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Friday August 14, 2009
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 InFocus has signed on to use ultrawideband technology in conjunction with its line of digital projectors, although it's still unclear what it will cost.
Company representatives emailed a press release to PCMag.com reporters this week, explaining that a new DisplayLink Wireless System is currently compatible with the InFocus IN1100 and IN3100 series, and will be available soon on the IN1500, IN5300 and IN5500 series as well as future DisplayLink-enabled projectors. The modules contain chips from Wisair, one of the few remaining UWB technology providers. Users shouldn't have to worry about data loss, as long as the projectors are in the same room as the source: the adapters are rated for 99 Mbits/s, within distances of 30 feet.
Unfortunately, neither projector analyst M. David Stone nor I could
reach the company for followup questions. At this point, we don't know
exactly when the modules will ship, how much they will cost,which port
they will plug into, and how the modules will interact - there's one
for the source, and one for the projector, and InFocus says they come
pre-paired. If one gets lost or broken, what then? We also don't know
whether InFocus plans to integrate the UWB modules into future
products, or leave them as modular add-ons.
Finally, we also don't know what this means for the LifeShow II, an
existing InFocus module that uses 802.11b/g technology to transmit data
at up to 720p resolutions. I personally have never had great luck
running video over a Wi-Fi connection, so it may be that the LifeShow
II was a stopgap product. Until InFocus contacts us, we'll never know.
EDIT 8/28. InFocus responded on the 18th -- unfortunately, through a combination of scheduling and just plain neglect, I haven't updated this post until now. Here's what we learned:
The modules will ship in early September and are available now for $159.
According to Loren Shaw, the product line director, the modules were pre-paired to make it easy for users. "We choose the pre-paired strategy based on significant feedback and observation that pairing adaptors was difficult and time consuming for many users," Shaw wrote. "We wanted the install process to be quick and easy. Additionally, the pre-pairing helps security by making sure encryption keys are loaded at the factory and thus never outside of each adaptor. But, pre-pairing also means that if one adapter gets lost, a new pair must be purchased."
Future products will likely remain as modular add-ons, Shaw added. "Future products would likely remain modular add-ons but may be more physically integrated into the design (e.g. could install by a user accessible door). Integration onto main boards is unlikely due to the complexity of country-to-country regulation and certification requirements."
Furthermore, the modules will only work with InFocus projectors. "The product is designed to work only with InFocus projectors that have DisplayLink connectors," Shaw said. "The primary reason is that the all of our projector's DisplayLink connectors have a 5V power out pin on the mini-USB to power the projector side adaptor. This is a unique feature of our product that eliminates the need for a separate power supply. The adaptors will work with any PC running Windows XP or Vista (32bit). It does require a USB 2.0 and Microsoft .NET Framework V2.0 or higher."
And as for the LifeShow II? "LifeShowII and the Wireless DisplayLink Adaptors are two separate solutions with different use models," Shaw said. "LifeShowII can be used as a point-to-point device, but is most commonly used in an install situation where there are many users to one projector and many users connecting to a network.
"The Wireless DisplayLink Adaptors is a simple point-to-point device and probably a single user device (personal, mostly non-shared)," Shaw wrote. " It grew out of corporate customer feedback that 1) many corporate IT policies do not allow for 802.11 connectivity with projectors (support and security issues) and 2) There is a need for a mobile wireless solution for out-of-office sales teams as well as room-to-room usage within a building. The Wireless DisplayLink Adaptors satisfied both of those requirements by using UWB technology and by being very small and easy to pack away into a briefcase or desk drawer."
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August 16, 2009 8:03 PM
At least adopt a policy of running spell-check on the headline. . .