And you wonder why people refuse to take
wireless HD / HDMI seriously. A full 15 months after Belkin's
FlyWire was
introduced at CES 2008, the world is
still waiting for it to ship. When launched, it promised the consumer world a device that would take multiple HDMI devices and stream them (one at a time, obviously) to your HDTV sans wires. The box itself relies on AMIMON's
WHDI technology, and while we've
seen with our own eyes just how marvelous it works, Earthlings won't be able to purchase one until -- drumroll, please -- August 2009. According to a Belkin PR manager that we spoke with on the matter, the January 2009 ship date has now slipped to late summer for the US market, though the altogether painful $1,499 price tag remains firmly in tact. So, what's the over / under on Belkin actually keeping its word this go 'round?
Update: Contrary to some reports, the delay is absolutely not related to WHDI. Belkin's own PR team has confirmed that the hold-up is in no way related to WHDI, but that it is "paying very close attention to the user experience." In other words, it's delaying things to get things totally right, and for $1,500, we'd expect nothing less than perfection.
posted Apr 16th 2009 4:34PM
$1,499!? I'll stick with my 2.99 HDMI cable thank you very much.
Yeah, I don't know anyone who wants wireless that badly.
Yup for 1500 bucks i could wire my whole fucking house with built in HDMI wall ports and data, shit maybe even fiber.
My Number is 413-555-5555 Call me when its less then $200
oh sans, how i have missed thy!
Oh what a deal! Count on me buying one. Now, please excuse me while I go buy two gold toilets, a diamond chalice and an apple computer to top off my wild spending spree.
haha apple..
Classic!!!
Wow, you guys really envy Apple products. Way to go, finding a placement for anti-apple campaign. For someone who probably owns a pc running Windows or Linux you guys sure are paranoid considering Apple's Mac OS only has 8% of the market, if that.
@Americansoldier
He isn't worried about Apple's market shar, he's making of the price Apple charges for the relatively weak hardware they use.
Aesthetically, they are nice. Performance wise, yes, that is a crazy amount of money to spend.
Have had my Macbook Pro for 2 years here in Iraq kicking strong. I've seen guys here go through at least one pc laptop in a year. The dust kills the dvd drives w/pop out trays among other issues. One I recall the blue screen that IT couldn't fix. Others come to me with Windows problems and I refer them to the IT guys (I won't take responsibility for their problems) I usually tell them I'm a mac guy and I don't know Windows so they leave me alone with their problems. iTunes, iPods, and iPhones I will help them with but I never try to tell them how to fix their laptops. I know a couple of guys over here with macs and so far I've never personally met a mac guy who hated their macs and went back to Windows. I'm sure they are out there but I haven't met them. If you are a pc guy great. I wish you well.
americansoldier, get a sense of humor. I have a few Apple devices, including my phone, it doesn't mean I'm so stupid that I can't see they are priced high. Laugh once in a while and you will live longer.
@Americansoldier
You can repair iTunes, iPods, and iPhones?
Didn't you dummies know that Macs have those iDust DVD drives that never grind to a halt, even when immersed in a bucket of volcanic ash? Stupid PC users.
Why envy apple products when I can a PC that's superior for less money anyway =P
For $2000 extra you should be able to by monster wireless waves for this that makes them travel faster and sharper.
You said the "M" word. Prepare for a lawsuit in 3.... 2.... 1....
Dont buy Monster waves unless you have a good attorney!
For $3500, I'm sure Monster will give you some awesome gold plated optical audio connectors too =P the oxygen-free quad-protected cable makes sure all your ones and zeros get there, first class all the way, in complete comfort, so your audio isnt so tired when it lands in the speakers.
This is clearly an iphone look-alike.
I knew i couldn't be the only one that saw it.
It does seem expensive. However, if you want to mount a flatscreen and have multiple sources hidden from sight with all of the benefits of having them connected, what else is there? Again, not a "value", but if it works well, it might work for the right environment.
Seems best suited for a projector set up so you don't have to run a bunch of cables up to the ceiling. Maybe in a couple years this thing along with a 1080p projector will be affordable.
Yeah, it seems like wireless video will become standard and a negligible cost over time for projectors, but this is an interesting early adopter product.
I purchased my Belkin FlyWire Wireless HDMI device a few months ago to connect my ever growing number of CE devices to my new flat screen. It has exceeded all my expectations. The lack of wire makes for an amazingly clean look in my living room. I now considering purchasing another FlyWire for my bedroom. I would recommend this product to anyone looking to free themselves of HDMI hell. Belkin products are the way to go, and have a good customer service reputation.
Is it really worth spending an extra $1,500 for your bedroom TV?
Most people dont even pay $1,500 for their bedroom TV.
How did you buy the to be released in August '09 product a few months ago? Oh, you are a time traveler aren't you? This is proof, it will happen people!
Wouldn't it be cheaper to get a wall mount, rip off all the drywall, rewire to your heart's content, replace the drywall, repaint, hang the tv, and maybe even get a decent receiver for less?
Belking can't even make a decent wireless card/router lol@ this
This was my first thought. Why would I ever pay 1500 dollars for something made by belkin?
Seriously man, Belkin does make the cheapest crap. They make Netgear look good.
f--- this company. they make $hitty cables too.
Am I the only one who doesn't really understand what this device does? Why in hell would it be worth $1500? I mean, really, don't we have enough shit clogging up our living room?
Kind of reminds me of this actually:
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/sony_releases_new_stupid_piece_of
$1500!!!!!!!!!!!!!
lol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!this is gotta be the fail of the year,!!!!!!!!!!!!
... that's prolly 'cuz they figured out that WHDI wont work with its truncation scheme. Everyone seems to feel that the compromised resolution offered by WHDI might be a tough sell. Only time will tell...
$1500 is obviously steep, but it's the first release; hopefully in a year or two it will be more reasonable. There's currently no good solution for sending HD sources to another room that doesn't involve running new wires, which is itself a big expense and PITA. I had some hope for the ZvPro but that thing is $2500, maybe the ZvBox+ will be more affordable. One thing the Flywire definitely needs is multiple receivers per transmitter, though... and a lower price.