AQUOS 45G1 Wi-Fi Enabled HDTV/PVR
By Alexander Grundner |
April 13th, 2004 
It seems like the next generation of Wi-Fi enabled HDTVs are in full swing. Sharp in the later part of the year will introduce the AQUOS 45G1, that will not only combine 802.11b wireless connectivity, but will also have personal video recording (PVR) functionality via Sharps’ “OpenAQUOS” technology and a storage card (3 hours of video per 5GB card) placed in one of its two PC Card Type II slots. Unfortunately, the 45G1 will just have “basic” PVR functionality–meaning it can only pause and rewind live TV but cannot schedule recordings of television programs—and will not be able to stream media content from networked PCs. But the 45G1 will include: DVI connector (for PC connections), stereo amplifier, rechargeable battery, and a 1080p (1080×1920, 16-ms response time) 45-inch LCD display.
So you might be asking, what’s the Wi-Fi for? The wireless connectivity is part of Sharps’ no-cable solution of connecting all your video sources (DVD, VCR, etc.) to a “Smart Link” Wi-Fi transmitter adapter that streams the digital signal to the AQUOS TV anywhere in the house within 50 feet. Previous reports show that a/v reception can be a bit shady if the Wi-Fi signal is not strong enough. Sharp executives says they are addressing the problem and are working on a more tightly integrated Wi-Fi setup for their final release.
News Link: Mark Hachman, “Sharp plans LCD TVs with PVR, Wi-Fi,” PC Magazine, January 7, 2004.
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