posted on Monday, 15th August 2011 by Tony Leedham
HDBaseT is the HDMI Killer
....so stated many pundits when news of the new technology was showcased to the world at CES January 2009....
Well it is not quite as simple as that. It never is where
standards are concerned.
Not comparing your Mac with your Mac here..
Very simply HDMI is more about the content, connector and cable. Whereas HDbaseT is more about transmission of multiple signal types over long distances of standard network cable/connector.
Interestingly you can transfer HDMI over HDBaseT......
So I am not sure that 'killer' is the correct word or intent, although some shaking up of the standards and connector world can only be a good thing at times. HDMI is not the connector of choice by the installer and cable runs without extenders is relatively short. However HDMI prevails on many consumer products with some quite influential players like Sky removing component connections. This has caused problems for installers now requiring more expensive HDMI Matrices. (Sky not opening up control of their boxes via serial or IP being the other integrator gripe, but let's save that for another time!)
So HDBaseT is here and products are available now and more coming this year.
This is not a full in-depth technical insight, most of that is available online from the HDBaseT Alliance and the semiconductor supplier Valens, but more of an overview and introduction with some perspectives from a couple of manufacturers. On top of that some feedback from the field when discussing HDBaseT with installers.
What HDBaseT has done is move some of the technology, and
debate, away from the
connector and HDMI interface standards and onto the transmission
medium. Using good old Cat5e/6 cable to transfer multiple signals,
including HDMI, over long distances (100m).
What is HDBaseT?
You may have heard of 'Triple Play' the telecoms buzz-phrase for providing Internet, TV and Telephone over a single connection (and no doubt 4 Play but that is another article to be published elsewhere...) well HDBaseT is a 5 Play technology!
Essentially transferring HD Digital Video, Audio, Ethernet, Power and Control over a single Cat5e/6 cable up to 100m. In addition using the standard network RJ45 connector. So the cable and installation infrastructure are relatively low cost and easy to implement.
As stated by the Alliance, the compelling features of HDBaseT technology include:
Condensed history:
At this time most of the products available are focused on
extending or switching HDMI signals, with inputs/outputs using the
standard HDMI connector. As HDBaseT allows transmission of 1.4a
HDMI this covers the latest standards including 3-D However as the
technology progresses and more manufacturers adopt the technology
we will start to see embedded receivers, and so the need for HDMI
connectors will diminish. This could be when the HDMI standard may
come under pressure, although the protection of content will no
doubt once again be critical in standards adoption.
At Infocomm earlier in the year on the HDBaseT stand Samsung were showing a television connected to a network cable with only an RJ45 that supplied signal and power. A network TV. Availability of these new televisions I am not sure of, maybe there are some already coming onto the market. We all know there are televisions with some network connectivity, or at least an RJ45 already on-board......
From an installers perspective the number of cables to be pulled is reduced, the types of termination and connector reduced and so you could argue some aspects of the install are simplified. One really important feature not to be overlooked from an installers perspective is that power can also supplied down the cable and so receivers (and other electronics) do not always require a local PSU, which can be a real issue as displays get thinner and space behind them restricted.
At this time, according to the specification, an HDBaseT enabled 40″ LED TV can be powered with 70 watts, and in the near future the TV size you can power with HDBaseT will dramatically increase. Also Energy Star are revising their specifications next year and it appears televisions of any screen size must not use more than 85w, so HDBaseT will provide power down the same cable as the signals and control. This removes the need for power sockets at the TV location.
However even though installation may be getting easier, once again it is clear networking is a key skill set that the installer must have, yet sadly not all have.
On my travels as a reseller of integrated technology I found that about 50% of installers had not heard of HDBaseT, which is probably not surprising as not many products are yet in the market. Also with fast paced developments it is very hard to keep up with new technology. Those who had used products with HDBaseT were overall pleased with the results yet skeptical of relying yet again on a network cable to be the answer to all signal transmission needs. However network savvy engineers seemed to take the developments in their stride and see this as yet another piece in the installation/integration puzzle. Something to be embraced and filed under 'network and IP'.
In March this year HDBaseT announced the addition of 23 companies to its membership base. Compare this to the HDMI figure of about 850. Although to manufacture product using the HDBaseT technology you don't have to be a member. Take LEAF for example, they are just about to release a new range of Matrix products starting with an 8x8. LEAF have been working on the HDBaseT technology almost from 1.0 release and have been in R&D for over a year to cleverly implement HDBaseT technology. Will they become a member? Dean Vaughan the owner of LEAF is looking at the economics, but is impressed with what they have achieved with the standard.
Others such as Transformative Engineering are members and have already got HDMI Extenders in the market, with more products to come soon that really embrace all that HDbaseT offers.
Becoming a Member of the Alliance does have its advantages. Jay Trieber President of Transformative Engineering told me "Valens and the HDBaseT Alliance have been excellent partners, assisting us in all stages of implementation"
Although manufactured in China, quality is paramount for TE. Jay again - " The most difficult issue was impressing on all the Asian factories that we require the highest quality and feature-rich product, which was counter to the usual request for the cheapest possible product. Our designs kept coming back materially inferior because the factories didn't believe we would spend the additional $1.50 (really) for a better device or cosmetic. We now have our own personnel supervising all our production and testing to achieve the highest level of quality. We will not enter the "race to zero", but will continue to design and produce the best possible product, and control pricing in a reasonable way without sacrificing quality, performance, or features. Ultimately, our goal is to always have the best product at the lowest price."
Will HDbaseT become, and remain, an industry leading standard? Well it does have good reason to with companies such as Sony, LG and Samsung throwing their hat into the ring. Also it seems that Valens the supplier of the silicon raised significant funds based upon getting a positive 'nod' from the market.
Although no doubt other technology will emerge and be adopted by some. Take Intel's Light Peak. Incorporating optical transmission within USB cable/connectors. This has the advantage of enormous bandwidth potential but does require copper for power. Probably more for the PC market than CE it still shows that the manufacturing heavy-weights can introduce new interfaces and get sufficient traction from their own product sales. Apple took the technology behind Light peak and introduced a copper version called Thunderbolt for improved interconnectivity.
Let's hope Apple don't corner the CI cable/connector/transmission standard of the future. The connector, and the box it comes in, will be exquisite. But will cost us all a fortune. Then again it will be easy to use with no technical knowledge required.......something I fear is the answer that many installers are looking for. Again a topic for future debate.
www.transformativeengineering.com
Tony has 20 years experience in business development in the Audio Visual Distribution sector. Presently running Aventure Europe Limited
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