Clutter is something we can all live without. And as more and more “connected” devices are being released each month, we have increasingly varied options when it comes to reducing the cable clutter in our home theaters. Everything from HDTVs to Blu-Ray players, from surround sound systems to gaming consoles, is being upgraded to be compatible with wireless technology. This is good news for those of us who would like to see a smooth, streamlined home theater without a mess of cables winding along the floor from speaker to TV to AV receiver to wall outlet.
To begin your journey into the wonderful world of wireless home entertainment, you have to set up a home network. This involves setting up a modem to access the Internet through your Internet Service Provider, either through cable, phone line or satellite. This modem is then attached to a router, which is the central hub that connects all wireless devices. For more information on how to configure your modem and your router, contact your local ISP.
Now that you’ve got the building blocks for a networked home theater, you can move on to the actual components of the soon-to-be-wireless system. Let’s start with the largest and most central component for many home theaters – the flat screen HDTV. There are several options for a connected TV in today’s market, all of which can be wall mounted and can incorporate a TV picture frame. When searching for the perfect wireless TV, remember that limitations are usually placed on what the TV can and cannot do on the Internet. For instance, a particular HDTV might allow access to Netflix and a photo sharing service, but it will not necessarily allow you to browse web sites through a Google search like a computer would.
A lot of HDTV manufacturers call the specific connected features “widgets”. These widgets are usually the limited abilities that the TV has in on-line access. In one instance, you might be able to access a local weather widget and a stock market widget. These would allow you access to real-time information on your local weather or specific stock conditions, based on your location and your preferences. You could not, however, log-on and check your email or browse a news aggregate site for the latest stock or weather information.
What’s great about Net TVs, wireless HDTVs or connected TVs is that they are constantly being upgraded. Because they can access the Internet through your home network, you can automatically download any updates to the software. This can result in expanded access, as the TV manufacturer decides to open up social networking widgets, YouTube video streaming widgets and more.
Many of the big-name manufacturers have a version of a connected TV on the market. Sony, for instance, has the Bravia line which includes TVs that can access Yahoo news, YouTube videos, Flickr photo sharing, Amazon video-on-demand and more. And several Samsung TVs have access to a host of Yahoo widgets, such as Yahoo Finance and Flickr, as well as 3rd-party widgets like eBay and USA Today. Not to mention the fact that a wireless HDTV can connect to a home theater PC and access pictures, videos and more on your hard drive.
If you are interested in purchasing a TV that includes wireless capabilities, now is a good time to buy. There are new HDTVs being offered all the time that are at the cutting-edge of wireless technology, and companies are quick to follow the industry leaders in this trend. Once you’ve chosen the wireless TV that suits your needs, you can incorporate a whole host of other wireless devices, like speakers and a Blu-Ray player, to truly have a wireless home theater.
Tags: audio/video, Cables, Home Theater, Layout
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