There are many options available these days for wireless HDMI solutions. Prices can vary quite a bit but the Nyrious Aries Pro comes in around the mid to high price point for a unit with a range of 100 ft at $249.99 USD. How does the performance, range, and ease of use measure up? This is our review of the NYRIUS ARIES PRO Wireless HD Video Transmitter & Receiver.
Specifications
- MSRP: $249.99 USD
- Supported Video Resolution: TV 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 576p, 480p / PC 1024x768, 1280x1024, 640x480, 800x600
- 3D Compatible: Yes
- Ports & Interfaces: HDMI, Mini-USB
- Wireless Range: 100 ft (streaming line of sight results in maximum range)
- Transmission Frequency: 4.9~5.9GHz with Dynamic Frequency Selecting (DFS)
- System Latency: <= 1 ms
- Wireless Technology: GigaXtreme Technology
- Wall Mountable: Yes
- Remote Control: No
- Bandwidth: 40Mhz
- TX/RX Channel: 1 RX / 1 TX
- 2 screws/screw anchors
- 1-Year Manufacturer’s Warranty
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The small box comes densely packed with the HD transmitter, HD receiver, a 100-240V AC power adapter, 5ft. HDMI cable, right angle adapter, and quick start guide. I was a bit concerned at first that the HDMI cable would be to short depending on where my desktop tower was located underneath my desk but with a bit of careful planning, it was more than long enough to reach while keeping the receiver positioned in a good location. When testing with my wall-mounted TV I had to swap the supplied HDMI cable to a longer one. If I were planning on permanently connecting the receiver to the TV I would be tempted to wall mount the unit with the supplied screws and anchors. It was also a nice addition to have the right angle adapter included in the box in case there were any issues with space and/or angle when connecting the transmitter and receiver.
The build quality of the components is good, while they feel light and the casing is made of plastic they don’t feel overly fragile. The rubber legs on the receiver were nice to have when placing it on my desk and they can be removed easily if wall mounting the unit, though I didn’t like that the legs were just glued on rather than screwed into place. The transmitter has a white indicator LED that when flashing is connecting and when solid indicates that the device is connected to the receiver. The receiver has the same white LED indicators and a orange LED to signal standby mode/pairing. I was a bit surprised that there are no additional antennas on either the transmitter or receiver, but this did not seem to impact their effectiveness.
Set up was easy to do and everything was plug and play. The only setting I had to change was my display resolution and changing it from the detected default to 1080p. I tested my main monitor and secondary monitor separately, each for multiple hours while performing different activities. Gaming was smooth and I didn’t notice any extra latency over the 3+ hours, most of which was playing an online FPS. Watching YouTube videos, browsing online, and working were also equally smooth visual experiences. If I didn’t know that I had hooked up a wireless connection I would not have noticed a difference between it and using a cable. After finishing up testing on my desktop I moved onto testing my gaming consoles, first by gaming and then streaming Netflix, again no issues and no latency I could identify. My wife and I binge-watched an entire season on Netflix and noticed no performance impact from the prolonged use.
To test the effective range I moved one room at a time away from the receiver, checking the picture quality each time on the TV/monitor until I reached the opposite end of my house. No distance was over 100 feet and if I was only 1 one room away from the TV/monitor the picture was clear. Once I was more than 2 doors/walls away or went downstairs the signal still was connected but the picture became somewhat pixilated. If you are using the unit within the same room or are only one room away there should be no problem at all with the clear latency-free transmission.
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There are a few things that may be an issue for some users that I quickly noticed during my testing. When connecting the transmitter to your output device it is a bit wide at the base. This can overlap with other connection ports that are located next to the HDMI connection port. You also need an available USB port in addition to the HDMI port to power the transmitter, in most cases though this should not be an issue but just something to keep in mind. The transmitter and receiver can get hot over time, this is noted in the quick start guide included in the box. While it should not be a major concern do make sure to keep them positioned in an open area so that the heat doesn’t build up over time. During my first few hours of testing I started to hear the occasional clicking sound… it ended up being the sticker on the top of the receiver, the adhesive was slowly giving way due to the heat and eventually just popped off the unit.
I had only two minor visual issues while testing, both with my secondary monitor. The image at first seemed a bit lighter in color, I had to adjust the brightness and contrast. The second was that my secondary monitor’s recommended resolution was 1920x1200 and the Aries Pro max resolution is 1920x1080 so the image was a touch off, worked perfectly fine otherwise. I did have some concerns about the 4.9-5.9GHz DFS as I do use a 5GHz network to connect several devices in my home, but I didn’t run into any interference during testing.
Final Thoughts
The Nyrius Aries Pro worked great for each of the tasks tested and I liked being able to take my laptop over to the couch with me while streaming Netflix, without having to worry about trailing a cord. There was no noticeable latency while gaming, watching TV or working. I am tempted now to set one of these up in my home office for the occasional client presentation on a larger TV/monitor. If you want to cut down on cords or have the convenience of being able to move your transmitting device around the house then I recommend picking one up. Do keep in mind though the max resolution is 1080p and that it only connects to one device at a time.
Pros
- No noticeable latency & clear 1080p image
- Ease to set up & use
- Less wires
Cons
- Transmitter & Receiver can get hot
- Need an extra USB to power Transmitter
- Transmitter can block other nearby ports
The product discussed in this article was provided by the manufacturer for the purposes of review.
