HDMI over IP Rackmount Transmitter
Key features
- SKU: VBS-HDMI-338A
- Up to 1,000 Ft Runs Via 3 Cascading Ethernet Switches
- Supports HDMI 1.3
- Supports Resolutions from 16 x 16 up to 2048 x 2048
- Supports 2.0 Stereo/Dolby Pro Logic audio
- HDCP Compliant
- Plug and Play installation
- Integrated Scaler Allows Multiple Resolutions for Different Displays
- 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p Video
- Distances to 333 Feet Between Switches; Up to 200 Feet per LAN
- IP Allows Receiver to Find Transmitter in a Network
- Supports DVI with HDMI to DVI Adapter
- Lifetime Warranty
This unit works with...
- HDMI over IP Receiver Units
- Blu-ray Players
- Playstation 3 (PS3) & Xbox 360 Elite
- HDMI Supported Laptops & PCs
- Satellite HD Receivers
- HDTVs, Projectors & Displays
- HDMI and DVI Equipped Devices
The Projector Connector™ HDMI over IP Rackmount Transmitter allows you to simultaneously send out 3 different HDMI 1.3 Signals (up to 1080p) to one or more HDMI video projectors or LCD Panels and return an IR Control Signal to the source using CAT5/6/7 cable over a standard Ethernet infrastructure. Can be used to distribute HD digital content from multiple sources to up to 200 displays on a LAN by cascading Ethernet switches up to 3 levels, allowing the farthest display to be located up to 1,000’ away from the 1080p source device while sustaining excellent picture & sound quality. Each device is installed using 1 piece of UTP or STP cable. AV signals are transmitted digitally over the CAT5/6/7 cable without any signal loss. The integrated Scaler function allows different input and output resolutions up to 2048x2048 (different output displays can be at different resolutions). The Return IR Control function is best suited for a Point-To-Point application, and is of limited value in a Point-To-Many environment. For installations in a Many-To-Many environment it is necessary to use a third party home automation solution to provide distributed remote control functionality.
IR receiver/emitter kits sold separately
NOTE: Support for multiple transmitters requires a Managed network switch with VLAN/IGMP support. Standard LAN switches can only support 1 transmitter.
Not an HDMI Balun, but an HDMI over IP system. This means you can create your own A/V Ethernet network and all of the recievers will find the transmitter automatically. It may even be used over smaller existing house networks and low cost LAN switches and routers.
Any HDMI source can simultaneously be diplayed on any number of display devices (if multiple displays are permitted by the HDMI source) using VLAN isolation on a Managed Ethernet switch. Using the HTTP GUI a PC (wired or wireless) can control what signal is being watched at each location. Sophisticated Home Theater installations can use a programmable console to control the system using RS232 commands. The Managed switch must support IGMP and permit duplicate IP addresses across the VLAN domains. You must use a third party home automation solution to provide distributed remote control functionality.
Specifcations:
- 3 HDMI In (19 pin Type A female) plus 3 UTP/STP 100Mbps Ethernet Ports;
- Size: 1 RU 19” Wide
- Embedded HTTP Server
- Protocol: IP, UDP, TCP, ICMP, and IGMP; 3 3.5mm IR Receiver Port **
- IEC 100-240V, 50/60 Hz Switching Power Supply;
- HDCP Compliant;
- Plug-and-Play installation
- Supports DVI with HDMI-to-DVI adapter;
- Video Bandwidth: 2.25Gbps (HDM1.3)
- Input TMDS Signal: 1.2 volts (peak-to-peak);
- Input DDC Signal: 5 volts (peak-to-peak)
- Maximum LAN Bandwidth: 50 ~ 60 Mbps per port
- Resolutions - practically any input from 16 x 16 to 2048 x 2048 pixels including the following:
640x480 @ 85fps 800x600 @ 85fps
1024x768 @ 75fps 1280x1024 @ 30fps
1600x1200 @ 30fps 720x480 @ 60fps
720x576 @ 50fps 1280x720 @ 30fps
1920x1080 @ 24fps 1920x1080 @ 60fps
Compatibilty - works with the Type “A” HDMI over IP Receiver series.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How it is possible to deliver full 1080p audio/video to multiple screens with "only" a 100BT Ethernet LAN?
The heaviest bandwidth consumer for HD sources currently is Blu-Ray with a maximum bitrate for Audio+Video+Subtitles set at 48Mbits. All other 1080p sources (HD-DVD, Tivo's, Vudu's, Media Center PC's, Gaming Platforms, Digital Signage content devices, etc) come in well below that bitrate. Most of the time even a Blu-Ray movie is not putting out content at this maximum bitrate (30MB-40MB LAN is the typical bandwidth).
Our HDMI over IP units can use up to 50MB LAN bandwidth for sending 1080p to a single receiver, and up to 60MB LAN bandwidth for sending 1080p to multiple receivers (NB the same multicast bandwidth is consumed whether you are sending to 2 or 200 receivers). Most of the time much less bandwidth is needed (especially for Digital Signage content). The ASIC's on the TX/RX units only use compression/decompression to reduce the bandwidth when necessary due to other network traffic, but not if there is sufficient bandwidth available on the LAN to send the full audio/video data stream. While the formal HDMI specification has much more bandwidth defined, that overhead bandwidth is not needed to send perfect 1080p audio/video sources digitally over a 100MB LAN.
While we are not the first company to figure out how to distribute HDMI over IP, all of our competitor’s solutions require expensive Gigabit 1000BT industrial switches. Our HDMI over IP solution works fine on a standard 100BT LAN (works with everyday value commonly found LinkSys and NetGear switchers/routers).
A 1000BT device will cost well over £1000 per screen to implement, while ours have a retail price of just £200 per receiver.
Is there any loss of quality at all?
There is no loss of VIDEO quality. From a VIDEO perspective, the units will deliver perfect on the fly compression/decompression - the Auto-Scaling Intelligent Chipsets (ASICs) have been specifically designed to achieve this. As long as there is sufficient LAN bandwidth available, there should be no noticeable loss in VIDEO quality. With regards to AUDIO, the units only support the "lossy" 5.1 audio portion of the HDMI stream, so yes, the "lossless" audio is "lost". Keep in mind that for a point-to-point implementation without a LAN switch, there is no competition for LAN bandwidth. If there is bandwidth competition on a LAN implementation, the ASIC's adjust to keep the stream going with some very minor loss of quality. A typical Home Theater user does not usually have any heavy network traffic, so it is not commonplace have to lower the quality, the functionality is there if needed only.
In a corporate setting (i.e. a shopping centre, sports bar, or other large venue with multiple screens) we strongly suggest HDMI devices are put on their own dedicated LAN to ensure the best possible results.
What about issues such as latency?
What’s Latency? Latency is the delay between the initiation of a network transmission by a sender and the receipt of that transmission by a receiver. In a two-way communication, it may be measured as the time from the transmission of a request for a message, to the time when the message is successfully received by the requester.
Any latency introduced by the HDCable.co.uk HDMI over IP solution is negligible (hundredths of a millisecond) and cannot be detected by the human eye. The HDMI over IP solution is certainly suitable for gaming. We tried a variety of network configurations, with the extreme case of having the Xbox connected via an HDMI over IP Transmitter to a cheap network switch with a 100m UTP CAT5e cable, and the display being connected via an HDMI over IP Receiver with another 100m UTP CAT5e cable. We did find that the wireless remote controller with fresh batteries had a practical distance limitation of about 30m, which would seem to be more than adequate for a centrally located Xbox being played by family members in an average size home. For multi-player games it is totally possible for each player to be sitting in front of a different screen.
Are the unit’s powered?
Yes, both the Transmitter and Receiver units require a 5V power source. These are included with the product. (Input: 100-240V, 50-60Hz, 0.5A Output: 5V, Positive Tip, 1200mA)
Can you achieve even longer distances using fibre optic cable solutions?
Longer runs via Fiber or any other type of Ethernet extender are fine (it's all standard Ethernet data packets), just as long as you get enough bandwidth to support the transport.
Where can I get Help & Support information if I need it?
Because the system is IP based, it has none of the support nightmares associated with the legacy balun devices, however in the unlikely even that you do have a support issue an extensive collection of appropriate support documents are available for download from HDCable.co.uk, it is also possible to contact a member of technical staff by phone on 0844 351 0190.
