bridging the gap A new wave of televisions, stereo equipment and adapters takes advantage of emerging Wireless-G technology, enabling users to transfer movies and videos between their computers and home entertainment centers. Televisions Sharp Wireless Aquos LC-15L1U ($1,800), a battery-powered 15-inch screen with a built-in Wi-Fi card. Two slots handle 802.11g cards and minihard-drive recorders that store and play back files. Sony Location-Free TV, (price not announced), a 12-inch portable television available later this year which will receive radio transmissions in three versions of Wi-Fi — 802.11a, b and g. Philips Streamium ($2,699), 23-inch high-definition LCD set with 802.11 Wi-Fi card. Available later this year. Entertainment centers You'll need a DVD player that can work with your components, moving streams of video stored on your computer network. This is a growing field with lots of choices in the $150-to-$250 range. Gateway and Go-Video are among a handful of companies building Wireless-G connections into DVD players. Media adapters D-Link DSM-320 Wireless Media Player, a flat, metal box with remote control that allows you to select PC music and video files to play, using an on-screen television menu. EZ-Stream Universal Wireless Multimedia Receiver, (pictured), uses 802.11a, b or g networks, but unlike the D-Link, you can't manipulate the format of video coming in from the PC. Prismiq MediaPlayer/Recorder ($250) Adds TiVo-like abilities by storing television programs on your PC's hard drive or letting you move them to disc with a remote DVD burner.

The earlier Wi-Fi standard, or 802.11b, was designed to stream computer data, not bulky, complicated video signals.

Wireless-G is theoretically more adept at moving DVD-quality video across the home at moderate distances. That's the reason Wireless-G radios are being built into DVD players, TVs and a set of products loosely known as "media adapters."

The first wave of Wireless-G equipment had problems. Early chipsets sometimes had a hard time handling the heavy video flow, dropping bits and pieces and producing sputtering images.

"It's a young technology, and it was made for data, too," said Lori McBride Travers, vice president of DigitalDeck, maker of software for home video networks. "It just didn't give priority to certain packets (of streaming data), and with video you really need that."

But Travers and other industry insiders say Wireless-G equipment is improving.

"It opens up a whole new world of options," said Joe Preza, technical marketing manager for D-Link, a home-networking equipment leader.

Ultimately, the Internet-connected home computer may become the gateway for movie downloads and other entertainment. Currently, 17 percent of U.S. households with a PC also have a network, and about 40 percent of those are wireless, according to IDC, the market research company. About 29 percent of households will be networked by 2006, IDC projects, and wireless should dominate.

Television makers are the latest to join the trend. Sharp, Philips and Sony are producing portable TVs that hook into home wireless networks to receive home movies and slide shows of digital images. Most are LCD sets from 12 to 23 inches.

First out was the Sharp Wireless Aquos LC-15L1U ($1,800), a battery-powered 15-inch screen with a built-in Wi-Fi card. Sharp recently expanded its Open Aquos line to include models with two PC card slots. The slots handle 802.11g cards and minihard-drive recorders that store and play back files.

Sony is readying its 12-inch Location-Free TV, which will receive radio transmissions in three popular flavors of Wi-Fi — 802.11a, b and g. And Philips has developed a Streamium 23-inch high-definition LCD set with Wireless-G on board.

For the household entertainment center, you need equipment that can work with your components, orchestrating streams of video stored on the computer network. This is a growing field with lots of choices in the $150 to $250 range.

First, there's the networked DVD player. Gateway and Go-Video are among a handful of companies building Wireless-G connections into DVD players.

Setting up these machines can be confusing and may require adjusting your PC firewall, but the concept makes sense.

	Sharp Wireless Aquos LC-15L1U is a battery-powered 15-inch screen with a built-in Wi-Fi card. Two slots handle 802.11g cards and minihard-drive recorders that store and play back files.

Then there are the media adapters. These devices are designed to fit into the entertainment center. Some, such as the D-Link DSM-320 Wireless Media Player, are flat, metal boxes with remote controls. Once configured to join the household's Wireless-G network, they allow you to select PC music and video files to play, using an on-screen television menu.

The company is also coming out with models that include flash memory readers.

"Many people with digital cameras just want to view their pictures right away on the television, so that's a great convenience," said Preza.

	Prismiq MediaPlayer/Recorder adds TiVo-like abilities by storing television programs on your PC's hard drive or letting you move them to disc with a remote DVD burner.

The EZ-Stream Universal Wireless Multimedia Receiver — a slim, silver-and-blue upright unit that ties into 802.11a, b or g networks — is similar. But unlike the D-Link, the EZ-Stream does not come with optical audio outputs, and you can't manipulate the format of video coming in from the PC.

Prismiq goes further with its $250 MediaPlayer/Recorder, adding TiVo-like abilities by storing programming on your PC's hard drive or letting you move it to disc with a remote DVD burner. With a $50 optional keyboard, the Internet is accessible on the television with basic Web browsing and America Online instant messaging.

Finally, Netgear and Linksys are producing "media routers" that don't connect to a standard computer. Rather, they plug into external, portable USB 2.0 hard drives and send content over the Wireless-G network or via the Web. Together, the drive and router form a specialized unit that behaves like a PC.

The idea is that you can load all entertainment files into cheap, sub-$100 hard disks and save space on the home PC. The Netgear Super Wireless Media Router ($119) uses a supercharged version of Wireless-G that can push video and audio around the house at double the usual 54 megabits per second.

"As people start to really use digital video, they're going to need more capacity," said David James, Netgear product line manager. "I recently met a guy who had actually ripped 7 terabytes of video onto his hard drive. While that's obviously extreme, it does point up the need for hard-drive space as we all get more involved."

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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