Peripheral and accessory maker IOGear has announced a variation of its Wireless 3D Digital Kit, now named the Wireless 3D Media Kit. The difference? In additional being able to beam 1080p video content (including 3D content) and 5.1 digital surround sound up to 100 feet through walls to reach an HDTV, the Wireless 3D Media Kit now offers an analog input, so media fans can hook up old-school peripherals (like an older game console or even—gasp!—a VCR) and push the content wirelessly throughout their home.
“The ability to place a TV anywhere within 100 feet of a source component provides great value in a home or office A/V setup,” said IOGear senior marketing manager Bill Nguyen, in a statement. “The IOGear Wireless 3D Media Kit lets you conveniently share content around the home without the unsightly wires or a visible rack of equipment, something style and space-conscious users can appreciate.”
There are two main components to the Wireless 3D Media Kit: a wireless 3D transmitter and wireless 3D receiver. The transmitter pushes video and audio content to the receiver using WHDI technology operating in the unlicensed 5 GHz band, so it should be free from interference from other wireless technologies in a typical household as well as from common electronics like microwave ovens and lighting fixtures. WHDI technology should enable video streaming up to 100 feet through “standard” walls—meaning things like plaster and sheetrock, not brick or concrete.
The transmitter features four HDMI inputs for components like Blu-ray players, media streamers, game consoles, and camcorders with HDMI capabilities, as well as a component input for video sources dating from the mean old days of analog content. There’s also a USB port for hooking up a wireless keyboard and/or mouse. Both the receiver and transmitter have an HDMI output, and there’s built-in IR so users can control video sources that might be tucked out of view.
IOGear hasn’t announced pricing for the Wireless 3D Media Kit, but says it should ship in the first quarter of 2012. IOGear’s existing Wireless 3D Digital Kit carried a suggested retail price of $379.95 when it was launched back in November.
