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Belkin FlyWire Front View  (Source: Belkin)

Belkin FlyWire Back View  (Source: Belkin)
Belkin's FlyWire will retail for right under $1000

Belkin yesterday announced the FlyWire HD device that does two things for the home theater user. First it allows for three HDMI sources to connect to the TV via one HDMI port on the TV, projector, or other display device. The other thing the FlyWire does is allow for custom-looking installs without having wires run from the TV to the components.

Belkin says that its FlyWire device operates in the open 5GHz band and manages its own wireless connection. It is capable of adjusting both the frequency and power to avoid interference on the available bandwidth and to overcome interference and impedance that might affect image quality.

Belkin says that thanks to this management technology that users can stream video games wirelessly to a TV without any lag being introduced due to wireless streaming. The FlyWire will be introduced in two models: the FlyWire and the FlyWire R1. The normal FlyWire will be available in October and the FlyWire R1 will be available in Q1 2009.

The FlyWire will retail for $999.99 and offers range suitable for operating in the entire home through walls and windows. The device has an IR backchannel to allow the control of AV devices hidden inside closets or other areas. An included remote allows for control of inputs and components. Those preferring their own remotes can use the IR receiver and IR blaster.

The FlyWire R1 is an in-room solution that includes a remote for switching inputs and automatic frequency hopping. Both versions of the FlyWire require the use of a FlyWire receiver that connects to the TV. The devices can support resolutions on 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 576p, 576i, 480p, and 480i. In addition to the three HDMI inputs and one HDMI output, the devices also have two component and one composite or S-Video input.

The FlyWire is significantly more expensive than systems like the Philips Wireless HDMI, but the FlyWire offers a wealth of features not seen on the Philips system.

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Let me get this straight
By nvalhalla on 7/11/2008 12:51:24 PM , Rating: 2
I have to hook a wireless receiver up to my TV? That device will need power too, yes? So it adds a cable... How large is this receiver I wonder? How is this better than an HDMI switch, which would still leave 1 cable going to my TV and costs a fraction of the price? I have to say, I am completely unimpressed. The only thing I see this doing is streaming to multiple TVs, but I have to wonder how well that really works.




RE: Let me get this straight
By kattanna on 7/11/2008 1:58:34 PM , Rating: 3
http://www.belkin.com/pressroom/releases/uploads/a...

theres a pic showing the size of the receiver unit


RE: Let me get this straight
By MrPoletski on 7/11/08, Rating: -1
RE: Let me get this straight
By Denigrate on 7/11/2008 2:45:35 PM , Rating: 2
Apparently, everyone except for you.


RE: Let me get this straight
By MrBlastman on 7/11/2008 4:13:32 PM , Rating: 2
I think the better question would be - who puts an expensive HD TV on an open-air patio?

Peppers on a grill though - mmm


RE: Let me get this straight
By kattanna on 7/11/2008 4:42:37 PM , Rating: 3
more importantly...

you have a group of guys hanging around watching TV and BBQing, but not one single beer is to be seen..ice tea, soda and water???

yeah.. i believe that


RE: Let me get this straight
By 16nm on 7/11/2008 10:52:30 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
who cooks PEPPERS on a barbeque?!?
Hopefully, no one. That's not a barbeque in the pic. That's a grill. Grilled bellpeppers are yummy! The heat caramelizes the sugars in the vegetable. Grilled onions also should not be missed. Mmm, grilled legumes. :)


RE: Let me get this straight
By iamezza7 on 7/13/2008 5:12:23 AM , Rating: 3
So Belkin are basically making this product for gay men?


RE: Let me get this straight
By Bremen7000 on 7/11/2008 2:01:06 PM , Rating: 2
I believe the point is that you only need to hook up the FlyWire Receiver up to the TV, and then you can "hide" the FlyWire and all the sources in a cabinet on the other side of the room or in a closet without having to run wires. Someone can correct this description if I'm wrong. If I'm right, it's obviously not targeting people that put all their devices under their TV and already have all the wiring they need.


RE: Let me get this straight
By joex444 on 7/12/2008 1:56:52 AM , Rating: 1
I think the majority of users who can actually find this device useful will have a seperate place for all their AV equipment. For example, I happen to have a closet dedicated to router equipment and I have the wireless AP, and gigabit switch (2 different subnets) in there, as well as all my spare PC parts. I could just as easily add in a shelf and put in a DVD player, cable box, and run something like this in there, then stream out to the TV, which happens to be wall-mounted.

To make real use of this, though, when someone wall-mounts their TV, they need to first put in a gang box with 2 recessed outlets. This will clearly hide the power cable for both the Belkin device and the HDTV. The next step is simply getting a really small HDMI cable to go from the Belkin to the TV. As that picture shows, one way is to physically put the Belkin on your TV, presumable with velcro. Another option would be to put a shelf behind the TV, and I wouldn't think that's too much trouble given the price range and type of people we're talking about here.

Now, the real trouble (with a fairly simple solution): How do you get the audio to your external home theater? Well, this actually is easy, your HDTV with HDMI will also have a coaxial digital audio output. Simply put in another gang box with a coax jack, and run the coax wire behind your wall (or through your ceiling) out to your closet with the A/V stuff. You could presumably have simply connected all your equipment to the external receiver in your closet, but then you'd need to change inputs on your receiver when you change inputs on the Belkin. Running a coax from your TV to the closet would make it easier to operate, and, again, most people interested in this right now would not find that much of an issue. Heck, I ran my audio connections through the wall and ceiling, and that's just for the bedroom.


What's a Monster to do?
By therealnickdanger on 7/11/2008 12:37:57 PM , Rating: 2
Granted, there will be room for cables for many years to come, so I don't think KOSO (king of snake oil) has anything to worry about, but we are quickly approaching wireless HDMI, wireless USB, etc. If all your A/V gear can communicate without cords and not sacrifice quality, the cable manufacturers are going to get pwnd.

(I realize that this device is not a true wireless system.)




RE: What's a Monster to do?
By DASQ on 7/11/2008 12:59:10 PM , Rating: 2
The wireless option will still be more expensive than cabling for awhile. And cables will always have the advantage of 'always on', where wireless signals must deal with interference, crowding, etc. etc.


RE: What's a Monster to do?
By therealnickdanger on 7/11/2008 1:41:22 PM , Rating: 2
"They" said the same thing about wireless networking...


RE: What's a Monster to do?
By xRyanCat on 7/12/2008 1:13:18 PM , Rating: 2
Wireless networking's biggest benefit is it's mobility. With wireless networking you can walk into a room and automatically have internet, or walk around your house and stream live video while you're moving around. But with HD sources it would require an HD TV, which are normally too bulky and cumbersome to move around.

The two technologies while similar have very different goals.


RE: What's a Monster to do?
By Mojo the Monkey on 7/11/2008 1:57:05 PM , Rating: 3
Yeah - as long as its more expensive to get this wireless cable option than it is to actually hire a professional to come punch holes in the wall and run cable (never mind the DIY savings), this product will have a VERY limited target demographic.

Is this really what we waited so long for? I feel like this kind of tech should have come along years ago and started at a fraction of this cost. And I only half-count the slingbox direct-link solutions with proprietary video encoding/compression.


RE: What's a Monster to do?
By Nik00117 on 7/11/2008 3:39:28 PM , Rating: 2
Someone like my boss would get this, he has money to toss around and 1000 bucks to him is one days work. But I don't suspect those things will be sellng like hot cakes.


Why only 3 HDMI inputs?
By Indianapolis on 7/11/2008 12:43:43 PM , Rating: 1
I'm always surprised to see pricey receivers/switches with only three HDMI inputs. Many of the people who buy these types of gadgets will often have a need to hook up more than three devices through HDMI. People such as myself will have a cable/satellite DVR, a DVD player/Blu Ray player, and one or two video game systems, not to mention a computer.

Sure, some of these devices can be hooked up via analog, but then you run into issues with needless analog-digital conversions and HDCP and lack of upconversion on standard DVDs. With many TVs having 3 HDMI ports standard, it seems strange that receivers would not exceed that number, and I would personally never spend much money on a device with less than 4 or 5 inputs.

Would it really add much to the $1000 price to add one or two more HDMI ports?




RE: Why only 3 HDMI inputs?
By hellokeith on 7/11/2008 3:03:32 PM , Rating: 2
For the person who has 4 or more HDMI devices, they probably have quite a large home theater system and surround sound. Unlikely a unit like this would ever be sufficient for that large of a system regardless of how many HDMI ports it has.

Now you could hide all your devices AND your home theater receiver in a closet, and then connect the ht receiver to this unit. But still, with a ton of devices, remote control is going to become a problem no matter how advanced (including using RF) of a remote control and blaster setup you have.

This unit is more geared towards a slimmed-down tv-with-speakers setup than anything else.


RE: Why only 3 HDMI inputs?
By omnicronx on 7/11/2008 8:05:57 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
With many TVs having 3 HDMI ports standard, it seems strange that receivers would not exceed that number
It was not until last year that hdmi chip to support 3 hdmi inputs. You forget that with an all digital system, that there is a limitation in how many hdmi ports you can have, without elevating the price, and making your system that much more complicated. I would imagine it will also take time for parts rated for consumer use to trickle down, I can't say I have seen any receiver, tv or pretty much any consumer product that has more than 4 HDMI ports.


This product would be more interesting if...
By Frazzle on 7/11/2008 3:13:35 PM , Rating: 2
you could use multiple receivers with a single transmitter so you could connect 2 or more HDTVs to the same components.