ViewSonic unveils home net gear
Globe and Mail Update
RICHMOND HILL, Ont. Sept. 16 — ViewSonic Corp. has unveiled wireless media networking products for sharing digital video, pictures and music across consumer electronics devices. The offerings include a wireless media adapter, the WMA100, along with two wireless media gateways, the 80GB WMG80 and the 120GB WMG120, to address growing needs for storing digital content and distributing it to any display throughout the home. Superior wireless video performance is provided through the WMA100's video processing technology, while the WMG80 and WMG120 offer a combination of wireless routing and network storage functionality, including the ability to simultaneously view different files in multiple locations.
The WMA100 offers video streaming utilizing scaling, decoding and decompression technology to wirelessly receive and display better-than-DVD-quality video. When connected to any display via VGA or DVI, the WMA100 automatically detects and scales transmitted video content to the screen's native resolution. DVI, composite-video, component-video, S-Video and VGA video outputs team with analogueueue and coaxial SPDIF audio outputs with Dolby 5.1 pass through to make the WMA100 the most versatile media adapter on the market.
Video file formats supported by the WMA100 include MPEG 1, 2 and 4. Audio file support includes MP3, unprotected AAC, WMA and WAV. Photos in JPEG, GIF or PNG formats can be displayed using the WMA100.
The wireless media gateways provide value by functioning as both an 802.11g wireless router and a network attached storage device with print server capabilities. When the WMA100 is combined with either the WMG80 or the WMG120, consumers can store and wirelessly deliver digital content to one or more displays in the home.
By storing content directly on the gateway, users will achieve better video streaming performance by eliminating the multiple distribution stops necessary when using a PC as a server. With the increased available bandwidth, glitch-free simultaneous distribution to two or more displays is possible.
Both models offer two USB ports to support USB printers and external storage devices. The gateways feature a quick and easy set-up wizard and compatibility with Windows 98 SE and beyond.
Available in the winter, the WMA100 has an street price of $399 (Cdn.). ViewSonic will offer bundles that provide complete home networking solutions. The WMG80-B1 includes one WMG80 and one WMA100 for an ESP of $939, while the WMG120-B1 includes one WMG120 and one WMA100 for an ESP of $1,069.
