I’ve been using it for my laptop
There are so many niche products out there, that you can pretty much do anything you want in your home, electronics-wise, at this point. Using voice communication to turn on your lights or in this case, stream 1080p content wirelessly through HDMI, is a luxury anyone can pay for — whereas a decade ago, that would have been reserved for the elite.
As far as the latter scenario goes, I’ve been playing around with the Nyrius Aries Pro for a few months now, and I’ve been pretty happy with it.
MSRP: $249.99
Manufacturer: Nyrius
Input: HDMI/USB
The idea that is that the Nyrius Aries Pro functions as an “invisible” HDMI cable, which allows one to stream content to a device 100 feet away. Setup was extremely painless, as the hub just needs a power source via the included adapter, then a line from the included HDMI cable, and that’s really it. Once you plug the HDMI stick in, you’re good.
The instructions are even super short to boot, mostly because it’s foolproof and plug and play. If your laptop supports it you can plug the stick in directly via HDMI, but there’s also a USB adapter just in case (mine had HDMI built in).
The box leaves a really small footprint, and even though the stick…well…sticks out a little more than I’d like, it’s not something you’re going to be leaving in all the time, or even attending to constantly because odds are you’re running the laptop by itself and focusing on the TV. We’re still far away from affordable, consistent 4K wireless, but for 1080p, the Aries Pro worked great. There doesn’t seem to be a noticeable drop in quality, even when leaving my laptop a few rooms away. Although the literature hints that having line of sight is the best way to maintain quality, I was able to get it to work fine through ceilings, floors, and several walls — just with a slightly smaller range (roughly half of the base 100 feet).
For reference, it operates on a roughly 5.9GHz frequency. Although the plug and play concept is nice, there’s no real way to tinker with this, so if you work in an office or are using it in place with lots of interference, you might have issues. Personally I had no trouble in a household setting.
Your mileage may vary, but for me, I found it useful to stream content to my bedroom, where space was more limited (it lacks a full entertainment shelf/suite to house all my hardware). I also found a use for it by streaming my Xbox 360 downstairs, where all my older systems are, on my main floor. That’s the definition of luxuriousness and superfluousness, but it can be done.
It’s pricey, but if you can afford it and have a use for it, it’s worth using for up to 1080p gaming (or video).
