Kickstarter spotlight: AirBridge
More and more companies come out with their own wireless video transition systems, with perhaps the most famous being Apple’s AirPlay. The ability to wirelessly stream video from a device to a screen is great, and receiver boxes like the Apple TV makes it relatively simple to use them. At home, at least. When you’re out and about, the need for everything from power to a stable wireless connection makes these systems much less reliable, simply because you never know what infrastructure is available in a meeting room, lecture hall, or someone else’s living room.
The AirBridge is a device that wants to fix this issue. It’s very similar to AirView when it’s running, but the difference is that it’s entirely self contained. It doesn’t require power or a WiFi connection, and it doesn’t need to be set up through software. Plug one piece into the iOS device, the other piece into a projector/screen, and that’s it. It delivers full 1080p streaming with no lag or other issues. It also has the ability to connect to WiFi networks, as well as generate its own WiFi network, for streaming to other iOS devices. It’s also possible to save a presentation to a USB drive.
Only iOS devices are supported in this first run, though there are plans for other platforms if the project succeeds. As for compatibility with the rumored new dock connector, the connector on the transmitter will be swappable to ensure support.
There are two versions, a Lite and a Pro, where the former lacks group broadcasting capability. There are early bird options for both of these right now, at $99 and $125 respectively. When those run out, you’re looking at $125 and $165. That puts this above the Apple TV in cost, but the entire point here is that the AirBridge fixes many of the Apple TV’s issues, which should be worth an extra dollar or fifty.
[Kickstarter]
