This Wi-Fi a bad buy
By Marc Saltzman
Gannett News Service
Wi-Fi — the wireless technology that lets computers connect to the Internet and share files — is undeniably hot.
Driven by the popularity of high-speed Internet service, Wi-Fi networks are exploding in homes as a way to connect two or more computers to the Web inexpensively and with a minimum of effort.
This year, the number of wireless networks will exceed the number of wired networks for the first time, Jupiter Research says. By 2008, more than 90 percent of home networks will be wireless.
Capitalizing on Wi-Fi's success, a handful of companies have introduced wireless home entertainment products that deliver sound and images throughout the home.
This week, Sharp Electronics (www.sharpusa.com) jumps on the Wi-Fi bandwagon with the first Wi-Fi television.
"Having a wireless television gives viewers the freedom to be able to move the entertainment to where the party is, as opposed to being forced to gather the party around where the TV has to sit," says Tony Favia, Sharp's senior product manager for flat panel televisions. The Wireless Aquos is ideal for watching television or DVDs outside on the patio or deck, Favia says.
Consumers will have to pay for the convenience and portability afforded by the Wireless Aquos. It sells for about $1,800, nearly triple the cost of a 15-inch liquid-crystal-display television. Aquos is Sharp's brand for LCD televisions. The company is the LCD television leader with 48 percent of the market.
'Ridiculous' prices
The cost of the Wireless Aquos may prove prohibitive, even for early adopters who buy newer technology before it becomes mainstream.
"Though the concept is cool, paying $1,800 for a 15-inch screen is just ridiculous," says Donald Case, a marketing manager for a Scottsdale, Ariz., video-game publishing company and self-professed "techno-geek."
"Maybe I'd consider it if the price dropped to $700 or so, but otherwise, forget it."
Analysts agree the steep price will likely be an obstacle — but there are technical concerns as well.
"I'm very skeptical about the quality of the picture — it is extremely hard to pull off wireless video," says Bob O'Donnell, director of personal technology at research firm IDC.
The 11-megabit, 802.11b Wi-Fi standard on which Sharp's wireless TV is based has been criticized as not being fast enough to deliver video signals smoothly.
O'Donnell says Sharp's Wi-Fi television has to be "100 percent perfect" or else consumers won't buy it, especially considering its price.
"The cost is pretty steep to put it mildly," O'Donnell says. "Clearly, this product is for people who like gadgets and have disposable income."
Consumer electronics products with integrated Wi-Fi, such as Turtle Beach's (www.turtlebeach.com) Sonic Link, a product that wirelessly streams digital music from a computer to a home stereo, have had lukewarm success with retailers and consumers.
"These are products for enthusiasts," Jupiter's Michael Gartenberg says. "They may do the job but often they're more for a technologically sophisticated audience. They need to be easier to use and more affordable before we see them catch on."
O'Donnell says it may be an ambitious step for Sharp to launch its wireless television now.
"It's not unusual for a new technology to take time to catch on — so it may be premature to introduce wireless video before wireless audio is embraced," he says.
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Aquos stylish, easy to set up, but 'stutters,' price are big negatives
The Wireless Aquos arrives as two stylishly designed components — a base station that broadcasts the wireless signal and the monitor that receives it.
Setting up the system is fast and simple. Connect a cable, satellite or antenna input into the base station and turn it on. Then position the monitor anywhere in or around the house and tune in your favorite programs.
The monitor operates on a rechargeable battery, good for about three hours. Its lightweight design, carrying handle and built-in table stand make moving it around the house convenient. The monitor has built-in stereo speakers.
The picture is bright and clear, and the audio and video match perfectly, so actors' words never fall out of sync with the movement of their lips.
The base station delivers the wireless TV picture even further than the specifications suggest — up to 150 feet away instead of 100 — without any perceptible loss in quality.
Once in a while, the video "stutters," possibly due to a brief interruption in the wireless signal. The stutter was more pronounced when playing back video from a personal video recording device, such as TiVo.
While the stutter is a minor problem, the Wireless Aquos' $1,800 price isn't. That's nearly three times the cost of other 15-inch LCD televisions and, for most folks, too much to pay for the convenience it affords.
— Marc Saltzman
