Price : Too low to display
Experience your laptop on your TV-wirelessly. The Belkin ScreenCast TV Adapter for Intel Wireless Display lets you play Blu-ray movies or stream HD Internet content from your favorite websites like Netflix, YouTube, and Pandora right on the big screen. Surf the Web and share photos, too. ScreenCast is easy to set up, and delivers full-HD 1080p resolution and Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound for a state-of-the-art home theater experience
This review is from : Belkin F7D4501 ScreenCast TV Adapter for Intel Wireless Display
Works well but ONLY on laptops running Windows 7 and specific display adapters . Before you consider buying this, check the Intel Wireless Display System requirements to make sure your laptop will operate with this adapter. You can find these on the Intel Site by searching for "Intel wireless display system requirements".
Wireless Display (or WiDi) is only available on laptops running Windows 7. I couldn't find a workaround to get it to operate on a desktop PC with Windows 7, which is a real shame.
If you do have a PC that you CAN connect to, then the Belkin ScreenCast device is a breeze to use. Plug it into the HDMI input on your TV. The Belkin comes with an HDMI cable. (You can also use a standard Red/Yellow/White RCA Cable, which isn't supplied. The video quality won't be as good.) Plug the Belkin power adapter into a wall output. Press the button on the back of the ScreenCast, right beside the cables. Then change the TV to get its input from the HDMI or RCA cable and you'll see a Belkin welcome screen.
Start the Intel WiDi software on your laptop and it will automatically connect so that your laptop screen contents are now displayed on your TV in 1080p. Intel also has a downloadable WiDi widget that lets you display your laptop on the TV while you do something else on the PC.
Overall summary: if you have a laptop that works with these, it's really easy to use. I just wish WiDi was supported on desktops also.
Works well but ONLY on laptops running Windows 7 and specific display adapters . Before you consider buying this, check the Intel Wireless Display System requirements to make sure your laptop will operate with this adapter. You can find these on the Intel Site by searching for "Intel wireless display system requirements".
Wireless Display (or WiDi) is only available on laptops running Windows 7. I couldn't find a workaround to get it to operate on a desktop PC with Windows 7, which is a real shame.
If you do have a PC that you CAN connect to, then the Belkin ScreenCast device is a breeze to use. Plug it into the HDMI input on your TV. The Belkin comes with an HDMI cable. (You can also use a standard Red/Yellow/White RCA Cable, which isn't supplied. The video quality won't be as good.) Plug the Belkin power adapter into a wall output. Press the button on the back of the ScreenCast, right beside the cables. Then change the TV to get its input from the HDMI or RCA cable and you'll see a Belkin welcome screen.
Start the Intel WiDi software on your laptop and it will automatically connect so that your laptop screen contents are now displayed on your TV in 1080p. Intel also has a downloadable WiDi widget that lets you display your laptop on the TV while you do something else on the PC.
Overall summary: if you have a laptop that works with these, it's really easy to use. I just wish WiDi was supported on desktops also.
Belkin F7D4501 ScreenCast TV Adapter for Intel Wireless Display Reviews
Easy set up . My Belkin Screencast TV adapter was very easy to set up and use. In fact my 12 year old nephew did this all by himself. Downloading Amazon movies and TV series was fun but trying to watch them as a family on a computer screen was pure torture as we were all squished together around a desk. Now we can watch them from our big screen in my living room and the picture quality is FANTASTIC. I don't know what else to say other than you really need to make sure that it is compatible with your computer and TV before purchasing. I don't understand why some reviewers have rated this so low when it clearly states what operating systems it works with.
Easy set up . My Belkin Screencast TV adapter was very easy to set up and use. In fact my 12 year old nephew did this all by himself. Downloading Amazon movies and TV series was fun but trying to watch them as a family on a computer screen was pure torture as we were all squished together around a desk. Now we can watch them from our big screen in my living room and the picture quality is FANTASTIC. I don't know what else to say other than you really need to make sure that it is compatible with your computer and TV before purchasing. I don't understand why some reviewers have rated this so low when it clearly states what operating systems it works with.
Belkin F7D4501 ScreenCast TV Adapter for Intel Wireless Display Opinions
Good toy around the house . I use this to stream my laptop shows onto my big screen TV. It's convenient, easy to set up, and works well enough to make it worth the price. I also use it to transform my TV into a photo slide show during the holidays/parties at home in lieu of a blank TV screen. My friends and family always comment on the unique display.
Good toy around the house . I use this to stream my laptop shows onto my big screen TV. It's convenient, easy to set up, and works well enough to make it worth the price. I also use it to transform my TV into a photo slide show during the holidays/parties at home in lieu of a blank TV screen. My friends and family always comment on the unique display.
Great device but setup is a major pain . It took me hours to get this device to work. The problem was entirely in getting the PC and the device to talk over wifi. Geting the device to talk to the TV over HDMI takes 5 seconds, that works flawlessly. Just make sure to select the right HDMI input.
I spent close to an hour with Belkin support who were completely useless. I almost gave up, but being technically savvy, eventually I prevailed and now I am enjoying some amazing online videos streaming from my laptop to my HDTV as I am writing this review on the same laptop.
I suspect some folks may be lucky and this device will just work fine for them. I was not one of these lucky ones, so let me try to help you.
Here are the problems I faced and how I fixed them:
- There is no software on the CD in the box - look at the little paper which tells you to go to a Belkin site, which eventually takes you to Intel to download some drivers. Start here, but keep in mind that the issues come from software, not the device.
- Some laptops are just not supported at all, such as my old lady's Dell. Search online for Intel WiDi system requirements to save yourself major disappointments.
- My Windows 7 Lenovo ThinkPad had trouble installing the Intel HD graphics driver from the Intel site. After some major digging on the Lenovo site, I managed to find a version of this driver provided by them, and that installed fine. You should check with your manufacturer.
- The biggest issue by far is that the Intel WiDi software was able to see the device and vice versa, but connection was failing for security reasons. The solution was to allow Wireless PAN DHCP and DNS through the Windows Firewall. You need to manually find the Wireless PAN etc in Program Files/Intel/Wifi and add it.
Once you get the device to work, here is what you get:
- Screen turns to 1280x720 resolution or some other non-native resolution. If your laptop can enter into a second monitor mode, it is worth engaging that so you can look at the screen in its native resolution and do something else while projecting to your TV with whatever the device supports.
- Sound is stereo from a laptop. If you are playing DVDs, apparently it can be Dolby Digital surround, but I would rather play from my BD player directly in such cases, so I have not tried this.
- You basically get everything on your desktop to show up on the TV, not just video/audio. So it is more versatile than more niche devices. You can be presenting PowerPoint or editing Excel on your HDTV :)
Problems:
- Pain in the ass to set up in the first place!
- Oversaturated colors. I am sure this can be resolved with some tweaking of the graphics settings but still a bit disappointing. Some people like such vivid colors though :)
- Limited resolution - only 720p in my case. This is supposedly HD, but my TV is 1080 HD, and the device refused to support this resolution. If you have a high end graphics card, maybe you will get it to work on 1080. I get 1080p with a direct HDMI connection, so maybe the limit is more in the wifi bandwidth (after all, true HD video is a bandwidth hog). I am not sure a router upgrade will help since the connection is direct, not via the home network, if I understand correctly. My laptop is a little more than a year old, so its wireless card should be up to snuff. If I get 1920x1080 resolution one day, I will increase the rating of this device.
Bottom line:
While I like this device, I can't honestly recommend it. Buy only if you are technically savvy and you know your PC can support it.
I spent close to an hour with Belkin support who were completely useless. I almost gave up, but being technically savvy, eventually I prevailed and now I am enjoying some amazing online videos streaming from my laptop to my HDTV as I am writing this review on the same laptop.
I suspect some folks may be lucky and this device will just work fine for them. I was not one of these lucky ones, so let me try to help you.
Here are the problems I faced and how I fixed them:
- There is no software on the CD in the box - look at the little paper which tells you to go to a Belkin site, which eventually takes you to Intel to download some drivers. Start here, but keep in mind that the issues come from software, not the device.
- Some laptops are just not supported at all, such as my old lady's Dell. Search online for Intel WiDi system requirements to save yourself major disappointments.
- My Windows 7 Lenovo ThinkPad had trouble installing the Intel HD graphics driver from the Intel site. After some major digging on the Lenovo site, I managed to find a version of this driver provided by them, and that installed fine. You should check with your manufacturer.
- The biggest issue by far is that the Intel WiDi software was able to see the device and vice versa, but connection was failing for security reasons. The solution was to allow Wireless PAN DHCP and DNS through the Windows Firewall. You need to manually find the Wireless PAN etc in Program Files/Intel/Wifi and add it.
Once you get the device to work, here is what you get:
- Screen turns to 1280x720 resolution or some other non-native resolution. If your laptop can enter into a second monitor mode, it is worth engaging that so you can look at the screen in its native resolution and do something else while projecting to your TV with whatever the device supports.
- Sound is stereo from a laptop. If you are playing DVDs, apparently it can be Dolby Digital surround, but I would rather play from my BD player directly in such cases, so I have not tried this.
- You basically get everything on your desktop to show up on the TV, not just video/audio. So it is more versatile than more niche devices. You can be presenting PowerPoint or editing Excel on your HDTV :)
Problems:
- Pain in the ass to set up in the first place!
- Oversaturated colors. I am sure this can be resolved with some tweaking of the graphics settings but still a bit disappointing. Some people like such vivid colors though :)
- Limited resolution - only 720p in my case. This is supposedly HD, but my TV is 1080 HD, and the device refused to support this resolution. If you have a high end graphics card, maybe you will get it to work on 1080. I get 1080p with a direct HDMI connection, so maybe the limit is more in the wifi bandwidth (after all, true HD video is a bandwidth hog). I am not sure a router upgrade will help since the connection is direct, not via the home network, if I understand correctly. My laptop is a little more than a year old, so its wireless card should be up to snuff. If I get 1920x1080 resolution one day, I will increase the rating of this device.
Bottom line:
While I like this device, I can't honestly recommend it. Buy only if you are technically savvy and you know your PC can support it.
Be sure you have a notebook that fits the specs for WiDi . Specifications:
'Standards-Based Wi-Fi?:
Standard Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n 2.4GHz or 5GHz
'Audio:
Dolby? Digital 5.1 (AC3) surround sound
'Output:
HDMI, RCA Composite (NTSC/PAL)
System Requirements:
'Laptop with Intel? Wireless Display
'Windows? 7
'HDTV with available HDMI? port
Package Includes
'ScreenCast TV Adapter for Intel? Wireless Display
'Quick Install Guide
'User Manual
'Power Adapter
'HDMI? Cable
Sorry to say it was not clear when I ordered that this device will only work with Notebooks/laptops running Windows 7 with certain processors (see requirement list at bottom)
Solid little device with good looks and size complete with HDMI cable and RCA jacks for component connection to your newer HDTV. Simple to hook up and comes with software on CD to get up and running.
Would be wonderful for presentations either for business or personal fun.
I checked with my friends and relatives to see if anyone had the "WiDi" capable notebook but none of them had anything that new so I can't test it out yet.
Searched for a USB adapter for the notebook that would make it into WiDi transmitter without Windows 7 but can not find one so far, can only find another one that comes with both USB WiDi transmitter and the reciever unit complete that I believe are said to work with Windows XP and Vista but it is not a known brand to me and seems to not be available at Amazon or trusted seller.
I still hope to find a work around to use older notebooks for this but need to study the subject more....IF and when I get this up and running I'll report back on how well it works. I certainly expect that getting it to work on an older system will also lower the performance so might not be worth the research in the end.
For now, all I can tell you is.....Be sure you have a WiDi capable notebook running Windows 7 before you order this item!
System Component Requirements
Processor ONE of the following:
Intel? Core(tm) i7: 640M; 660LM; 640LM; 620LM; 620M; 610E; 690UM; 680UM; 660UM; 640UM; 620UM; 660UE; 2710QE; 2820QM; 2720QM; 2635QM; 2630QM; 2657M; 2649M; 2629M; 2620M; 2617M; 2540M; 2520M; 2510E; 2640LM; 2620LM; 2630UM; 2610UM; 2530UM; 2920XM
Intel? Core(tm) i5: 580M; 560M; 540M; 520M; 480M; 460M; 450M; 430M; 580UM; 560UM; 540UM; 520UM; 470UM; 430UM; 2540M; 2520M; 2410M; 2537M
Intel? Core(tm) i3: 390M; 380M; 370M; 350M; 330M; 330E; 2310M
Graphics Intel? HD Graphics
Wireless ONE of the following:
Intel? Centrino? Wireless-N 1000, 1030
Intel? Centrino? Advanced-N 6200, 6205, or 6230
Intel? Centrino? Wireless-N + WiMAX 6150
Intel? Centrino? Advanced-N + WiMAX 6250
Intel? Centrino? Ultimate-N 6300
Software Intel? My WiFi Technology (Intel? MWT)2 and Intel Wireless Display1 must be pre-installed and enabled
OS Windows 7 64-bit*, Home Premium, Ultimate or Professional
Windows 32-bit*, Home Premium, Ultimate, Professional or Basic
'Standards-Based Wi-Fi?:
Standard Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n 2.4GHz or 5GHz
'Audio:
Dolby? Digital 5.1 (AC3) surround sound
'Output:
HDMI, RCA Composite (NTSC/PAL)
System Requirements:
'Laptop with Intel? Wireless Display
'Windows? 7
'HDTV with available HDMI? port
Package Includes
'ScreenCast TV Adapter for Intel? Wireless Display
'Quick Install Guide
'User Manual
'Power Adapter
'HDMI? Cable
Sorry to say it was not clear when I ordered that this device will only work with Notebooks/laptops running Windows 7 with certain processors (see requirement list at bottom)
Solid little device with good looks and size complete with HDMI cable and RCA jacks for component connection to your newer HDTV. Simple to hook up and comes with software on CD to get up and running.
Would be wonderful for presentations either for business or personal fun.
I checked with my friends and relatives to see if anyone had the "WiDi" capable notebook but none of them had anything that new so I can't test it out yet.
Searched for a USB adapter for the notebook that would make it into WiDi transmitter without Windows 7 but can not find one so far, can only find another one that comes with both USB WiDi transmitter and the reciever unit complete that I believe are said to work with Windows XP and Vista but it is not a known brand to me and seems to not be available at Amazon or trusted seller.
I still hope to find a work around to use older notebooks for this but need to study the subject more....IF and when I get this up and running I'll report back on how well it works. I certainly expect that getting it to work on an older system will also lower the performance so might not be worth the research in the end.
For now, all I can tell you is.....Be sure you have a WiDi capable notebook running Windows 7 before you order this item!
System Component Requirements
Processor ONE of the following:
Intel? Core(tm) i7: 640M; 660LM; 640LM; 620LM; 620M; 610E; 690UM; 680UM; 660UM; 640UM; 620UM; 660UE; 2710QE; 2820QM; 2720QM; 2635QM; 2630QM; 2657M; 2649M; 2629M; 2620M; 2617M; 2540M; 2520M; 2510E; 2640LM; 2620LM; 2630UM; 2610UM; 2530UM; 2920XM
Intel? Core(tm) i5: 580M; 560M; 540M; 520M; 480M; 460M; 450M; 430M; 580UM; 560UM; 540UM; 520UM; 470UM; 430UM; 2540M; 2520M; 2410M; 2537M
Intel? Core(tm) i3: 390M; 380M; 370M; 350M; 330M; 330E; 2310M
Graphics Intel? HD Graphics
Wireless ONE of the following:
Intel? Centrino? Wireless-N 1000, 1030
Intel? Centrino? Advanced-N 6200, 6205, or 6230
Intel? Centrino? Wireless-N + WiMAX 6150
Intel? Centrino? Advanced-N + WiMAX 6250
Intel? Centrino? Ultimate-N 6300
Software Intel? My WiFi Technology (Intel? MWT)2 and Intel Wireless Display1 must be pre-installed and enabled
OS Windows 7 64-bit*, Home Premium, Ultimate or Professional
Windows 32-bit*, Home Premium, Ultimate, Professional or Basic
Caution Windows 7 Only . I gave this product four stars because I really like the idea of it and would have possibly given it five stars if only I had been able to get it to work.
Here is the problem in a nutshell; I run Windows XP on my laptop and the Belkin ScreenCast only works with Windows 7 that includes specific features. Before you buy this be sure you're running Windows 7 and have checked the Intel website or your laptops specifications for the features required to utilize WiDi.
I contacted my laptop's manufacturer and was told my Windows XP could not run WiDi so I'm out of luck with this one. I realize that I'll eventually be getting a new laptop which will probably have the WiDi capability so I'll just hold on to the ScreenCast for future installation.
Here is the problem in a nutshell; I run Windows XP on my laptop and the Belkin ScreenCast only works with Windows 7 that includes specific features. Before you buy this be sure you're running Windows 7 and have checked the Intel website or your laptops specifications for the features required to utilize WiDi.
I contacted my laptop's manufacturer and was told my Windows XP could not run WiDi so I'm out of luck with this one. I realize that I'll eventually be getting a new laptop which will probably have the WiDi capability so I'll just hold on to the ScreenCast for future installation.
Good product useful tool . My husband is disabled and must lie down to use his computer with a Laid-back desk table Laptop Laidback Ergonomic Laptop Table - LAPTOP. I got this TV adapter so we could share what he was looking at without straining my neck. It works great with our 42 inch HDTV. The picture isn't pixelated at all.
It does lose the connection from time to time but on the whole, it works well and I'm glad we spent the money. I did research the kind of hardware required, it's fairly specific as I found from a previous review. "Before you consider buying this, check the Intel Wireless Display System requirements to make sure your laptop will operate with this adapter. You can find these on the Intel Site by searching for "Intel wireless display system requirements". For us, it was a good purchase. I would recommend it.
It does lose the connection from time to time but on the whole, it works well and I'm glad we spent the money. I did research the kind of hardware required, it's fairly specific as I found from a previous review. "Before you consider buying this, check the Intel Wireless Display System requirements to make sure your laptop will operate with this adapter. You can find these on the Intel Site by searching for "Intel wireless display system requirements". For us, it was a good purchase. I would recommend it.
Frustrating and limited utility . Coming from a home with 3 laptops and 2 desktops, this is a very frustrating device to get up and working. Just be aware, this device will only work with laptops with the Intel Wireless System display requirements. I have 2 laptops with Windows 7 certified with the intel logo and managed to get one unit up working pretty quickly and another just had a hard time connecting properly. When it works, it connected and started streaming very easily but my other laptop just had a hell of time getting it to work. First of all, the damn thing kelp disconnecting and stop streaming after 5minutes and then it would randomly lead to streaming interruptions leading to stuttering and a whole lot of frustration. On the laptop that actually worked, it connected and got set up very easily. However, I was slightly disappointed in the image quality. It was good but not great. There was some rare but noticeable interruptions.Last but not least I don't get it. I have a relatively new desktop with a few gigs of movies(that I own by the way) that I currently use as my media center. I would have loved to have my desktop wireless stream to my TV without the need for wires but that doesn't even seem to be an option at present. At the rate that tech is moving along, I really doubt this current none-standard bit of tech is going to last. I'd suggest you get a Roku box, Boxee box which is cheaper or if you have a Mac, get the Apple TV and just stream it easily that way.
It works! . Like a lot of my fellow reviewers, I ordered an evaluation unit without reading the fine print- and yes, none of the four computers here support Intel Wireless Display. But after a few weeks of asking around I managed to find a friend who'd recently purchased a new Dell laptop that *does* support the Intel protocol, and who as willing to spend a few hours experimenting with the Belkin unit. We managed to get the boxes talking to each other, and played around with using my 24" TV to display YouTube videos and Netflix downloads, via the Netflix Windows client. So how well does it work?
It's okay. Video quality on Netflix streaming isn't as good as with my Roku box, but that may be because I didn't have it tweaked properly. The bigger question is, what's it useful for? Quality issues aside, I prefer to use my Roku for video streaming as it doesn't tie up a computer. I don't really have a need to stream MP3s wirelessly as I have a good sound system connected directly to my computer, and generally I listen to CDs instead of MP3s. But then, I'm not the kind of person this box is aimed at. The ideal Belkin ScreenCast user is a Windows laptop owner who doesn't have a desktop computer, likes computer games, owns a large screen TV with an integrated theater sound system, watches a lot of streamed TV, and who buys their music primarily as MP3s. If they're a gamer, even better. For them, the ScreenCast adapter is an ideal way to integrate their laptop into their home theater without the mess of cables and adapter boxes. For me, it's an interesting gadget, but not something I find very useful.
It's okay. Video quality on Netflix streaming isn't as good as with my Roku box, but that may be because I didn't have it tweaked properly. The bigger question is, what's it useful for? Quality issues aside, I prefer to use my Roku for video streaming as it doesn't tie up a computer. I don't really have a need to stream MP3s wirelessly as I have a good sound system connected directly to my computer, and generally I listen to CDs instead of MP3s. But then, I'm not the kind of person this box is aimed at. The ideal Belkin ScreenCast user is a Windows laptop owner who doesn't have a desktop computer, likes computer games, owns a large screen TV with an integrated theater sound system, watches a lot of streamed TV, and who buys their music primarily as MP3s. If they're a gamer, even better. For them, the ScreenCast adapter is an ideal way to integrate their laptop into their home theater without the mess of cables and adapter boxes. For me, it's an interesting gadget, but not something I find very useful.
Cons Review
Did not work - will try again next week . Despite several calls to Belkin and 3 days of frustrating and time consuming conversations to their support group (level 1 and 2), I was not able to get this device to communicate properly from my new laptop to my HD tv. Every day I was told they would call me tomorrow... never happened! - see update!
Seems the product is so new, support has "no info" on it. They were suprised to learn that I had one in the US.
Message "unable to send desktop to remote" no matter what we tried, downloaded the latest Intel WIDI software, uninstalled, reinstalled 4X, changed the "allow programs thru windows firewall", turned all firewals off, moved the device closer to the pc etc. Nothing helped.
Returning the device for credit. Might try again at a later date .. or try a different manufacturer.
Update.. Belkin engineer called to suggest that the unit may have been defective.
He will be in touch and walk me through the install with a Pre tested unit.
Expect late next week, will try again. Have faith!
Seems the product is so new, support has "no info" on it. They were suprised to learn that I had one in the US.
Message "unable to send desktop to remote" no matter what we tried, downloaded the latest Intel WIDI software, uninstalled, reinstalled 4X, changed the "allow programs thru windows firewall", turned all firewals off, moved the device closer to the pc etc. Nothing helped.
Returning the device for credit. Might try again at a later date .. or try a different manufacturer.
Update.. Belkin engineer called to suggest that the unit may have been defective.
He will be in touch and walk me through the install with a Pre tested unit.
Expect late next week, will try again. Have faith!
Feature Belkin F7D4501 ScreenCast TV Adapter for Intel Wireless Display
- Wireless: Experience your laptop on your TV-stream HD videos, share photos, and surf the Web.
- Easy to Set Up, Easy to Use: Connect the HDMI cable to your TV, and you?re ready to stream from your laptop with one touch.
- Big Picture, Big Sound: Watch online content in full-HD 1080p resolution and Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound
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Product Details
EAN : 0722868814765UPC : 722868814765
MPN : F7D4501
Brand : Belkin
Weight : 2 pounds
Height : 3 inches
Length : 10 inches
Width : 8 inches
Binding : Electronics
Manufacturer : Belkin Inc.
Model : F7D4501
Publisher : Belkin Inc.
SKU : F7D4501
Studio : Belkin Inc.
Where To Buy
You can buy Belkin F7D4501 ScreenCast TV Adapter for Intel Wireless Display on Amazon . Click here to Read More
