CES 2018 | HP introduces Omen Game Streaming service to create your own Geforce Now style server, and the 65-inch Omen X 65 display

Accompanying the announcement of the HP Spectre x360 15 were a couple of products related to their Omen gaming brand.

HP Omen X 65 Big Format Gaming Display

The Omen X is HP’s entrance into the newly created Big Format Gaming Display category, joining similar products from Asus ROG and Acer Predator. The principle behind Nvidia’s Big Format Gaming Display is to fill the dual role of living room TV for consoles and media, as well as acting as a high-end gaming monitor.

Specifications:

• 65-inch 4K 3840 x 2160 panel
• 120 Hz refresh rate
• 1000 nit peak brightness
• HDR-10
• G-Sync
• Nvidia Shield TV built-in

HP Omen Game Streaming

The Omen Game Streaming software (in partnership with Parsec) looks to provide a similar experience as Steam in-home streaming, but without being restricted to games that run on Valve’s marketplace, and more crucially not being confined to the same network. Using an Omen gaming desktop or laptop to do the heavy lifting, users can stream locally to an older or lower-powered Windows 10 device, such as one connected to the Omen X 65. Alternatively, games can be streamed to remote locations, providing the internet connection is strong enough.

HP recommends using a wired LAN connection, but as long as the host is wired then HP is confident that users will have a good experience if the client is on the 5 GHz band for 802.11ac, and isn’t too far from the router. For 1080p 60fps, a connection of at least 25mbps between PC’s is recommended. This means that for remote streaming (via the internet) the host needs to be on a connection with 25mbps upload, while the client only needs a 25mbps download speed, which is much easier to find at an affordable price. If this isn’t realistic, then 720p 60fps is supported over a 10mbps connection (host upload speed, client download speed).