Dec 7, 2010 10:06 GMT  ·  By

While there are a few wireless connectivity solutions out there for hooking up a notebook to an HDTV, none of them delivers a good-enough level of performance in order to beat wired interfaces, such as the one you'll read about as follows, namely the Sewell HDdeck USB to HDMI display adapter.

As the manufacturer informs us, the HDdeck acts like an external video card you connect to virtually any computer with an available USB port, adding an additional screen (in most cases an HDTV but many monitors these days also have HDMI inputs).

The secret to the USB conversion is the video compression algorithm inside this little external video card that carries the top-of-the-line DisplayLink chip ensuring smooth performance on your secondary displays just as if the display were connected to a true video port on your computer (640x480 pixels up to 1080p resolutions are supported, as well as both 16bits and 32bits colors).

The USB pipeline (maxing out at around 480 mbps) is more than enough bandwidth to provide top-notch video connectivity, enabling users to do just anything from photo editing to normal surfing the internet, watching movies, and play select games that support DirectX.

As an added convenience there is no need to route the computer's audio to one's entertainment system's audio port, or to this unit, given the fact that the HDdeck handles the audio and video solely through the USB port.

We'll also have to mention that the adapter supports up to 6 displays for PC and 4 for Mac, while available display modes include Simultaneously Primary, Extend, Mirror and Screen Rotation.

Sewell's SW-31000 HDdeck USB to HDMI display adapter is expected to arrive in stores starting with Dec. 8th, but if you're really keen on getting it, you can pre-order it as we speak for around 99,95 US dollars.