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TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE: Signal Extenders

Signal extenders continue to incorporate new features and paradigms as virtual matrix switching becomes more prevalent

ZeeVee ZyPer4K simplifies distribution and replaces the need for additional equipment such as video wall scalers, data ports, multi-view controllers, and separate control networks. Compatible with virtually any off-the-shelf 10Gb switch, it supports uncompressed, zero latency HD or UltraHD (4K/60 4:4:4) video, audio, and control. HDMI 1.4 and 2.0 compatible including support for 4K HDR10, with optional IO for DisplayPort, 3G-SDI, HID/USB 2.0, and analog. HDCP 2.2 compatible. Available in copper and fiber.

For HDBaseT delivery to the full 320ft. Zigen offers the ZIG-POE-100 HDBaseT HDMI Extender that includes RS232, IR, and up to 13W power. Power delivery is safely done when the receiver reads the ID of the transmitter. Power is turned off at the transmitter when the receiver is disconnected. Supporting HDMI 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, and 2.0 with 3D, the system also carries digital video in 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p, 1920×1200, 2K, and 4K. Transmitter and receiver have power and link indicator lights along with 3.5mm IR input and output ports.

A Class A HDBaseT extender, the WyreStorm EX-70-H2 can convey 4K UHD HDR and 1080p video, audio, bidirectional IR/ RS-232, and two-way PoH with which either transmitter or receiver can power the other unit via the Cat-6 cable. The thin 17mm case can easily fit behind wall-mounted displays. Audio support includes 2-channel PCM audio and multichannel HD audio supports 7.1, DTSX, and Dolby Atmos. There is a switchable RS-232 function mode on each unit for firmware update. Each front panel contains indicators for power, signal status, HDCP presence, and HDBaseT link.

The HD-One DX and LX from tvONE can convey uncompressed video up to 328ft. on Cat-5e/6/6e/7 cable, 4K video to 200ft., and support embedded HDMI Audio, including Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio; while the DX500 and LX500 can reach up to 500ft. The LX Series also provides two-way RS232 and IR along with the ability to tune to three different IR bands (36.7kHz, 38.0kHz or 58.8kHz). They are also compatible with CORIOmax HDBaseT input and output modules from tvONE.

TLX extension systems from Thinklogical deliver up to 4K@60Hz video (4096×2160) with full duplex stereo audio, RS232 and 10/100/1000 Ethernet for configuration, management, and updates. Available in a modular form factor, the TLX extenders are hot swappable and feature a unique dual connector that can receive both HDMI and DisplayPort cables on the same unit. When combined with a TLX matrix switch (available from 12 to 640 ports), it becomes easy to intermingle and connect HDMI/DVI, and DisplayPort video sources and displays without any change to the KVM system equipment.

The Tekvox Tek Digital Express Kit is a combination of the TEK TPHD2-WP1 two-gang Decora-style HDBaseT wall-mountable transmitter, a 75ft. plenum Cat-6 cable, 3ft. microflex HDMI cable, and a TEK TPHDH402PR HDBaseT receiver with power supply. The wall plate transmitter has VGA and HDMI inputs that can be manual or autoswitched, and it sends the video and bidirectional RS232 control up to 230ft. with PoC. The power supply can be connected at the transmitter or the receiver.

The CrystalView EX6 from Rose Electronics is a high-performance KVM extender designed for quick and simple installation to convey uncompressed DVI video up to 1920×1200 resolution and multiple highspeed USB2.0 links for distances ranging to 330ft. on a single Cat-X cable. The industrial rackmount version supports two, three, or four extenders in a single 1U chassis. If the PC is configured as a dual, triple, or quad-head device then the CrystalView EX6-Quad product can extend all peripherals to the remote work area. The device is plug-and-play with no setup or configuration needed.

PureLink has the device for sending HDMI video on an LC-terminated multimode fiberoptic cable for up to 3300ft. with the HOF1 Tx/Rx. Ultra HD/4K HDMI, embedded audio, RS-232, and bidirectional IR are all supported. Source and display synchronization are assured with built-in Auto-EDID management and the integrated repeater corrects and enhances signal quality. The housing includes indicator LEDs for HDMI signal, fiber connection and power along with a locking 5VDC power connection.

Opticis has the solution for extending 4K AV sources to multiple displays with the IPVDS- 500-ED, a device especially well-suited for control rooms and educational applications. It provides a virtual matrix function with the TX and RX on an IP network to carry video in a matrix of up to 8×8. The system has analog and HDMI audio inputs and outputs and an HDMI loop-thru port for a local display. The software enables a preview scene, 99 presets and scheduling, drag-and-drop operation and a wide range of layout options.

The WP-UMX-TPS-TX130-US from Lightware Visual Engineering is the flagship product in the TPS (HDBaseT Transmitter) line with a transmission distance up to 170 meters for universal video, audio, and control. Designed to handle digital and analog AV signals, the wall plate unit provides bidirectional and transparent RS232, and Ethernet transmission along with unidirectional and transparent IR transmission. Features include an active cooling system, Event Manager, Advanced EDID management, and remote powering through Cat cable. The panel includes input status LEDs and three control buttons.

The Kramer Electronics TP-780T uses HDBaseT to take HDMI video at resolutions up to 4K@60Hz (4:2:0) UHD, bidirectional RS232 and IR control along with EDID signals to the TP-780R receiver at the display location as far away as 230ft. (2K) or 130ft. (4K) on Kramer’s BCHDKat6a cable. It also provides power to the receiver over the twisted-pair cable. Equipped with status LEDs for input, output, link and power, the TP-780R receiver is HDCP compliant and supports HDMI uncompressed audio channels, Dolby TrueHD, DTSHD, and CEC.

The EXT-FIBER302T from KanexPro is a fiber-optic transmitter extender that works with their MOD-IN-FIBER input card module of the HDMMX Modular matrix switchers. Compatible with single-mode fiber for distances up to 1.2 miles and with multimode fiber up to 1000ft., it carries 4K UHD 1920×1200@60Hz and 1080p resolutions to the matrix. The EXT-HDBTKVM100 uses HDBaseT to transport uncompressed HDMI video, audio, USB 2.0, control signals, and PoH over a single Cat-5e/6 cable. Its single power supply runs both transmitter and receiver. The transmitter has a single USB 2.0 port while the receiver has two such ports.

The Draco Vario 474 Series extenders from IHSE USA combine DVI/HDMI video, USBHID, USB 1.0/2.0, digital audio, and RS232 signals on Cat-X for up to 460ft. or fiberoptic cable on distances more than 6 miles. They are compatible with the Draco Tera Enterprise and Draco Tera Compact KVM matrix switch product lines. Audio options for the Vario cards include AES/EBU and S/PDIF up to 96kHz. The units are available in 2, 4, 6 and 21-slot frames, and all support the option of redundant power supplies.

Using H.264 with user definable bit rates, the Hall Research HHD264 line of encoders and decoders can switch receivers on the fly with DVM (Dynamic Virtual Matrix) technology. The sender can provide local video monitoring through its HDMI loop output. Any combination of up to 64 different HDMI sources can be sent to more than 250 displays. The configuration methods include DIP switches on the units, internal Web interface, Telnet from third-party control systems, and the free Windows PC Manager Tool software. PoE versions are available and the sender contains a scaler to manage bandwidth.

The Gefen EXT-UHDA-HBT2 4K Ultra- HD HDBaseT 2.0 extender can move 1080p full HD and 1920×1200 (WUXGA) 8-bit video up to 495ft. The EXT-UHDA-HBT2 uses Gefen’s implementation of the latest HDBaseT 2.0 technology to extend HDMI up to 330 feet (100m) at 4K, using one CAT-5e cable. Also carrying serial and IR control, the sender/receiver pair can provide Ethernet extension for a smart TV. Analog audio is two-way with a Toslink optical digital audio output to send audio from the receiver back to the source. Transmitter or receiver can be powered and send power via Power Over HDBaseT to the other unit. Configuration, EDID management, performance audits, and firmware updates can be made using the Gefen Syner-G software.

The DVIGear DVI-7340 and DVI-7341 are 4K optical extenders designed to meet and exceed demanding system requirements. They support an array of signal types with or without HDCP, provide long-distance extension over a single-fiber cable (up to 1.2 miles), and support ultra-high resolutions up to 4K (UHD). Models include LC (DVI-7340) and ST (DVI- 7341) connectors. The DisplayNet family of 10GbE AV over IP products has a new member in the DN-200 Series units with support for HDMI 2.0, HDCP 2.2, Display- Port 1.2, high-speed USB 2.0 (480Mbps), and internal scaling.

Crestron HD-MD-400-CE is a transmitter/receiver pair capable of autoswitching or control system guided manual selection between three inputs on the transmitter and sending the signal up to 230ft. on Cat-X, twisted-pair cable to the receiver where another source device can be connected. A LAN port on the receiver allows for connection to an Ethernet network for simple setup and configuration using a Web browser. The 400-C-E provides comprehensive management of the EDID information that passes between the display, scaler, and source devices. The receiver’s analog audio output allows the HD-MD-400-C-E to extract the stereo audio signal from digital sources to feed an external audio output device.

CE Labs has the HX1K-3 to take HDCP-compliant HDMI over HDBaseT for up to 328ft. on Cat-5e/6/6a/7 cable at resolutions reaching 4000×2000 and 1080p/60Hz/48bit. With a maximum data rate of 3.4Gbps, the unit has audio transmission full passthrough including Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD MA support. A 5VDC 2A power supply is included and on the case are indicator LEDs for power and link status. Weighing less than 5 ounces, the units can fit just about anywhere.

The UVX-DP-TP-100M from Black Box Corporation can send 4K DisplayPort video, USB, RS232, and power for up to 330ft. on Cat-6A/Cat-7 cable while simultaneously transmitting bidirectional analog stereo audio. The USB passthrough can extend the keyboard and mouse or other peripheral signals using HDBaseT. The transmitter will convey 48V power to the receiver on the twisted-pair cable as well. The units are HDCP 2.2 compliant and they support EDID transmission. The front panel includes LED indicators for power, signal status, HDCP, and link.

Aurora Multimedia developed the VLXTC1 Series to use IPBaseT technology, and the hardware can be installed as either a transmitter or receiver to extend video with only 1.5 frame latency. Offering large extensive scalability, its features include PoE, stereo line in/out, RS232, IR control ports, auto-sense switching, and USB 2.0 host and device ports. An optional accessory is the VLX-DTE Dante Option Card. IPBaseT uses the bandwidth of a standard 1Gbps (VLX Series) or 10Gbps copper or fiber (IPX Series) network by uniting multiple technologies into a single-box distributed platform.

Ideal for pro-audio sources such as mixers and microphones, FlexPort Audio Input Transmitters from Audio Authority serve as remote input modules for SonaFlex SF-16M Matrix Amplifiers. FlexPort transmitters are available in several different styles, including balanced line XLR, digital SPDIF, and analog RCA audio signals. Audio signals are transmitted to an SF-16M via Cat-5e/6/7 cable up to 500ft. and made available to specified amplified outputs. They can be shared with up to three additional SF-16M amplifiers. Each transmitter has a convenient override button, and the FPM-B includes an optional connection for override via microphone push-to-talk switch.

Coming this fall from Atlona, the AT-CENT-100-KIT HDBaseT extender pair for high dynamic range (HDR) formats (HDMI data rates up to 18Gbps). The units can send HDMI up to 330ft. with embedded multichannel audio, Ethernet, RS-232, and IR control with PoE and the HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC). Configuration, control, and management are accomplished with the Atlona Management System (AMS), a network software platform integrating product configuration, status monitoring, and firmware updates.

The Apantac TSE-1-EH/TSE-1-RH HDMI/USB Touch-Screen Extender/ Receiver Set extends VGA with RS232 or USB control over a single Cat-X cable for a distance up to 1000ft. for VGA 2048×1536, and up to 115ft. for DVI at a maximum resolution of 1920×1200, and it works with most major touchscreen brands. The transmitter and receiver units are plug-and-play with no setup required for remote/local monitoring and control. The HDMI and DVI receivers include a manually adjustable cable equalization knob.

Designed by AMX to work with older and newer video systems, the DX-TX DXLink Multi-Format Transmitter can carry digital and analog video up to 100 meters along with control and Ethernet. The DX-TX can be used with Enova DGX DXLink Twisted Pair Input Boards, compatible Enova DVX All-In- One Presentation Switchers or in a point-to-point configuration with the DXLink HDMI Receiver. It includes a multi-format analog port and an HDMI port. The DXLink HDMI Receiver has built-in SmartScale Technology to eliminate problems with different optimal resolutions between source and display.

The Altinex TP-315-101/102 is an extension system that can transport 1080P HDMI signals over 900ft. using a simple two-conductor cable, and it can do this by daisy-chaining the receivers or going straight out for up to four receivers. The terminal posts on the transmitter and receiver make the connection quite easy. The receiver can pass through IR control signals back to the transmitter without corrupting the HDMI video. When the transmitter detects the receiver, the receiver begins video transmission to the display.

Developed to take HDBaseT from the AJA Video Systems RovoCam camera up to 100 meters away, the RovoRx-SDI UltraHD/HD HDBaseT Receiver has a variety of output options when switched into DA (distribution amplifier) mode. It provides uncompressed video, audio, power, and control through the Cat-5e/6 HDBaseT input. The DA mode allows one HDBaseT video source to be output via multiple 6G/3G-SDI connections, providing the capability for simultaneous recording, routing, and display of video signals from RovoCam.

A high-resolution, ultra-low latency digital KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) extender or matrix, the ADDERLink XDIP from Adder Technology provides a 100-meter extension on Cat-X cable. The unit can operate point-to- point or on a local 1GbE network, sending up to a 1920×1200 video stream, USB2.0 and 2-channel audio over a single Cat-X cable. A very handy feature is the feed-through port, which allows a user station to switch between a local and remote computer. Powering options include PoE and an external power source.

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