We've been waiting for an inexpensive wireless USB-to-HDMI solution for what seems like forever now, and it sounds like we'll finally have some options soon: Source R&D has just announced that it's going to be shipping the Warpia Wireless USB Adapter set at the end of May for an estimated $129-$149. Just like the Atlona AT-HDAiR, the Warpia kit is just a rebranded OEM unit from Wisair, so most of the same caveats apply: max resolution is 1400 x 1050, range is about 30 feet, and HDMI and VGA are the only output options. Still, we can't really think of a better way to do some quick'n'dirty Hulu watching, so we'll be on the hunt for one of these soon -- keep an eye out.

P.S.- Yes, we hope image quality is better than this totally bunk press pic on the Warpia site.

Got a Mini DisplayPort equipped laptop or video card and need to connect it to something... um, not Mini DisplayPort? If you've got a crisp Andrew Jackson, then Monoprice has an adapter for you with HDMI, DVI and VGA outs, all of which are now shipping for $14.25 and up. Unless you don't like saving money, nor enjoy your peripherals actually working with your new machine, it'll be hard to find a problem with this.

[Thanks, Phil]

Let's face it, that low res cellphone video of last weekend's party and your Days of Thunder VHS won't be upscaling themselves, hence the sudden explosion of Super Resolution technology including this most recent entry from NEC. Claiming low power and memory requirements, part number uPD9245GJ is ready for duty blowing up images for display on your VGA cellphone or nav system without blurring, or upscaling low res sources to 1080p in a Blu-ray player or HDTV. Don't let the ridiculous soundtrack on the demo reel fool you -- recent reviews have given super resolution tech a thumbs up, and with Toshiba, Hitachi and Broadcom already in the game we've got a clue what feature will be checkmarked on your next electronics purchase.

Releasing it's stranglehold on iTunes Fairplay DRM'ed content just a bit, Apple has issued a Quicktime 7.5.7 update, that allows standard definition videos to play on external displays without HDCP support. High definition content still toils under HDCP and DisplayPort content Protection (DPCP), leaving oldschool displays at least functional, but sadly low res. Any new MacBook / MacBook Pro owners out there making the non-HD supported Mini DisplayPort-to-VGA journey who can check in and let us know if it's working now? Grab the lastest version with your usual Software Update function or from the apple Support Download Website.

Just in time for CEDIA, IOGEAR's Wireless USB to VGA Kit has received passing marks from the USB Implementer's Forum, so you can rest assured that the $230 kit will play nicely with any other USB gear you have now or may get in the future. You can expect to see the wireless duo on shelves in October, so Windows XP and Vista users with a free USB port can cut the cord, clean up the rat's nest of cabling and start beaming 720p signals around the living room or conference room -- just mind the 30-foot limit. Full release after the break.

Now here's an adapter we can all love: the HDfury2. Put simply, this kit enables owners of pre-2005 displays to enjoy 1080p content via HDMI. Those "older" sets and projectors lacked the ability to comprehend HDCP, and this minuscule device packs a built-in deciphering converter that pumps out Blu-ray content at beautiful 1080p over component / VGA. There's also an audio combo jack that channels analog and digital optical formats, and yes, it plays nice with both PAL and NTSC. Check the read link for all the fine print, and get ready to hand over $249 when it (hopefully) ships next month.

[Thanks, Daniel]

Not like Team Xtender hasn't been offering something similar to this for well over a year now, but hey, nothing wrong with a bit of delayed competition. XCM has just made clear that it will soon be selling the 1080p Mega-Cool VGA box, which takes any component input and shoots it back out via VGA. The box supports PC resolutions up to UXGA (1,600 x 1,200 at 75Hz) or HDTV (up to 1,920 x 1,080). Plug-and-play, NTSC / PAL support and USB power are all included -- you just provide the ins and outs. Mum's the current word on pricing / availability, but we're hearing that e-tailer Total Console will be offering it soon.

[Via IGN]

Get ready for hot, hot convergence kids 'cause the DisplayPort 1.1 specification was just approved. The new VESA-approved digital interface standard is meant to replace DVI and VGA ports while co-existing with HDMI for HDTV connectivity. As you can see in the picture above, it's about the size of a USB connector yet offers 2x the performance of DVI in a much smaller package. They also bake in a nasty dollop of HDCP 1.3 content protection to keep the Blu-ray and HD DVD kiddies happy. The wee size allows the interface to be included in smaller handheld electronics while enabling direct-drive LCD panels thereby eliminating the need for non-panel LVDS electronics in the monitor designs. Of course it also supports pass-through of DVI and HDMI signals via simple adapters similar to DVI-to-HDMI variety on the market today. So which of our esteemed manufactures will bite first? We're not sure, but VESA isn't shy about using Dell's high-end XPS systems in their marketing collateral. Of course, the question they don't answer is, why not just move everything to HDMI? For that, you just have to look at who backs royalty-free DisplayPort (the PC industry) and who backs HDMI (the consumer electronics industry). Yeah, we know.

Microsoft just rolled out the much awaited update to the Xbox 360 dashboard including -- among other things -- support for 1080p over VGA and component but for some gamers and error screen was all they got. The company still hasn't said exactly what it believe is causing the issue, although some have said it may be due to either frequency supported by the VGA cable or the way it syncs with monitors, but Major Nelson confirmed on his podcast this morning that engineers are aware of the issue and are working on a fix. The TVs that suffer the problem appear to be some Sony (most notably LCD XBRs) and Samsung models that should be able to accept the 1080p input but as of yet, don't. Affected owners should hopefully have their mere 720p experience rectified soon, but will it be in time for the HD DVD player launch?

We still don't know the US price or launch date, but we've got a bit more specifics on how the Xbox 360 HD DVD player add-on will work when it hits store shelves later this year thanks to a post by Microsoft insider Amir M. on AVS Forum. When Microsoft revealed yesterday it will support 1080p HD DVD and 1080p DVD upconversion we were surprised because it's commonly accepted that the CSS (DVD) and AACS (HD DVD & Blu-ray) copyright provisions wouldn't allow that (although some manufacturers have looked the other way before) via unprotected analog connections. We were right, sort of. Even after the software upgrade this fall, via component cables, the Xbox 360 will still only upconvert DVDs to 480p, and will play HD DVD movies at a maximum resolution of 1080i. To get 1080p output for movies, you must use a VGA cable, which is not subject to the same copyright restrictions. This just means the Xbox 360 is just like every other HD DVD and Blu-ray player on the market, but you wouldn't know that by reading Microsoft's press releases yesterday. If you ran out and bought a 1080p HDTV yesterday don't return it just yet, you should be able to get equal picture quality to 1080p if your TV processes the incoming signal correctly, and if it supports 1080p via component you can still play upconverted and native-1080p games . We're still waiting to hear exactly how HD DVD's advanced audio capabilities will be handled by the 360 and oh yeah...a US price, please Microsoft?.

Update: Added list of supported resolutions after the break.

The long awaited first major update to the Xbox 360's dashboard functionality is here, downloading to all Xbox Live connected consoles this morning. So what does 2.0 give you? Well now you can both queue downloads and continue to play games while content downloads in the background which was a major gripe for many, and custom soundtracks continue to play even when changing games, among a whole host of other improvements, tweaks and bugfixes. One more notable change is the choice to boot to dash instead of playing whatever DVD is in the drive. You can check out the list of 125 new features here. Of special note to HDTV owners may be that downloaded videos now have DVD-style playback controls (FF, rew, etc.). Connection to Windows Media Center Edition PCs has also been subject to performance enhancements.

The much criticized DVD playback has been updated, with "general" improvements to video quality and improved audio video sync. I downloaded the update and checked it out, there was a noticeable improvement, but colors still seem a bit washed out and there is no way to calibrate it (although the info pane now has a gradient bar across the top I hadn't noticed before, that may help in adjusting your TV) and posters on AVS Forum have confirmed that when connected via the VGA output, the 360 scales to whatever resolution (1280x720 for example) is selected. Whether you have Xbox Live silver or gold, simply log on and you will be prompted to download the update automatically, it took less than a minute to download and install. Overall very nice and includes a lot of things people have been asking for since the console launched.