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LEGO comes to reality TV on Fox and you can be part of it

NEWS – My guilty pleasure is watching reality TV shows like Ink Master, America’s Got Talent (I’m actually watching it right now), and even Bachelor in Paradise. Hey, don’t judge me, it’s how I like to unwind!

Another pleasure of mine is all things LEGO, so imagine my surprise when I learned that there’s going to be a new reality TV show coming to Fox called LEGO Masters. Apparently this show has been on in other countries and is just now coming to the US.

So far, there’s no info on when we’ll be able to watch this new show, but you can apply to become part of the show. That’s right, you can compete as a builder on the LEGO Masters show. They are looking for creative amateur brick building teams of two. If you’re at least 18yrs old, head over to legomasters.tv for all the details.

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LEGO comes to reality TV on Fox and you can be part of it originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 22, 2019 at 12:00 pm.

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Nuheara IQstream TV review

REVIEW – As I’ve gotten older, my hearing isn’t what it used to be. Maybe my parents yelling at me to turn my music down when I was younger was for a good reason. Too late now! Anyway, while watching TV with my family, I tend to crank up the volume causing others to (not so) nicely ask me to turn it down. It’s like my parents yelling all over again. If this sounds familiar to you, there may be a solution—the Nuheara IQstream TV.

What is it?

The Nuheara IQstream TV is a small table-top device that connects to your TV audio out port. Once connected, the TV’s volume can be independently adjusted for Nuheara’s IQbuds BOOST earphones using the IQbuds smartphone app. So, no matter how low or how high the volume for the TV is set, the volume setting for the IQbuds BOOST can be as low or high as the wearer desires without disturbing anyone close by. 

Specs

  • aptX Bluetooth
  • Bluetooth range: 90 ft.
  • Compatible earphones: IQbuds BOOST
  • Digital Input: Mini-Toslink
  • Analog Input: Mini plug
  • Sounder output: mini plug to RCA
  • Ports: Combo optical/analog in, combo optical/analog out and USB
  • Weight: 3.2 oz.

In the box

  • USB cable for connection to power
  • SPDIF to mini-TOSLINK cable for digital audio
  • 3.5mm to 3.5mmcable  for analog audio
  • 3.5mm to Stereo RCA cable
  • TOSLINK to mini-TOSLINK dongle

(TOSLINK is also known as SPDIF)

Design and features

The Nuheara IQstream TV is basically a one-trick pony. At less than an inch tall, it’s small enough to fit under any flat-screen TV. Yet for such a small package, it packs a bit of a punch, delivering quality audio at a volume that should satisfy anyone. 

IQstream TV comes with all the wiring you should need as long as you can find USB power (a powered USB port on a tv will do) and audio out sources. The IQstream TV has three ports at the rear—audio in, audio out and USB. The audio in and out ports are both digital and analog. Included is an adapter if your digital port is not the mini plug shape. This means that the IQstream TV can use the far better digital signal if your source uses TOSLINK (SPDIF). But if your audio source is old school, those same ports can handle analog mini plug or RCA-mini plug connections—cables included. Because of its light weight, the base of the unit has a non-slip rubberized surface that helps keep it in place on a tv stand.

There are different setups for the IQstream TV. The most common is a direct connection from the audio out port on the back of your TV (if there is one) to the audio in port on the IQstream TV. Just my luck that this didn’t work for me—usually. Sometimes it did and sometimes not. I would get no audio even though a solid blue light indicating that the IQstream TV was streaming. 

After repeated emails to Nuheara support and getting nowhere (not their fault), I decided to connect the IQstream TV to the audio out port of my cable box rather than the tv. Voila—it worked! Who knew that if you have cable TV, that the audio out on the TV would not work? I didn’t know that. The manual doesn’t deal with a cable box connection.

A word about Nuheara’s support. They were knowledgable. They were attentive. They were supportive. They’re in Australia. So, since the time zone is about 12 hours difference, it would take a day for each question to be asked and answered. It took a while to get anywhere. I kept wishing there was a support phone number to call, but no. There is an online chat on the Nuheara site, but it wasn’t available when I had my questions.

The IQstream TV also has an audio out port for connecting to a sound bar. The idea for this is so the IQstream TV can be a pass-through for one audio port at the source. Since I do not own a soundbar, I haven’t tried this method.

Once the IQstream TV’s connection woes were fixed, everything worked great! There was no Bluetooth lag in the audio, so syncing was never an issue. Only if I turned down the IQbuds BOOST earphones and turned up the TV, did I notice a slight echo effect. 

The Nuheara IQbuds smartphone app is required to use the IQstream TV. The app may need to be updated to see the IQstream TV. Once paired, you can control volume and how much outside noise you want to allow. That way, a normal conversation can be had without removing the buds.

Because I use the proprietary Nuheara’s IQbuds BOOST earphones, audio quality is quite good, so music, dialog and sound effects ring true. Stereo separation is great—as long as the audio source is stereo. In other words, what is broadcast or played is what you hear.

Note that the IQstream TV only works with the IQbuds BOOST earphones and nothing else—not even the Nuheara’s original IQ earphones. So you should already own the IQbuds BOOST earphones or will need to purchase them for the IQstream TV to work. This will be a huge dealbreaker for many. The IQbuds BOOST earphones retail for $500, so it’s a major purchase. However, the IQbuds BOOST earphones are not your typical earphones. They can test your hearing and adjust themselves accordingly. It’s pretty amazing audio tech. You can read my review here.

What I like

  • Simple to use
  • Sounds great
  • No audio syncing issues

What I’d change

  • Make it work with any earphone
  • Include cable box instructions in the manual

Final Thoughts

Nuheara is on to something with the IQstream TV. It’s incredibly simple to use—once it’s set up properly. It sounds great and the ability to independently control TV volume without disturbing others can be a godsend. If Nuheara can figure out a way for the IQstream TV to work with any Bluetooth earphone or offer a less expensive earbud, it could be a near perfect product.

Price: $99 US (Sometimes on sale for $69)
Where to buy: Nuheara
Source: The sample for this product was provided by Nuheara.

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Nuheara IQstream TV review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 18, 2019 at 12:01 pm.

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Logitech Harmony Express Universal voice remote review

REVIEW – I own a lot of home entertainment devices, and with that comes a plethora of remote controls. I’ve looked into purchasing a universal remote, but most of them seemed intimidating and hard to use. Then I stumbled upon the Harmony Express Universal voice remote. Can a universal remote really control all my devices using just my voice?

What is it?

The Harmony Express remote is a universal voice remote with Amazon Alexa built-in. It allows you to control up to 15 home entertainment devices with your voice. And it works with over 250,000 devices.

What’s in the box?

  • Harmony Express remote
  • Blaster
  • IR mini-blaster
  • Power adaptor
  • USB cable

Design and features

The Harmony Express remote is about the least intimidating universal remote you’ll ever see. It’s only 5-inches long and fits perfectly in the palm of your hand, so all of the buttons are easily accessible with your thumb. Aside from its diminutive size, the other thing that sticks out is the lack of buttons. Express only has the essential buttons for home entertainment. There are only 9 in total. That’s because most of what you control can be done using your voice and Amazon Alexa.

The OK/Alexa button is located at the top part of the remote surrounded by a directional pad. Below that are 3 rows consisting of 3 buttons. The top 3 buttons can be configured to send one command when using a long press, and send an alternate command when using a short press. For example, when watching DirecTV a short press of the home button brings up the channel guide, a long press brings up the info screen. The remaining buttons control playback and volume control.

The buttons are backlit so you can always find the right button, even in low light.

There’s a small speaker on the back of the remote for Alexa and a Micro-USB port on the bottom for charging the remote’s battery.

Setup

To set up and start using Harmony Express, you have to plug in the blaster and place it in an open space near your entertainment system. You can also use the included mini-blaster to extend the blaster’s infrared range if you have devices that are located inside of a closed cabinet or are out of the blaster’s range.

The remote needs to be charged before using it. Express uses a rechargeable battery that charges via a USB cable. The remote’s ring will pulse when charging and will remain solid when fully charged. The battery will last about a month with normal use.

Harmony Express app

The rest of the setup is down from the Harmony Express app. The app is what you’ll use to set up and connect all your devices. It makes setup fairly easy, the whole process takes about 15-20 minutes.

When you open the app it will guide you through the following steps: connecting the Blaster to Wi-Fi, creating or linking your Amazon account, selecting the room you’ll be using the remote in, and adding your devices.

During setup, Harmony Express recognized my AppleTV and DirecTV Genie automatically, but I had to connect my other devices manually. This is done using the devices model #. It’s not hard to do, but it is kind of a pain.

The app determines how many HDMI inputs your TV has. From there, just drag and drop the device into the proper input to connect it.

Aside from setting up the remote, the Express app can be used to check its battery level, edit setup, Change Room and Device settings and see a list of “What to say” to control your devices.

The Express app also acts as an extension of the physical remote, allowing you to control a single device like your tv or set-top box. Selecting a device will bring up a list of commands. To control the device, just tap on the desired function.

And if you lose or misplace your remote, just tap on the remote icon in the app and Harmony Express will emit a tone to let you know where it’s at.

Using Harmony Express

Pressing and holding the OK button activates Alexa, you can then ask her to do whatever you want. You can turn on the TV, open an app like Netflix, or tune to your favorite channel.

The Harmony Express app does all the hard work of keeping track of devices, inputs, and settings. A simple command will turn on all the devices you need and make sure the settings are just right. For example, if I say “Go to Netflix”, Harmony Express will turn on my TV and soundbar, switch inputs to my AppleTV, and launch Netflix. And when switching devices, Express automatically powers off the last device used.

There are specific commands you have to get used to saying. For example, if you want Express to turn on the TV, you would say “Turn on TV”. If you want to go to a specific channel on DirecTV, you would say “Go to ESPN”, or say a channel number “Go to channel 230”.

Launching apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime, or ESPN is just as easy.  To launch Netflix you would say, “Go to Netflix” or “Go to Amazon Prime Video”.  It does take some getting used to, but you become accustomed to it the more you use the remote. The short video below shows how some of the voice commands work.

Harmony Express isn’t just for watching TV. It can do just about anything that Alexa can do. You can set reminders, get the latest weather, or find out when your favorite team is playing. Plus, anything you already control via Alexa can also be controlled with Harmony Express. I use it to control both my smart bulbs and smart lock. About the only thing you cant do is play music or make phone calls.

What I like

  • Easy to set up and use
  • Amazon Alexa
  • Backlit buttons
  • Voice control
  • Good size

What I’d change

  • Doesn’t automatically recognize all devices during setup

Final thoughts

The Harmony Express packs a lot of punch for such a small remote. It has much of the same functionality as their Harmony Elite remote ($349.99), but it’s easier to use and less expensive. It’s great being able to use one remote to control all off my devices. And having access to Alexa is a nice added bonus. If you’re looking for a universal remote that’s easy to set up and even easier to use the Harmony Express is a great choice.

Price: $249.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Logitech.

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Logitech Harmony Express Universal voice remote review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 20, 2019 at 9:15 am.

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CINEMOOD Portable Movie Theater projector review

REVIEW – When the whole family wants to watch a movie or see the big game together, we gather around the large screen TV in the living room.  When I want to catch a Dota match on Twitch or see the latest Dude Perfect video on YouTube, I use my iPad.  Is there room in our family for a gadget that fits somewhere in between these extremes?  It would need to combine the take-it-anywhere convenience of an iPad with the screen-is-large-enough-for-two of a TV.  CINEMOOD’s Portable Movie Theater (PMT) wants to be this gadget!

What is it?

The PMT is a smart, portable projector.  It’s a projector that turns any smooth, white surface into a screen for watching videos and other digital content.  It’s small and light enough to be very portable.  Want to join a friend on the beanbag and project on the wall?  No problem.  Want to lay on a bed together and project onto the ceiling?  Still no problem.  It’s also smart, which means that it’s more than just a projector.  The PMT has its own operating system that connects to your WIFI, runs apps, and downloads content from the Internet.  Conceptually, it’s very similar to an AppleTV or a Roku, but it uses a projector instead of plugging into your TV.

I think the PMT has two target audiences in mind.  First, it’s clearly aimed at little kids.  It’s small, light, and easy for kids to take anywhere without any cables, and it comes pre-loaded with content geared towards little kids.  Second, it’s also aimed at couples or friends who want to spontaneously enjoy a video together from traditional sources like YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video.

What’s in the box?

  • The projector
  • A micro-to-USB cable with wall charger
  • A rubber stand for holding the projector steady
  • A manual with 6 pages of English instructions

Hardware specs

  • 3 in x 3 in x 3 in
  • 0.5 lbs
  • Internal, rechargeable, non-replaceable battery with up to 5 hours of battery life
  • 3.5mm audio support
  • 16 GB of internal memory, though only 6.8 GB are free out of the box
  • 2.4 GHz WIFI and Bluetooth 4.0 support
  • Support for a variety of audio, video, and image formats
  • Screen mirroring (iOS only)

Design and features

Do you remember EVE, the cute little robot that WALL-E met?  The PMT kind of reminds me of her:  small, white, and minimalist.  It’s a slick-looking little gadget.

Installation and setup

The PMT comes charged, but my unit was only about 30% charged, so the first step was to charge it up with the wall charger and USB cable, which I plugged into the micro-USB port.  When it’s charging, a little LED on the side turns red; when finished, it turns green.  The manual notes that I should only charge the PMT while it is off, so once the battery is drained, I won’t be able to use the projector until I charge it again.  The first time I started the projector, it asked if I wanted English or Russian.

Hardware

The PMT itself is a nice bit of hardware, sturdy and well-built, made of white plastic; it seems very durable to me.  The projector is a decent quality for the price.  The colors are reasonably rich and vibrant when I project on the wall a couple feet in front of me; when projecting onto a wall that’s 6 feet away, it’s a lot more washed out.  This projector is not very bright (35 lumens), so I can only use it at night or in a dark room.  The speakers are small and very tinny-sounding, as I would expect from such a small device.  Little kids probably won’t notice this, but adults will want to use a better audio source.  The PMT comes with a 3.5mm audio jack, so I plugged in the headphones that came with my iPhone and got clear and better sound.  Of course, using headphones defeats the point of a device that can be shared with others, so I plugged the PMT into my Soundcast VG5.  These two are a nice combination, as the VG5 not only provides great audio but also acts as a small stand.

It would be even better if the audio could be connected via Bluetooth instead of an audio cable.  Fortunately, the PMT supports Bluetooth audio, and it paired with the VG5 without any problem.

The power button is on the left side near the LED.  I’m not sure what processor is inside CINEMOOD’s projector, but it’s not exactly fast.  When I press the power button (the one with the little red lightning symbol), it takes over a minute to boot up.

On top of the PMT are the navigation buttons.  While in the OS, these are used to navigate through the apps and select content to watch.  When playing a show, they are used to control the volume, fast forward, rewind, and pause.  The only problem I found—and it’s a huge one—is that there’s not really a pause button.  If you hit the center button, it shows the pause symbol, but it actually stops the video; when I click again to restart, it starts from the beginning.  This makes it nearly useless for watching any long content, like a movie, where you might want to pause to get some more popcorn or take a bio break.

On the right side is a rocker button that is used to focus the projector.  There’s also a flashlight button that turns on the projector as a light in case you need to see something in a dark room.  It’s a nice little touch.

The operating system (OS)

The operating system in the PMT is called CINEMOOD OS, and I suspect it’s a version of Android.  It comes with a variety of pre-installed apps, many of which I’ll describe below.  Apps cannot be removed, but unwanted content can be deleted by pressing and holding the check button.  The content remains visible and can be downloaded from the internet at any time.  Deleting the unwanted content frees up space for your own content.

One of the first things that the OS wanted to do is connect to my WIFI, so it can access online content.  In the Settings app, I checked for updates to the OS.  It took several minutes to download and install the current update, and I’m currently on version 4.9.89.

Mobile app

I downloaded the CINEMOOD mobile app from Apple’s app store.  After pairing via Bluetooth, it functions as a remote control, providing the 5 navigation buttons and the focus button as well as a battery indicator.  Pairing was sometimes a problem; occasionally I had to reboot the CMT before the app could find it.

Content

The CINEMOOD organizes its content so that all the kid content is seen first.  I tapped past it until I found the Apps Section and then tapped down to find the YouTube app.  When I started it, I was faced with a dialogue box that said, “You should be logged in your CINEMOOD account for this action.”  I can’t watch YouTube without an account; in fact, a lot of the content on this device is locked out until unless I create an account.

I went back up and found Settings and tapped down to find the Account app.  This brought up the following message:  “Enter your phone number.”  CINEMOOD wants my phone number!?  I tried entering a random number, but they send a text message with a code that I have to enter in order to create the account.  This made me mad.  If I spend hundreds of dollars to buy a gadget, why would they lock me out of parts of it until I give them my phone?  Nothing about a projector requires my phone number to work.  I used My Trash Mobile to enter a temporary phone number and the code that they sent.  CINEMOOD then asked for my email, so I used TempMail to enter a temporary email.  Then it asked for my credit card number.  Seriously!?  The PMT isn’t a home theater, it’s a trojan horse designed to collect my personal information.  At first, I was stuck, because there’s no way I’m giving CINEMOOD my credit card just to set up an account.  Eventually, I found a bit of a silver lining for this storm cloud:  I can use the mobile app to assist with the account creation process.  It makes it easier to enter my phone and email, and it also gives me the option to defer adding my credit card until a later date, which I did.  Now I can use the YouTube app, but it’s a rather limited app.  There’s no home or trending section, and no way to view my subscription.  I can only watch videos about CINEMOOD—I’m rolling my eyes here—or I can search by subject.  There’s no way to sort or filter any of the results, so I pretty have to watch the top hits that are returned.

After watching a couple of videos, I decided to go back and check out the kid’s content.  In the Listen section, there are audio books that are read out aloud to you.  The titles are in the public domain, like Alice in Wonderland and Treasure Island.  There’s also some classical music, like Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, and an assortment of other music and sounds.

In the Dream Time section, there are some items designed to calm a child down before bedtime.  There are some quiet music and something called “themes,” which was music with an animated image that runs for 2 minutes.  There are 10 themes, one is free, but the rest have a lock symbol on them.  If I want to access this content, I will need to pay $1 for each of them.  If the averages hold out, that’ll cost me $9 for 18 minutes of content.  As it turns out, there’s a LOT of content on this device for which I have to pay extra.  I started counting and quit once I reached $400.  Be careful!  If you enter your credit card, your kids could spend hundreds of dollars downloading extra content.

In the Watch section, there’s video content that your kids can watch.  There’s a bunch of short cartoons that will only appeal to little kids and some educational videos.  There’s also a Disney app, which has some safety videos and more educational videos.  To be clear, this device doesn’t have any Disney movies, like The Incredibles or Moana.  The Disney videos that they do have are freely available on YouTube.

In the Read section, there are books for kids to read.  When I select a book, it takes me to a splash screen with Russian words.  It appears as if the app is frozen at this point, but it’s not; the secret is to use the right navigation button to “turn” to the next page in the book.  The books in this section are also in the public domain.

The Scenery section appears to show relaxing videos of various destinations, such as beaches or underwater, but the content is all locked.  The Play section was perhaps the most interesting, as it teaches kids how to create shadow puppets and then displays a white screen for them to practice.  Some of the puppet tutorials were free; others cost money.

Back in the Apps section, there’s an app for Netflix and one for Amazon Prime Video.  At this point, I’m honestly too scared to enter my credentials for these services; I don’t really know if CINEMOOD is intercepting them or not.  Yes, I’m probably paranoid, but given the rest of what they’ve done, I’m unwilling to accept the risk.  There’s also a Telegram app, but I don’t know why I would use the PMT to read my email and two other apps that I’ve never heard of, IVI and Ameba.

The internal content that comes with the PMT is not bad content; it will probably keep your kids entertained for many hours.  Unfortunately, there’s really nothing amazing about it, as you can get all this content (or something similar) for free on the Internet.  If you have cable TV, Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, or even just YouTube, you already have better content available at your fingertips.  By the way, there’s no way to filter any type of inappropriate content from your kids.  If you unlock YouTube, Netflix, etc., your kids will be able to watch anything they can find.

The next source for content is that which you load on the PMT yourself.  There are two ways to do this.  First, you can connect your PMT to your computer and copy files over.  I used the USB cable, the same on that I used for charging and connected the PMT to my Windows 10 computer.  I then copied an MP3, a JPG, a MOV, and an M4V.  All of these showed up in the My Stories app in the My section and could be viewed and played without any problem.  If you use a Mac to copy the files, you’ll need to install Android File Transfer onto your computer.  Second, you can plug a USB drive directly into the PMT.  To do this you will either need a USB drive with a micro USB plug, or you’ll need a female-to-female USB adapter.  I don’t have either of these, so I was unable to test this feature.

The final source of content is from an iOS device.  According to CINEMOOD’s website, if I update the CINEMOOD OS (and I did), then I can use the screen mirroring feature on my iPhone to display content on the PMT.  This is the feature that I’m most excited about, but I could never get it to work.  The screen mirroring on my iPhone can find and connect to my AppleTV with no problem, but it can’t find the PMT.

Android and iOS device both have app stores for their devices, but there’s no equivalent for CINEMOOD OS.  I only get the apps that come with the device, unless perhaps they release new apps that are available with an OS update.

Extra Features

The website says that the PMT should last for 5 hours on a charge, and that’s exactly what I got in my testing.  Keep in mind that the battery is not replaceable, so once it wears out, the PMT won’t work any longer.

The PMT comes with a rubber stand, which can be used to keep its place and adjust the viewing angle.

What I like

  • Slick design
  • Good hardware

What needs to be improved

  • Fix the pause button
  • Remove the account creation process
  • Stop trying to charge hundreds of dollars for additional content
  • Add parental controls
  • Fix iOS screen mirroring
  • Add the ability to remove unwanted apps

Final thoughts

I think the idea of a portable projector that makes it easy to access video content for kids and adults is a great idea.  CINEMOOD’s flaws, however, keep it from realizing this idea.  The lack of a functional pause button alone is a deal-breaker for me.  Their attempts to collect my personal information and get me to spend hundreds of dollars on additional content leaves me not trusting this company or its product.  I’m sorry to say it, but I just can’t recommend this gadget to you.  I think you’d be better off either buying tablets for your kids or using a pico projector that uses the content on your phone, tablet, or Roku stick.

Price:  $349.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Cinemood.

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CINEMOOD Portable Movie Theater projector review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 19, 2019 at 9:00 am.

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IOGear Ultra-Fast 60GHz Wireless 4K UHD Video Extender review


REVIEW – My wife constantly complains about the number of wires I have running in our home. From her perspective, they seem to be everywhere. I have about 7 network switches and connected CAT5 cables running everywhere. I recently decided that I wanted to add projectors to a couple of rooms and she cringed at the thought of additional HDMI cables running everywhere. I believe in “Happy wife happy life”, so the opportunity to test and review the IOGear Ultra-Fast 60GHz Wireless 4K UHD Video Extender was a much-welcomed opportunity.

What is it?

The IOGear Ultra-Fast 60GHz Wireless 4K UHD Video Extender enables you to transmit 60GHz Wireless 4K Ultra High Definition UHD) Video with digital 7.1 surround sound audio from an HDMI source from the Transmitter to the Receiver up to 60 feet away with near-zero latency.

What’s in the box


1 x HDMI Extender Transmitter
1 x HDMI Extender Receiver
2 x 5VDC/2A Switching Power Supply
2 x HDMI Cable
1 x Quick Start Guide
1 x Warranty Card

Design and features

Specifications
Video Input: HDMI 2.0/ HDCP 2.2
Video Output: HDMI 2.0/ HDCP 2.2
Power: 5V/1A
Video Resolution: 3840 x 2160 @ 30Hz
Video Streaming: Uncompressed
Audio Output: Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio and LPCM digital audio streaming up to 7.1 channels HBR lossless audio
Frequency Band: 60 GHz
Antenna Type: Printed Circuit Board
Operation Temperature: 32~122ºF (0~50ºC)
Storage Temperature: 14~158ºF (-10~70ºC)
Humidity: 10 – 90%
Power Adapter: 5 VDC/1A
Height: 3″
Depth: 4″
Length: 1.125″

Features:

  • Wirelessly send 4K UHD video from one HDMI source to one HDMI TV/Projector
  • Extends signals up to 60 Ft. line-of-sight
  • Uncompressed audio and video at near-zero latency – ideal for gaming and streaming
  • Resolutions up to 3840 x 2160 @30Hz
  • Minimal interference with existing Wi-Fi devices via 60GHz wireless frequency
  • Support 7.1 surround sound audio, Dolby® True HD and DTS-HD® Master audio format
  • Plug-n-Play – Transmitter, and receiver come pre-paired from the factory
  • Dedicated closed wireless system – Requires no Wi-Fi network
  • Advanced wireless technology speeds to 18 Gbps
  • LED status lights for source/display connections and wireless link
  • Supports dual power option via USB or included AC adapter
  • Compact mountable design for easy placement
  • HDMI 2.0 & HDCP 2.2 compliant
  • Supports 4K UHD High Dynamic Range (HDR) TVs and content

The IOGear extender kit consists of two main components that are the Transmitter and Receiver. They both have identical ports on one side. As shown below from left to right they are the power port, the HDMI port (Input on Transmitter and output on Receiver), the USB optional power input port, the Data Transmission Indicator, the Power Indicator, and the SET button.


The back of both the Transmitter and Receiver has mounting holes.

Performance

The Video Extender kit is very simple and straightforward to use right out of the box. For my testing, I connected my 4K Roku streaming stick to the Transmitter as well as the power supply. On the opposite end, I connected one of my portable projectors to the Receiver via an HDMI cable and the power adapter to the Receiver.

And voila!! As shown below, the Roku menu was immediately displayed via the projector.

Here is a better visual of some shots of the picture when I displayed it on the ceiling in the dark:




I also tested full 4K all the way through with my BenQ HT2550 4K projector and I did not notice any discernable latency or dropped signal in any of my tests.

What I like

  • The build quality
  • The simplicity of the design and the ease of use
  • While I was only able to test at a distance of about 20 feet, the quality of the video produced

What can be improved

  • Nothing as of yet

Final thoughts

While I am a fan of many things wireless, I am only a fan if the resulting service is close to or equal to that of wired service. In many cases, this is not so, and there is often noticeable degradation and latency when opting for the convenience that wireless provides. After reading several online reviews, I was expecting mediocre results at best when I tested this IOGear extender, but much to my joyful surprise, the performance was great and there was not any noticeable impact on the video output. I have read many reviews that indicate connectivity problems between the Transmitter and Receiver and the dropping of the signal. I also read reviews that stated that the extender simply stopped working after a few months. I can honestly say that I have not experienced any connectivity issues or quality of video issues, albeit that I only had limited 4K content to test with. It works flawlessly with 1080P and also with my current mini projectors that either downscale the output to 720P or accept a 1080P input signal irrespective of their output resolution. It also worked well with my 4K projector. I do understand that I have only had this device for a few weeks and that my testing distance is shorter than the claimed limits of the device. Many reviews indicated that there were connectivity problems from even just 10 feet away, so time will tell. If I experience any issues in the weeks or months ahead I will certainly submit an update. But until then, I am giving the IOGear 4K Extender two thumbs up!!.

Price: $245.35
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by IOGear.

Filed in categories: Reviews

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IOGear Ultra-Fast 60GHz Wireless 4K UHD Video Extender review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 5, 2019 at 11:00 am.

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