Hasta La Gadget!

If you’re looking for a way to get the content from your notebook or desktop computer to your big screen in the living room without having to use wires, Actiontec has a new product offering that will do the trick. The device is called the ScreenBeam Wi-Fi Certified Miracast HD kit for wireless display. The kit is designed to mirror content on your computer, tablet, or smartphone displays to a big-screen TV in the living room.

The technology is available as a standalone wireless display adapter and as a kit. The standalone wireless display adapter is called ScreenBeam and is compatible with a broad range of Miracast-certified sources such as laptops, smartphones, tablets, and other devices running WiDi 3.5 or higher. The kit includes wireless display software and a USB transmitter for Windows 7 and 8 PCs that lack native WiDi support.

ScreenBeam is the only wireless display solution that supports all Miracast-enabled devices. The product is also Wi-Fi certified and Miracast certified. The system supports up to 1080p HD resolution video and audio. The wireless solution has a 50-foot range with no line of sight required.

ScreenBeam has its own dedicated wireless connection and does not require a home network connection to work. Using the system you can shoot streaming video from your notebook from sources such as Netflix to the big-screen TV in the living room, even if you’re desktop computer isn’t in the same room. The system also supports photos as well. Pricing on the ScreenBeam system is unknown at this time.

Actiontec ScreenBeam Wi-Fi certified Miracast HD kit debuts is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

As LG continues its slew of CES 2013 pre-announcements, the latest is a new display technology it’s bringing to the projection arena, an ultra short throw laser projector. Capable of creating a 100-inch screen from just 22 inches (56cm) away, the “Hecto” Laser TV a 1080p shooter that can change the way owners design their home theater. If you’d like to use it as an all-in-one home theater to go (the screen is included, picture after the break), it also has a digital tuner and 10w speakers built-in, with three HDMI inputs, an RS-232 port and Smart TV capabilities controlled by LG’s Magic Remote. As you can see above, it follows LG’s “Dynamic Arc Design” with a max height of just 5.7-inches. It carries a 1,000,000 to 1 contrast ratio with WiDi and Miracast compatibility and LG claims the laser system will run for up to 25,000 hours without replacement. There’s no word on pricing or release date, although it likely won’t be value priced. We expect to get a few more details when we see it in Las Vegas, check the press release after the break for all the information currently available.

Continue reading LG ‘Hecto’ laser TV projector to debut at CES 2013, promises a 100-inch screen from 22-inches away

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The Apple TV may not be officially available in China, but there are already plenty of cheap Android TV dongles and set-top boxes over there to keep the folks occupied. That said, many of them don’t offer a satisfying multimedia experience, so even for a latecomer like Xiaomi, there’s still space for competition. Having just launched the much anticipated Xiaomi Phone 2, the Chinese startup recently announced that it had acquired digital content provider Duokan for some time, and the first fruit is this conveniently named Xiaomi Box. Even with the bundled one-meter HDMI cable, the pebble’s priced at a competitive ¥399 (about $64) and we’ve been told it’ll be available in mid-December. Better yet, it claims to be compatible with AirPlay right out of the box! Read on to see if that’s the case with our pre-production unit.

Continue reading Xiaomi Box taps the Chinese smart TV market on the cheap, flirts with AirPlay (hands-on)

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Xiaomi Box taps the Chinese smart TV market on the cheap, flirts with AirPlay (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Nov 2012 14:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As Android 4.2 Jelly Bean+ appears on the Samsung Nexus 10 tablet and the LG Nexus 4, so too does wireless mirroring to device compliant with Miracast – a standard wireless technology that’s not quite hit the market yet. Of course there are some devices that have been revealed already, but it’s important that you understand that if you’ve got a Nexus device – or just want to use Miracast for all your wireless needs – that you don’t just go buying anything with the word “Miracast” attached to it. We’re still in the wild west, as it were.

This is essentially a PSA here – don’t trust everyone at the moment when it comes to the word Miracast being tossed around. Some devices have been released pre-compliant, that meaning they’re able to see one another to a degree, but wont be able to connect without a hitch. Instead what you should be checking is – SlashGear, of course – but also the Wi-Fi Alliance‘s listing of all devices they have certified Miracast compliant.

NOTE: We’ve gone through this information in a slightly different manner previously in a post entitled How does Android 4.2 Jelly Bean wireless display mirroring work?

This list is extremely short at the moment and is limited to an upcoming Echo-P Series Samsung TV, some components that go into TVs in the near future, and a few adapters from various companies. Keep your eyes open for an Actiontec ScreenBeam Wireless Display Adapter, LG Media Dongle, and a Sony Corporation USB Wireless Adapter Module. Each of these products will likely hit the market in 2013.

For now you are, again, in the wild west. This means that you can get products that say they’re “pre-certified Miracast” and have the technology, but are not guaranteed to work with future products. Or current products, in some cases. The two Nexus devices that were just revealed by Google work with Miracast for wireless media mirroring and both the LG Optimus G and the Samsung Galaxy S III are ready for action now as well – now we just need the other end!

Miracast accessories: don’t jump in head-first just yet is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you’re like me, the first time you heard of wireless display mirroring, your first question was – how? With Google’s new Android 4.2 Jelly Bean+ operating system update, wireless mirroring is included in the code – but how does that work without the hardware to back it up? As it turns out, this whole situation has to do with Miracast wireless display sharing – an industry standard that allows your device to connect to larger device’s displays using your wi-fi network as a middle-man.

With Miracast being an “industry standard”, you can expect many brands to pick it up soon if they don’t already have it integrated now. Miracast is a technology that’s built in to devices – it’s not a device in and of itself. Miracast certification has begun for devices of many kinds, so you can expect not just displays to have it integrated, but receivers that will plug in through your HDMI port instead – this working for legacy displays.

Manufacturer Adoption

One of the companies that has adopted Miracast as their wireless standard is NVIDIA – another is Texas Instruments. Have a peek at this hands-on video from Texas Instruments showing off Miracast working earlier this year.

Devices out Now

With devices like the Netgear Push2TV PTV3000 you’ll be able to plug directly into whatever giant monitor you’ve got right now just so long as it’s got an HDMI port – it connects to wi-fi on its own. A lovely Broadcom 5G Wi-fi chip was introduced all the way back in July of 2012 that set up for the wireless display future – that future being now, of course. The Nexus 10 (by Samsung) and the Nexus 4 (by LG) will both be released with Android 4.2 which will have Miracast capabilities built-in.

The Future

The future can actually be yours right this second if you have a way of getting ahold of a device with Android 4.2 on it – if it’s an official working build, of course – as well as a Miracast-capable display. They do exist on the market today and they’re in stores right this second. In the very near future – and throughout 2013 and forward, we must expect, Miracast will be adopted by many, many television sets as well as displays of all kinds. More wireless dongles will be created, and Android devices from all manner of manufacturers will be able to make use of this technology.

LG has dedicated themselves to Miracast for the future – that’s one brand guaranteed to have the technology in essentially all their sets throughout 2013. With the folks at the Wi-Fi Alliance backing this certification for the whole industry, we’ll see many more groups jump onboard soon. Doubly so now that Android is bringing support from the other end of the living room. Exciting times are ahead – no more getting up from the couch to plug your smartphone in to the HDMI cord for you!

How does Android 4.2 Jelly Bean wireless display mirroring work? is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.