The world is going wireless. But while there are plenty of ways to cut cable out of your life, it's a little harder to literally cut the cables attached to your home theater system. This can be more than just inconvenient, especially if you have a wall-mounted TV or a projector attached to the ceiling.
The Nyrius Aries Pro was built to help with this. The device is basically a wireless transmitter, with one end connecting to your computer or gaming system's HDMI output and the other to your TV's HDMI input. It's an interesting concept, but does it actually work? We put the Nyrius Aries Pro to the test to find out.
The Aries Pro is designed with functionality rather than aesthetics in mind, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's ugly. The device is made up of two parts — a transmitter and a receiver.
The transmitter looks a bit like a big thumb drive, but with an HDMI connector instead of a USB one. It's also a little bigger than most thumb drives. As such, you may need to free up ports around your HDMI port in order to fit the transmitter, which can be a little frustrating. The device measures in at around 3.4 inches by 1.3 inches by 0.6 inches, which is a little larger than we would have liked. It also has a mini-USB port that you'll need to use to power the device while it's in use.
The other part is the receiver, which is a slightly larger box that sits on your TV stand or entertainment center. On the top of the device, you'll find a power button, info button, and LED lights to indicate the status of the connection to the transmitter. On the back of the device, there's another mini-USB port for powering the device and an HDMI port to connect to your TV.
Setting up the Nyrius Aries Pro is very simple. You'll start by plugging the receiver into your TV and the power adapter into the mini-HDMI port. Then plug the transmitter into your computer and the power cable into a free USB port.
That's pretty much all there is to it. Once everything is plugged in and powered on, the receiver and transmitter should automatically connect to each other. If you don't see a signal, make sure your TV is set to the right input. It's a very simple setup processor, which we appreciate.
The Nyrius Aries Pro is a great way to transmit data to your TV without the need for a wireless connection. It's particularly convenient in certain situations, like, for example, if you want to wirelessly transmit from a gaming console. In our experience, latency was very low, so you should be able to game with the device pretty easily, including more intense games, as long as you're happy with a 1,080p video connection.
The image quality offered by the Aries Pro was generally crisp and vibrant — pretty much like what you would get through an HDMI cable. Pixel peepers may notice the occasional abnormality in image quality, but those occasions are rare.
The Nyrius Aries Pro is pretty well-designed and capable, but it's not perfect. On occasion, the device lost connection for a few seconds. That said, it doesn't happen often, but when it does it can take away from a good gaming experience. In our experience, the closer the receiver and transmitter, the less likely a drop in connectivity is to happen.
In an era of wireless connectivity, there are fewer and fewer applications for a device like this. Still, there are plenty of reasons you might want one; that's especially true for situations like connecting a gaming console to a projector. If, however, you simply want to stream content from your computer to your TV, you're probably better off getting a Google Chromecast or using AirPlay on your Apple TV.
Despite the price, the right person will love the added functionality you can get out of the Nyrius Aries Pro. It may be expensive, but it's a handy technology and helpful for those who need wireless connectivity.
Pros: Good image quality, easy setup, barely any input lag
Cons: Occasional drop in connection, expensive
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