HP have sent us this rather fantastic device which allows you to connect your laptop via HDMI wirelessly to your TV. I’d seen a prototype of the device late last year and was really excited to give it a test in a ‘home’ situation. I’ll do a little write up here but I thought it might be nice to show you exactly how it works so have made a short 6 minute video of me actually using it so you can see how simply it is to use.

The HP TV Wireless Connect  comes in two main parts. The transmitter, which plugs into your laptop’s HDMI slot and is powered by USB and the receiver which is mains powered and plugs into your television’s HDMI socket.It runs at full 1080p (60 frames per second) and supports 7.1 surround sound. It also works from a range of 15 feet which is some distance and therefore makes it perfect for home or office use.

Initial Set-up

The device boasts ‘Plug and play’ which, let’s be honest, usually means that it’s still a faff to get working but actually, when they say ‘Plug and play’ in this instance, it really is that simple. I’ve titled this section, ‘Initial set-up’ but actually, the initial set up is pretty much all you need to do. Simply plug the transmitter into your HDMI slot and then into a USB sicket to give it power, then plug the transmitter into your television, switch to the correct input on your TV and you’re off and running. It’s as simple as that.

Issues?

As you’ll see in the video, I had a slight issue in that I didn’t have a USB socket near to the HDMI slot so I had to use a USB extender to bring the cable round the back of the laptop to give it power. This is a slight oversight on HP’s part I’d say as I’m sure if you have an HP laptop, there will be a USB socked in situ near the HDMI but on my Sony Vaio, there is not. It can be easily rectified with the USB extender as I mentioned but this should really be provided rather than you having to buy one to make it work.

The only other thing that was a little silly was the size of the ‘Quick User Guide’ which was the size of an orienteering map and by the time you find the section relevant to you, ‘Quick’ is not a work I would use! That said, the device is so simple to use, you wont really need the guide.

Conclusion

This is a fantastic piece of kit and one I’ll be using often. Reducing wires and cables in the home or office has no downside in my opinion. The quality of the picture transmission is perfect and there is next to no lag between the laptop and the TV picture making it great for watching movies or running PowerPoint presentations. The transmitter is a little on the large size and I guess there is potential for it to get damaged but if it’s left on a table rather than you own lap, this should be a problem.

The HP TV Wireless Connect retails for RRP £168.

Have a watch of the video below which shows the device in operation and let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Feel free to ask me any questions about the device.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flYnom7wef0′]

Specifications

  • Support for 1080p Blu-ray protected content
  • 15-foot range within room
  • 60 frames per second
  • Operates on the 5GHz band
  • Supports 7.1 surround sound