DisplayLink, Alereon intro wireless USB video card reference design

DisplayLink's certainly no stranger to wireless monitors, but it now looks set to push the technology even further along, with it and Alereon trotting out a new reference design for a wireless USB video card (and corresponding monitor adapter). That'll apparently let you use a monitor at a distance of up to three meters, with a throughput of 120-150mbps and lossless compression ensuring that "the image users see is the same that they'd get with a wired monitor," according to Wi-Fi Planet. What's more, you should also be able to use up to six displays at the same time, "theoretically," although DisplayLink admits that gamers likely won't be satisfied. While this is just a reference design, DisplayLink says the final adapter set should run between $150 and $250 when its released in the spring, while monitors with the technology built-in will apparently demand $150 "or more" than a comparable non-wireless model (those are expected in mid-2008).

[Via DailyWireless]

[kojo87 @ Dec 11th 2007 1:50PM]

i was interested until i saw $250. im not spending that much when my monitor only cost $170

[jay.viz @ Dec 11th 2007 2:06PM]

As well as "a distance of up to three meters", this device is seriously limited to niches.

[Joel @ Dec 11th 2007 9:42PM]

Srsly. Who would use a monitor that is less than 3 meters away from their computer? Losers. Thats who.

[macona @ Dec 11th 2007 2:02PM]

As long as it has a Analog VGA connector on the monitor end it will never be as crisp as a monitor connected via DVI.

[Lewis @ Dec 11th 2007 2:07PM]

I know DisplayLink's technology is good (since we use it in another product that just got featured here). I think a better solution would just be an active USB extension cable with the USB DVI External Video Card.

****shameless plug alert*****shameless plug alert******
You can get those here:
http://sewelldirect.com/usb2extensioncable.asp
And here:
http://sewelldirect.com/USB-to-DVI-External-Video-Card-High-Resolution.asp

[palehorse @ Dec 11th 2007 2:12PM]

Wake me up when Nvidia gets on board and they release a version that gamers ARE satisfied with...

[Andrew @ Dec 11th 2007 2:19PM]

This is kind of neat because Vista killed off so many USB Video Cards with WDDM only allowing a single graphics adapter driver, so being able to output to multiple devices with it is neat.

With my computer, for instance, the only possible way I can support more than 2 displays with Vista is if I find a PCI-E gfx card and a PCI card that use the exact same video driver. Somehow, I don't see that as progress.

[ThomasKrown @ Dec 11th 2007 7:27PM]

Agree w/ Macona, a non DVI version is a joke. And I feel bad for the guy running Vista, that is so limited by it that he actually got excited by this ;)

[Andrew @ Dec 11th 2007 7:50PM]

=(

[ThomasKrown @ Dec 11th 2007 8:03PM]

Sorry Andrew, If it helps at all, I'm running Vista too. :) Its a beast, but I'm not willing to step backwards yet :)

[John Stracke @ Dec 11th 2007 10:11PM]

This would be fantastic for conference room projectors. More than 3 meters would be nice, though.

[ZeroCorpse @ Dec 12th 2007 2:20AM]

Three whole meters, you say? And only $200 for it?

Wow. And to think you could blow $10 on a five-meter cable and then save the $190 for something useful, like a monitor.

[Elliot @ Dec 12th 2007 7:47AM]

When wireless USB comes out, this company will probably be the first on the block with fully wireless/dongleless monitors. With the wireless USB built into laptops, you'd be able to connect up to a projector like you would to a wireless connection

[David @ Jan 1st 2009 10:31AM]

This technology is a good idea, but needs to go further.

Imagine a wireless monitor that acts essentially as a laptop. In the way that a cordless phone does with it's base. A monitor/keyboard combo that runs off of your presumably more beefy desktop processing power. Thats what I'm waiting for.