Kramer Does DVI Over Twisted Pair

Kramer Electronics this week announced its new PT-571HDCP and PT-572HDCP twisted-pair transmitter and receiver for DVI signals.

The combo can transmit DVI signals directly over a twisted-pair cabling; shielded twisted-pair cables are recommended, according to the company.

Kramer Electronics

Kramer officials said the PT-571HDCP and PT-572HDCP represent a compact and inexpensive solution for DVI signal transmission over long distances. The PT-571HDCP converts a DVI signal into a signal that can be run over shielded twisted-pair cables. The PT-572HDCP receiver then converts the signal back to a DVI signal. Both units support bandwidth of up to 1.65Gbps and are HDCP-compliant and HDTV-compatible.

Using the new transmitter/receiver pair, a DVI signal can be transmitted up to 295 feet at SXGA resolution and up to 98 feet at UXGA resolution when using Kramer's shielded BC-DGKat524 cable. Kramer's shielded BC-DGKat623 cable can extend the range for UXGA to 230 feet. The company says it will soon introduce what it calls the Kramer shielded BC-DGKat7a23 cable that will extend the range to 265 feet for UXGA signals.

The company did not offer performance characteristics for non-Kramer cables.

Kramer PT-572HDCP

The PT-571HDCP and PT-572HDCP pass the EDID and HPD signals from the source to the display device over the twisted pair cable together with the DVI signal.  The PT-571HDCP employs Kramer's Power Connect feature in which a single connection to the transmitter powers both units. The required 12V DC is transmitted through the twisted pair cable, along with the other signals, to the receiver.

The PT-571HDCP and PT-572HDCP are housed in the ultra-compact Pico Tools enclosure. They carry a list price of $220 per unit and are available now.