Streaming HD video from your computer to your television is usually a real pain. Most computers don’t have an HDMI output port, but even if yours does you still have to string a cable from it to the TV. The folks at Diamond Multimedia, though, have come out with a device that fixes both problems: The VStream Wireless USB streaming adapter.
I tried one out, and it’s really very easy to set up: You install the software — Windows (XP, Vista, or 7) only, alas — plug the receiver into a power outlet, then into your TV with the provided HDMI cable, and plug the adapter into a USB port. The DisplayLink software makes it dead simple to stream from your desktop, making Windows treat the adapter as though it were just a regular display and a regular audio output. Information is compressed for transmission, because otherwise it would be really slow and/or jumpy, and it works very well. You can do all the standard things you can do with an extra display: extend, clone, and rotate. And of course, you can stream video and audio.
The device claims to have a range of 30 feet, which I unfortunately couldn’t test, as my laptop is a Mac and my Windows desktop machine is only about ten feet from my TV. But I can say that at that range it worked like a charm, streaming quickly and smoothly enough you wouldn’t have guessed it was a wireless connection if you didn’t know. It streams at full 1080P resolution, but (according to the documentation — my TV is 1080P) works fine with other resolutions as well.
The Diamond Multimedia VStream Wireless USB adapter retails for $129.99, but can be found for $10 less on Amazon
