Wireless media streaming used to be a very hot subject in the tech world in 2008, but it went pretty much under the radar at this year's edition of the Consumer Electronics Show, being practically overwhelmed by all those networked TVs and netbooks. However, there have been several interesting announcements in this field as well, such as the one from IOGEAR, who introduced the Wireless USB Audio / Video Kit, a system that should allow users to stream HD content from their computers to their HDTVs.

The kit is formed of three different components: an audio adapter for speaker connectivity, a VGA adapter for a TV or monitor and the Wireless USB adapter for the hosting PC. The Wireless USB Audio / Video Kit does create a wireless home entertainment system, but there's also a catch: the receiving TV set must be in the same room as the signal source, while the maximum range is of just around 30 feet (10 meters).

According to the manufacturer, the system provides HD streaming at resolutions up to 720p and supports stereo sound, while providing a good solution for those homes where, for various reasons, it's rather difficult to install the required cabling.

It's also interesting to note that the wireless kit provided by IOGEAR will “play nice” with other Wireless USB products, a fact certified by the USB Implementers Forum. The kit's components support the most widespread operating systems around, namely Windows XP 32-bit (Service Pack 2) or Vista (32-/64-bit), but, unfortunately, there's no word on Linux or Mac support.

IOGEAR's Wireless USB Audio / Video Kit is a long way from the would-be customers, since the company has announced that it would only arrive in stores at some point in March 2009. Unfortunately, the price tag will also be relatively high, namely around 350 US dollars.


We are just a few, but there are many of you, Softpedia users, out there. That's why we thought it would be a good idea to create an email address for you to help us a little in finding gadgets we missed. Interesting links are bound to be posted with recognition going mainly to those who submit. The address is .