Europe: Belkin Launches 1Gbps Powerline HD Kit

It's been a while since using existing power lines for TV transmissions in North America has gotten much attention (although some local communities like Manassas, Va., outside Washington were looking into "Powerline HD" in recent years). But in Europe, Belkin recently announced a new product it's dubbed a "Gigabit Powerline HD Starter Kit."

The pack is designed to supposedly achieve data speeds of 1Gbps by using existing electrical wiring. But according to a recent online review, "For the magic to work, you will need to plug two of them into a new electrical wiring system and switch off as many appliances as possible to get as close as possible to that speed," said ITPRoPortal.com.

The report said the 1Gbps, if achieved, would be five times faster than the current 200Mbps standard speed reached by most models. But the powerline pack "is sensitive to old wiring, interferences, and provides rather patchy coverage over long distances but can still reach speeds high enough for HD content," the company said.