Imation Link Wireless HD Audio/Video Extender

by Imation

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.9 x 10.9 x 5.4 inches ; 2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0040722Q4
• Item model number: LINK 51122
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (91 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,167 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Technical Details

Operating System Requirements (PC and Mac): Windows XP/Vista/7, Mac 10.4+ (with Intel processor)

Connection Types:

• HDMI digital video with audio support: 19-pin female HDMI connector/HDMI 1.2 (6-foot HDMI cable is included)
• VGA analog video with analog audio: DB-15 VGA connector, 3.5mm stereo analog audio jack; 32-bit True Color depth for high-quality images

Resolutions: Video resolution up to 720p; photo and graphics resolution up to 1080p

Video Options:

• Standard and wide-screen aspect ratios (4:3 or 16:9)
• EDID (Extended Display Identification Data) support
• VESA and CEA-861b resolutions

Minimum Monitor Requirements:

• Resolution of 640x480 (VGA) or better
• One HDMI port or one VGA port + analog audio jack

Audio Capabilities:

• HDMI includes full digital audio

VGA requires separate audio connection through 3.5mm jack

Wireless Specifications:

• Data Transfer Rate: Up to 220 Mbps via ultra wideband wireless technology
• USB Frequency Range: Uses Band Group 1 between 3.168 and 4.752 GHz in the United States; export versions use Band Groups 3 and 6 between 6.336 and 8.976 GHz

Installation Options:

The Imation LINK Wireless A/V Extender requires DisplayLink software, which is available for both PC and Mac operating systems.

DisplayLink for Windows

DisplayLink software for the PC is already on the USB transmitter, ready to install. It is compatible with the following Windows operating systems:

• Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit)
• Windows Vista with Service Pack 1 or 2 (32-bit or 64-bit)
• Windows XP Home or Professional (including Tablet edition) with Service Pack 2 or 3

Note: 64-bit editions of XP are not supported. No Windows Server editions are supported.

DisplayLink for Mac OS X

DisplayLink software for Intel-based Macintosh computers is provided on the included CD-ROM. It is compatible with the following operating systems:

• Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)
• Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
• Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard)

Specifications are subject to change without notice.

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 2.2 x 2.25 x 9.25 inches; 0.3 pounds
• Shipping Weight: TBD
• Shipping: Currently, item can only be shipped within the USA
• ASIN: TBD
• Item model number: TBD

Product Description

Go big. Go wireless.

The Imation LINK(TM) Wireless A/V Extender gives you the freedom of wirelessly streaming audio and video content from your notebook or desktop computer to a television, projector or monitor. It lets you expand your PC desktop to a TV set or projector. Using a wireless connection that does not conflict with Wi-Fi signals, the Imation LINK Wireless A/V Extender delivers fast data transfer rates for clear pictures and sound.

What I LINK:

Stream YouTube(TM) and Hulu(TM) videos to your big screen at home.

Display digital photos and videos to share with others.

Take your computer gaming to a whole new size.

Surf the web from the comfort of your couch.

Make Skype calls through the audio and video on your HDTV.

Show your business presentation to the whole conference room.

Imation LINK(TM) Receiver and USB Transmitter

Play well with others.

With the Imation LINK Wireless A/V Extender, you can send video at up to 1280x720 resolution from your PC or Mac computer, and show pictures and graphics at resolutions up to 1920x1080. Connect to any video display with an HDMI input, using the included HDMI cable, for full digital video and audio. You can also send video through a VGA connection and two-channel audio through the 3.5mm stereo audio output. Wireless USB technology lets you stream content at speeds up to 220 Mbps, without creating Wi-Fi interference.

Front and Back Views of the LINK Receiver

• 1. Power Indicator
• 2. Signal Strength Indicator
• 3. HDMI Digital Audio and Video Output
• 4. ASSOC Button (on bottom)
• 5. Power Input Jack
• 6. VGA Video Output
• 7. Stereo Audio Output

Get the whole picture.

The Extended Desktop Mode lets you drag any window from your computer screen to your TV or projector. Show one image on the big screen while you have another on your computer -- perfect for giving presentations. You can also select Mirror Mode, which displays the same image on your computer screen and the big screen.

Extended Desktop Mode

How I LINK:

The Imation LINK Wireless A/V Extender is easy to set up and use. Just follow the directions in the Quick Start Guide to connect the LINK Receiver to the HDMI or VGA port on your TV or projector. An AC adapter and HDMI cable are included. Here's a preview.

1. Install the software. Install the drivers from the USB Transmitter (Windows) or the included CD-ROM (Mac). You also get a full owner's manual with clear directions.

Windows software is on the USB Transmitter. Mac software is on the included CD-ROM.

2. Set Up the Receiver. Locate the Receiver on the top or front edge of a stable object such as a shelf, TV stand or cabinet, up to 30 feet away from the Transmitter. Align the Transmitter with the shark fin on the Receiver. Using the included HDMI cable, or your own VGA and 3.5mm stereo audio cables, connect the Receiver to your TV, projector or monitor. Then plug the AC adapter into the back of the Receiver and into a powered outlet.

Use the included HDMI cable for digital video and audio, or a VGA cable and stereo plug for analog video and audio

Plug the AC adapter into the Receiver and into a powered outlet

3. Make your settings. Set up your DisplayLink software, and check the video settings in the Control Panel (Windows) or the System Preferences (Mac OS).

At work or play, maximize your computing experience with the Imation LINK Wireless A/V Extender.

Product Description

With Imation’s Link Wireless A/V Solution, you can now enjoy the freedom of wirelessly streaming content from your notebook and/or desktop PC/Mac to your television, projector or monitor. It also allows you to increase the size of your PC “desktop” by expanding it to a TV or projector. Imation’s Link A/V Solution utilizes a wireless USB-based connection, resulting in crisp, clean video displays. It supports both high-resolution video and audio and it’s easy to install – there’s no complex setup required, making it user-friendly and simple to operate. With faster data transfer rates than WiFi, you’re ensured strong and reliable wireless signals, lower power consumption and no WiFi interferences.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nothing else like it, September 1, 2010

By 

Mark Andrew Sass - See all my reviews

This review is from: Imation Link Wireless HD Audio/Video Extender (Electronics)

I like to watch movies, and I have a really nice TV for doing this. Streaming movies from the web to my PC was lame because I only have a 19" LCD, but they look great with this product on my TV. Netflix streaming through my PS3 was really poor quality compared to the browser based one as well. I also like that I can put together a slide show of my pictures and let the entire family view it on the TV which having to crowd around my computer to see them on my monitor. The best part is the ability to be doing something else on my regular monitor while the the TV shows the movie/youtube/pictures at the same time.

30 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed, December 31, 2010

By 

Vin (NJ) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Imation Link Wireless HD Audio/Video Extender (Electronics)

Well, set-up was quick and easy, plugged the USB adapter/transmitter into my Toshiba laptop running Windows 7 (64 bit) and loaded drivers with no problem.

I then connected the receiver via HDMI > AVR > HDTV and plugged it in and in a matter of seconds the desktop was extended to my TV screen. I was prepared to have to move things around since my laptop sits about 18' away from the TV and it's not a direct line of sight, although you'd never know it, as it connected quickly and solidly, no issues here.

Okay, so far, so good. I then proceeded to go into the laptop's display settings and changed it from 'extend' to 'duplicate desktop'. It quickly responded and I was now looking at my desktop on my TV screen but the resolution was off, i.e., everything was oversized, so opening a web page that would normally fit, I now needed to scroll to see the page in it's entirety. Thinking this was just a matter of adjusting my laptop's output resolution, I was expecting to correct this easily but my laptop's recommended (maximum) resolution of 1366x768 was no longer an option....the highest resolution I could choose now was 800x600 so I couldn't change how the desktop or web pages were displayed on my TV screen. Oh, and the picture on my laptop was now pillar boxed and couldn't be changed either.

Then it occurred to me that maybe I just needed to restart the computer....nope, it didn't help, it came up the same way. I will say this though, the picture quality was very good, text was crisp and easy to read, and I may have even been able to live with the aformentioned problem but things got worse. I'll explain.

Wanting to know if I could get my laptop to display the way it normally would, I disconnected the USB dongle, my screen flickered and then came back to full screen (no pillar bars and resolution was back to normal) but any action from this point on, i.e., opening web pages or any folder resulted in my screen flickering like I'v never seen before. This is when I began to sweat...the laptop is only 5 months old and has been totally without issue until now. But wait, a reboot will certainly correct this, right?! Unfortunately not...upon restarting, the problem persisted with my flickering screen so I immediately began to think my video card has somehow been damaged....good grief.

Fortunately, that wasn't the case. As soon as I uninstalled the Display Link software, things returned to normal...thank heavens.

In summary, based on the mostly glowing reviews of this product, I have to believe I just have some compatibility issue between the device/software and my laptop or my TV or I'm just not doing something right.

So, after only a few hours with this device, unless someone reading this sees a glaring error on my part, it looks like the Imation Link Wireless A/V Extender is going back. Too bad.

21 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Works Great on my HDTV, September 20, 2010

By 

E. Broockman (austin, tx) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Imation Link Wireless HD Audio/Video Extender (Electronics)

I ordered my LINK on Pre-order on Friday Aug 28th. I set it up in my bedroom attached to a 52" Samsung 720P HDTV. The setup was easy; quick reminder, plug the dongle in first, before turning on the adapter unit attached to the TV. Once I did that, I changed the source input on my HDTV with my TV remote to the alternative HDMI port. There on my TV screen was my laptops desktop image. I chose duplicate mode instead of the default of extended mode in the popup window. That way my TV's image mirrored my Laptops screen. I didn't have to do any configuration to make the dongle connect, so it was easy to get going.

I brought up Google, then some news sites. Looked great. I then went to YouTube and Hulu and watched some video. All looked and sounded very good.

I have since used Skype to video call my daughter. It was a different experience. Instead of this tiny image on my 13" laptop, she was full sized on my TV, with the sound coming from the TV's speakers.

I bought the Link because I wanted a simple way to watch general Internet video, Hulu TV shows or Netflix up on my TV using my laptop. I wanted something easy to set up that didn't make me learn new software or buy a media server. What I like is that I can use the PC applications or visit web sites I am already familiar with but watch up on my big TV instead of my little laptop screen. Likewise, I can give the dongle to my son, and he can use his MAC with the Link and connect to the TV if he wants to.