If you are like me, and have several different content streaming devices hooked up to your television’s HDMI input; then you also likely have tons of different cables running hither and yon, looking like a box of really skinny snakes was dumped out unceremoniously next to your TV. It’s kind of messy, isn’t it? To combat that problem, enter the Nyrius Aries Home+ Wireless HDMI Transmitter. it provides a wireless HDMI transmission to anywhere in your home. Here’s my review.
Nyrius Aries Home+ Out of the Box
Open up the slim, rectangular blue and white box and you will be looking at a couple of components, as well as a couple of power cables, an HDMI cable, IR remote extender, and a remote. The bigger component is the Digital Wireless HD Transmitter. Made entirely of black plastic, the transmitter also comes with a stand in case you prefer to situate it vertically instead of horizontally. Unlike a modem or other devices, the transmitter doesn’t have a whole bunch of crazy flashing lights when it is on. Instead, there is only one very nice and simple indicator light for when it is active. This, along with its slim design and black colour, makes it quite the discreet device that can be easily hidden. The back of the transmitter is where you will find the various ports for the remote extender, HDMI input and two HDMI outputs.
The second device in the box is a Digital Wireless Receiver. Coming in at about half the size of the transmitter, this little square box is also made of black plastic, and features power and source buttons, a status light on top, plus HDMI and power cable ports on the back.
Also included, as I mentioned earlier, is an IR remote extender. This plugs into the back of the transmitter and sits in front of the video source. When you press a button on a remote that is pointing at the wireless transmitter, it sends the signal to the external IR remote extender, and then that forwards the signal to whichever device you are using (DVR, Apple TV, etc.). It also works for wireless game controllers, such as you would use with your PlayStation.
Setting Up the Nyrius Aries Home+
Nyrius touts the Aries Home+ as “plug and play,” meaning you should just be able to hook everything up, no muss no fuss, and be on your way to a wireless HDMI-streaming experience. As promised, the Home+ is super easy to set up. Basically, you plug the transmitter in to a source (the aforementioned DVR, Apple TV, cable box, game consoles, etc.), and then plug the receiver into your TV’s HDMI port. To hook my Apple TV wirelessly to my TV took about ten seconds, so yeah, I would totally agree that the Nyrius Aries Home+ is truly plug and play. I had no issues at all, and it was a snap.
Using the Nyrius Aries Home+
The most important thing you want from a wireless HDMI setup, is for it to function exactly as a wired connection would function, right? And Nyrius does promise a “lag-free” or “zero latency” experience with the Aries Home+. Essentially, latency is a time delay between the cause and the effect of some observed change in a system. In technology, users call this “lag.” Lag is a much bigger headache in some tech areas over others, but as any gamer will tell you, no lag is the ideal condition that you want to have when gaming. That’s because even an extra nanosecond can noticeably affect your gaming experience, seriously making the difference between life and death in genres such as first-person-shooters, and the like. While watching TV or viewing streaming videos, lag doesn’t really make that much of a significant difference to your viewing pleasure. So, my experience with using my Apple Tv plugged into the Aries Home+ was exactly the same as when it was hard-wired into my TV via an HDMI box with multiple ports. I watched Netflix and iTunes movies without a hitch, and there was no delay, or lag. The video quality was identical, with no noticeable interference or distortion. The same goes for the audio, which was perfect, without any loss in fidelity. And with a range of about 100 feet, this device can help declutter your mantle by allowing you to set up your streaming content or gaming devices almost anywhere else in your living room.
I read some reviews that said they experienced lag when gaming, however when I used my PS3 console, I did not really find there was any difference in video/audio quality or extra lag than I usually experience. Admittedly, I didn’t play that much with the console, as I am more of a PC gamer. You can, however use this device to stream your PC wirelessly to a monitor or TV, as well, which is really cool. Again, although I have read some negative reviews, in my own experience I did not see any lag or latency when I quickly set up my own wireless computer-to-monitor station. So, as you can tell, the Nyrius Aries Home+ HDMI Transmitter is pretty versatile and can offer lots of wireless freedom no matter your choice of digital entertainment
Will the Nyrius solve your home theatre situation
A few months ago, I had a carpenter friend build a beautiful mantle for under my television, which hangs above a fireplace. As I have five different things I wanted plugged into my TV’s single HDMI port, I asked for the mantle to have different compartments and a big gap in the back, so I could run all those cables behind and out the side to the multi-HDMI splitter box, and electrical outlet/power bar. I really tried to make it clean and neat, but all those wires and cables are still noticeable in places.
If I had known about the Nyrius Aries Home+, I would not have that problem. I could have just set the little receiver on the mantle, and set up my devices elsewhere out of the way. My only complaint is that this can only handle two of my devices. If it could handle all five, I would have picked one up in a second. It also gets a little hot when in use, which does give me some concern for its lifespan. But, ultimately I think this is a really useful and cool piece of technology that’s a bit of a game-changer and can really offer truly wireless HDMI goodness.
Other Nyrius products
In addition to the Aries Home+, Nyrius also offers a range of products and bundles for your streaming needs. The company has a new Pro Wireless HDMI Transmitter & Receiver for streaming 1080p and 3D content from a laptop to an HD TV or projector. Also new is the Nyrius Orion Home Wireless HDMI Video Transmitter & Receiver for Streaming HD 1080p Audio/Video to TV/Projector. With easy plug-and-play setup, this device allows you to set up two separate viewing environments, so you can view through one wired connection in your bedroom and watch the same HD content wirelessly in another room. Or, and with the included IR extender, you can conveniently control your media device from any area of the home. You’ll also find Nyrius also has a new 5.8GHz 4 Channel Wireless Video Sender Transmitter & Receiver with Remote Extender available that lets you duplicate your satellite or cable box signal into another room, garage, or man cave easily.
Check out all the Nyrius products available online at Best Buy.
The Nyrius Aries Prime delivers crystal clear HD video and audio to TVs and projectors from a variety of devices. The transmitter is easy to set up, and doesn’t require a WiFi connection. I like it!
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