November 16, 2011
Consolidate and Save With HDBaseT and 5Play
In the field of AV , it’s all about the connections. And while social
skills may have something to do with winning projects, it’s those
other kinds of links—the ones that get gear to work seamlessly
together—that have the power to transform what integrators can do,
and what their clients expect.
Enter HDBaseT, a consumer electronics (CE) connectivity
technology optimized for whole-home and
commercial multimedia distribution. When
HDBaseT 1.0 was finalized in June 2010,
its developers set out to provide a digital
home networking alternative to a host of
standards in place, such as HDMI (High-
Definition Multimedia Interface), coaxial
cable, and composite video. The result:
a significantly more efficient approach
wherein a single 100m/328-foot Cat-5e/Cat-6 cable delivers a
complete package of HD video, audio, 100BaseT ethernet, power over
cable, and various control signals.
The primary engine behind the rapid adoption of HDBaseT into the
marketplace has been the HDBaseT Alliance, a consortium consisting
of Samsung Electronics, Sony Pictures
Entertainment, LG Electronics, and Valens
Semiconductor, which together have formed a
team to help promote the HDBaseT technology
originally created by Valens. “People want
the ability to connect more devices and more
displays, and also be able to connect to an
internet infrastructure,” explained Micha
Risling, marketing chair for the HDBaseT
Alliance. “HDMI is a great solution, but the
growing need to distribute audio and video
content over longer distances is a trend that
HDMI was not defined to address.
“After examining all the options,” Risling
continued, “Valens asked
integrators a simple question:
‘Which cable would you prefer
to work with?’ The answer
was Cat-5. It is the most costeffective,
the easiest to install,
and the easiest to handle.”
The manufacturer KanexPro,
which offers HDBaseT
technology solutions like the
Long-Runner 100m Ethernet
Switcher to route HDMI signals
up to 100m to a display, noted
three main reasons why the
market was ripe for the arrival
of HDBaseT. “The demand
for converged distribution of
HD multimedia content and
the lack of adequate existing
technologies are driving the
industry toward an HD digital
connectivity standard,” said
Kashyap Khetia, marketing
director for KanexPro. “There
are a number of reasons why the
market necessitated the R&D
of HDBaseT. First, installers
and AV system engineers
were always faced with the
dilemma of extending HDMI
over longer runs, and using
traditional baluns that used
two Cat-5 cables; it made the
installation problematic when
HDMI did not deliver the full
HD signals. Second, HDBaseT
enables a single LA N cable—
Cat-6 recommended—to
replace multiple cables and
connectors in the home
entertainment and business
environment. Third, HDBaseT
overcomes the reliability,
cost, and reach limitations of
existing wired connectivity
and emerging wireless
technologies.”
Referring to the quintuple
convergence (HD video,
audio, internet, control,
power over cable) within
HDBaseT as “5Play”, the Alliance sees
special significance in the power-carrying
capabilities in bringing newfound flexibility
to installers. Due to Power Over HDBaseT
(POH), installers now have a solution that
reduces overall network power consumption,
enables consumer and commercial installations
to place components in the ideal location
whether or not an electrical outlet is present,
and simplifies/reduces the costs associated
with electronics by eliminating the need to call
in an electrician.
At Crestron, all of these benefits have
come together cleanly in popular product
offerings like the DigitalMedia 8G Cable,
which has been available for HD video and
audio distribution since June 2010. “HDBaseT
is part of a huge opportunity that we saw,”
said Justin Kennington, Crestron product
line manager, DigitalMedia. “Now that digital
audio and video can be reliably transmitted
over existing Cat-5 cable, there’s now an
easy upgrade path for the customers. We can
say to them, ‘Let’s talk about
upgrading your whole system to digital, and
we don’t have to tear out all these walls: Just
pull out the analog switch, drop in a new
digital media switch, and go.’ That’s all thanks
to HDBaseT.”
In the field of AV , it’s all about the connections. And while social
skills may have something to do with winning projects, it’s those
other kinds of links—the ones that get gear to work seamlessly
together—that have the power to transform what integrators can do,
and what their clients expect.
Large-scale commercial installations are
already taking notice. A new Chicago-area
Best Buy, for example, specified HDBaseT
to carry high-quality video from source
equipment to displays throughout the store.
“They were facing an issue of how to sell the
most high-end HD displays and still come up
with a distribution system that will be not too
expensive, very flexible, and very reliable,”
Risling explained. “HDBaseT has allowed
Best Buy to improve on the analog-based
distribution systems they were using, and
improve the picture
quality that they’re showing
to their customers. The pilot
has been very successful:
no complaints, very reliable, and at very high
quality.”
The cost savings of HDBaseT don’t hurt this
format’s chances, boding well for increased
applications in everything from digital signage,
surveillance and security installations,
whole-home networking, and professional
video broadcasting, to hospitality and
educational environments. “When compared
to a traditional installation including separate
HDMI, IR , RS-232, and LAN cables, the cost
savings for an HDBaseT installation in cables
alone is substantial,” noted KanexPro’s Khetia.
“A traditional installation costs approximately
$13 per foot, not including the added cost
of repeaters for solving distance limitations.
Using HDBaseT technology sent over a single
LA N cable costs less than 10 cents per foot.”
Those shrinking numbers are
adding up to something big for
AV . “Our DigitalMedia division
has shipped millions of dollars
worth of HDBaseT equipment in
the past year and is our fastest
growing product line in company
history,” Crestron’s Kennington
stated. “HDBaseT is a fantastic
communication method—it will
carry video, audio, control,
internet, and your power along
with it. The question is, ‘What
are all the things that we can do
with that?’ You can simply carry
audio and video, or bring it all
under one umbrella so that your
entire AV distribution system
plays nicely together. That’s
what it’s about: Applying this
great technology in intelligent
ways that are useful.”
Margin Builder
“With HDBaseT, the ability
to reuse the existing
infrastructure and provide a
significant update is huge,”
advised Justin Kennington,
Crestron’s
product line manager
of Digital Media.
“In the residential
sector, we’re offering
a buy-back program,
and saying to integrators,
‘Sell us the
old equipment, and
we’ll introduce a
new system you can
give to your customer.’
That’s huge: in
residential, we have
thousands of video
over Cat-5 cable
switchers installed
in the field. Those are
thousands of qualified
opportunities to
sell new systems.”
David Weiss (www.dwords.com)
writes extensively about AV, audio,
and broadcast technology.
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