Do you sit in front of your TV while simultaneously surfing the Web? Ever see a video online that you want to share with everyone and/or just see on the big screen? This Wireless Laptop to HDTV kit from EZAirWireless is your savior. We recently reviewed this product in detail and tell you whether to pick one of these up.
EZAirWireless in conjunction with Wisair (who makes the wireless USB chip that it’s based on) have created the EZView which consists of a USB adapter that plugs into your laptop/computer and the A/V adapter dock that plugs into your TV or projector via either an HDMI cable (preferred) or VGA and audio cables.
It took me about 20 minutes to set things up – unpacking, plugging stuff in, installing drivers & software (MS Windows XP/Vista). There are 2 applications that you need to install, not counting the drivers, but once they’re installed you’re good to go. Plug the little adapter into your laptop and it should automatically sync up with its partner hooked into your TV. They should both light up with green lights which also flash when there’s activity. The laptop adapter is made with a swivel so you can make it point up regardless of the orientation of your USB ports.
Once I had everything plugged in, it was time to see what I could display. There are 2 modes that you can choose – mirror mode (you see everything on your laptop on your TV) or extend mode where your TV acts as an additional, adjunct monitor. Mirror mode isn’t bad, but I didn’t like that it automatically resized my laptop’s resolution (to x720). I preferred extended mode, so that way I could continue doing stuff on my laptop in other windows while the video played on the TV.
I was pleased that the audio worked so well (via HDMI). I didn’t really need to change a thing except to up the volume a bit on the TV set; it wasn’t controllable via my laptop.
I tested it out by visiting a number of video websites including the usual suspects, Youtube, Hulu and even CBS. These are all Flash-based sites and I was pleased to see that the video seemed to look better on my HDTVs than on my laptop. I also visited Youtube’s HTML5 beta site and videos there worked quite nicely as well.
The range on the EZView is rated at 20 ft (line of sight), but honestly if you’re sitting that far away from your TV, you must have an enormous screen! I tested at about 10ft away and it worked great. For grins, I tried putting some walls and doors in between the dock and my laptop, and those killed the sync off pretty quickly.
I had a few minor issues and wish list items:
- Sometimes the audio and video got out of sync, but worked itself out again eventually (usually in seconds)
- The transceivers get really hot very quickly, but they are transferring a lot of data. One nice feature is that on the receiver attached to the tv goes into power saving mode when it’s no t receiving a signal.
- I also found in my testing that it knocked the sound out on my laptop, and I had to reboot in order to bring it back.
- In mirror mode, it would be really nice to dictate which window was displayed on the TV.
Overall, the EZView is a handy gadget for those of you who want to get your Internet media splashed up on the big screen. The EZView goes for anywhere from $125 to $145 depending on the brand it’s sold under; It may also be called something else. For example, a search for “wireless laptop usb hdtv” on Amazon pulls up 3 different vendors, but the product has a distinctive look and is hard to miss.
(Disclaimer: Gizmos for Geeks received a complimentary review copy of this product.)
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Cool gadget. Vey cost effective.
EZAirWireless launched today their online store http://www.ezairwireless.com in the US – all products are available there for purchase!
Thanks Khalid and Jack. Just bought my EZView at http://www.ezairwireless.com
Glad we could help Robert!
Hello
I installed the CD in my old laptop and now I want to use my device in my new one but i dont find the CD 🙁 Do you know a place where I can download the program ? Thanks !
Hi Robert , I installed the CD in my old laptop and now I want to use my device in my new one but i dont find the CD 🙁 Do you know a place where I can download the program ?
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Cheers for such a candid assessment, as you've mentioned, I've seen an identical looking product under a different brand name – Q-Waves. I'll probably hold out for a while to see if any new competition materializes and drives the price down a tad.
Much Obliged
Ian
Thanks for the kind words Ian. Glad you liked the review!
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Thinking about getting this but do the drivers have a mac OS-x version? I am also looking at the Roku but your review is changing my mind since I can sync with the my PC.
Hi Carl – afraid not. 🙁 I should have included that in my review as a con.
Can I watch live tv transfered from pc to the big screen with this device?
Hi evgeny – if you mean live TV that is playing on your PC, then sure. It can display whatever is on your desktop/laptop.
Is there currently a product on the market that allows you to do a similar task but goes through walls… want to hook my pc upstairs to my tv downstairs. Thanks for reviewing this product was what I needed to hear.
Hi Fasey – not sure. But there's more than one way to skin a cat. I'd suggest some kind of media streamer.
HAVA, Netgear, Mvix, WD (and many others) have products that let you stream from the Internet and your computer.
Cheers!
Considering buying EZair for my older Dell Optiplex Desktop PC w/ Dual monitors w standard DVD drive, to connect wireless to a new 42" 1080P HDTV.
Q1. Would I be able to display a Hulu TV program on one PC Monitor / and the HDTV while working on a email or program on the other PC Monitor in the Extended mode?
Q2. I'm looking to buy a new Laptop Intel Core5 ( Sandy Bridge) with WiDi 2.0 wireless and Blue Ray DVD player. Would I be able to use the imbedded Latops WiDi 2.0 wireless feature with the EZAir receiver or would I have to take the EzAir Wirelss USB 2 adapter off the Desktop PC and move it to the Laptop every time I wanted to use the Laptop?
ThX
KCS
With the EZ View, would I be able to use my 42" HD TV as a giant monitor as I use my lapotop? I'd like to see WordPerfect and PhotoShop with the larger view as I work on picture and text editing.
i think that you can do it, but i am not sure becuse i didnt try it.
but i saw that you can stream all the pc to your tv so i think that you can 🙂
i will try to answer on the first question 🙂 i am using ezview+ at my home for watching online movies(hulu plus and netflix) and in order to see it on the tv and still work there is an option of extend mode(something with the display link driver) and then you can work on your computer screen and see your browser on your tv.
hope it will help you 🙂
just had this for xmas. synced and worked first time really well a couple of hours ago until i closed the lid of my laptop. It seems i've messed up the settings. Now the laptop screen stays black when the dongle syncs to the wireless adapter on the tv – tried unplugging and rebooting but still black screen on laptop and blue on tv even though they are connected by wireless. can anyone help? thanks.
I have 2 questions.
1) Can it work on PC window based tablet?
2) Where can I buy in Singapore, Malaysia or Hong Kong?
Regards,
David
Does this work on laptops with AMD processors..I've heard possibly not??
Hi Tony – Although there are some weird processor incompatibilities out there, I'm betting in all likelihood, that's not the case here. Perhaps ask your source how what their proof is…
my ezair has stop working and i purchase only a couple of months ago.
Is this work with windows 7?