Featured Reviews

The GW3DHDKIT Wireless 3D Digital Kit from IOGEAR is really meant for a second display. Supporting full 1080p and 3D, it makes it very easy to send your high definition content from one room to another. While it could be used in a room to send to a main display (and would be fine as long as you aren't sending anything greater than 5.1 audio), we think it is best utilized to increase the number of places you can see the same content. Pair this with an RF universal remote, and you'll be able to seamlessly walk from one room to another with your content following you. Now all you have to worry about is finding your remote.

At $399, the DVDO AIR isn't the cheapest option out there, but it is surely in the lower half of the market. On top of that, it has size (we think, exact dimensions haven't been provided yet) going for it. With uncompressed 1080p and 3D plus 7.1 surround sound transmitting over 60GHz, the DVDO AIR looks to be a good, interference-free, solution for those that absolutely can't run a wire. The DVDO AIR is shipping now and looks to be a very competitive solution to your wireless HDMI needs.

Is the WA-5030 worth $400? With a complete wireless solution including stereo 30 watt amps, we're guessing that a lot of people will say yes. But if you think you might need an additional WA-50 receiver (without the amps) sometime down the line, you are better off buying the WA-50 set with an additional WA-5030 receiver (with amps) for the same price. Either way, you are getting uncompressed, CD-quality audio streamed digitally up to 300 feet. That's pretty impressive.

The Cables to Go TruLink High Speed HDMI Active Optical Cable has a USB breakout cable at the display end to power the "active" part of the cable. This allows for very clean installations with runs up to (eventually) 100 meters. With the optical cable's natural flexibility, interference resistance, and ability to perform at long runs, it seems to be a great solution for challenging installations. Supporting nearly all the latest HDMI features including 3D, 4K, and CEC, the only thing it is missing is Audio Return Channel and Ethernet support. But these are unlikely to be needed in any installation requiring a $200 10 meter cable or $300 20 meter cable.

Netgear's Internet Adapter for Home Theater (XAVB5004) is a powerline solution much like the Belkin we reviewed last year except that it amps up the throughput to 500 Mbps and includes both a powerline 4-port router and a powerline AV500 "gigabit" adapter. The system is designed to deliver flawless HD video streaming and is capable of connecting up to four Internet-ready home theater devices, such as HDTVs, Blu-ray players, IPTVs, TV set-top boxes, media players or game consoles to the Internet - it's even 3D-capable. The kit includes one 1-port adapter to connect to the router and one 4-port adapter to connect to the TV and your various peripherals. The solution’s four ports are conveniently color coded for simple setup and the entire system is really plug-in ready from the minute you unbox it.

In the world of home theater equipment, baluns, splitters, and extenders are the vanilla ice cream cone that was dropped in the dirt that only the weird kid will pick up and eat. Sexy or no, the Transformative Engineering HDS-12 and HDS-14 HDMI splitters and signal conditioners look to become a staple in the tool box of the custom installer. Promising to clean up HDCP handshake issues over long HDMI runs while, at the same time, providing splitting duties, the only thing we're really waiting on is a price. If they are comparable to traditional splitters (or even in the ballpark), no sane custom installer would leave the house without one.

It seems like all the big A/V players are coming out with wireless subwoofer devices. Velodyne is no different with their new WiConnect System which is a high speed wireless receiver and transmitter kit that enables subwoofers of any size to wirelessly connect to an entertainment system. Designed by Velodyne engineers, the wireless Velodyne WiConnect System will deliver the full range of bass performance at up to 50 feet, giving users a wide range of set-up flexibility. There is NO excuse now for those pondering a multiple subwoofer system lacking the ability to run cable across the room. Now you can have your bass and enjoy it too!

We spend a lot of time encouraging people to use multiple subwoofers, but rarely explain just how that might be made easier in homes where running wires is cumbersome or near-impossible due to the layout of the room. Aperion Audio seems to have recognized this and is providing a solution with the Zona Home Audio Link (HAL). Aperion is pitching this affordable $149 solution to those for whom running wires across a room is going to present a significant detriment to buying surrounds or a subwoofer. The Aperion HAL system works via a separate Send and Receive unit. The Send unit transmits high quality uncompressed audio up to 100 feet. Now this can be your surround channels, or just some music from your PC or any other audio source. This means you can stream music from your computer, your home theater, your MP3 player or any other audio source to almost any speaker system in your home!

Accell is a cable and A/V switching company that bombards us with every new thing that the company puts out - and they put out a lot of products. This week, the company got our attention with a new type of HDMI cable designed to prevent the cables from falling out - a common issue with HDMI, particularly with heavier gauge cables. The new cable is called the AVGrip Pro Locking High Speed HDMI Cable. It's available in nearly any length imaginable - provided your imagination stops at 1 foot. While it's particularly suited for rack mount installations, the 1-foot limitation leaves us wanting more... more length options.