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HDMI over Cat5e problems and solutions, read before posting - Page 10

post #271 of 301
1/1/13 at 12:30pm
Great thread, Ty to all for sharing. Have been looking for an HDMI over cat6 that will support IR (of which there are many examples) and also ARC (which seems much less frequent). Apart from >$700 snapAV variants the only other one i've found is the "Sewell HDBaseT HDMI and IR over Single Cat 5 Extender 100M, 3D, HEC, ARC, and 4Kx2K" for $299 from amazon - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0079LSIDY/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00 (which if it works fine would be great although on receiving unit IR is built in directly so needs to be visible which isn't ideal). Has anyone had any experience with this (or another device that supports ARC?) Ultimate setup will be roughly 30' run of cat6 UTP, pioneer sc-1222-k on one end feeding from ps3, xbox360 etc into a Samsung D8000 other end. Any thoughts much appreciated.
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Gear mentioned in this thread:

post #272 of 301
1/8/13 at 12:02pm
I recently attempted Monoprice's HDMI extenders over a single Cat5e cable (HDbaseT) and could not for the life of me get it to work with the Cox cable boxes (Cisco whole home DVR). The screen would show blue. Tried it on both the 46" samsung and the 37"+/- LG. The extenders would work with an older model DVD player though.

Any thoughts on how to resolve this? Otherwise they're going back to Monoprice.

Thanks,
Yeti
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post #273 of 301
1/9/13 at 9:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by sound yeti View Post

I recently attempted Monoprice's HDMI extenders over a single Cat5e cable (HDbaseT) and could not for the life of me get it to work with the Cox cable boxes (Cisco whole home DVR). The screen would show blue. Tried it on both the 46" samsung and the 37"+/- LG. The extenders would work with an older model DVD player though.
Any thoughts on how to resolve this? Otherwise they're going back to Monoprice.
Thanks,
Yeti

Double check me because it's been a while since I read this, but I thought that the Cox box used dual band IR which the Monoprice product didn't support. I would think that the picture would show up though, and it would just not be controllable via IR. Did you run a test setup with store-bought cat5e's over a short distance? Did you put a tester on both ends of your Cat5 to make sure it was terminated correctly? Did you use 568a or 568b? (either should work as they are both straight through cables, don't use a crossover cable).
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post #274 of 301
1/9/13 at 9:02am
Any new products at CES 2013?
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post #275 of 301
1/9/13 at 11:36am
Thread Starter 
It's been a LONG time since I've posted, my apologies.. I've been reading though through the AVS post notifications..
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ward216 View Post

Here's a new HDMI HDBase-T Extender with IR and RS232 unit that tested amazingly well. It's from Asia and I don't yet know the mfg but here's a picture if you can find it online somewhere. Both the pcb and case are made very well with good attention to detail.

Ward, any update on this, its price/availability?
Quote:
Originally Posted by LingAwards View Post

I'm running Keynote presentation from an iMac 27" Quad core with a mini displayport output.

I'm splitting the HDMI signal to two TVs and one projector. Since the computer negotiates with the slave to find the EDID, adding a 1x3 monoprice splitter makes it so the computer can't detect any monitor. The projector is 720p, the TVs are 1080p.

I've tried two inline solutions, neither have worked. The first was a DVI Doctor, which is supposed to pretend to be a single EDID device that you set up. The second was a Blackmagic Intensity Extreme, which would also not play with my computer.

I'm now looking at a KanexPro Mini Displayport to 2x HDMI unit. Other options might be to hook up to a A/V Receiver and put the splitter after this device, or if there are any TVs that have HDMI out (doubtful?). Perhaps converting to component video might be the choice to make?

I'm not sure of the exact procedure, but my understanding is that the lowest-common-denominator is used when going through a splitter. I don't know if the splitter handles that or if the source device handles that, or exactly what the procedure is. The EDID doctors that you describe should work fine to "fake out" the source to thinking a particular downstream device exists. It would need to be placed immediately after the source device (iMac in this case) to ensure nothing else is trying to get in the way of the EDID doctor to tell the iMac what to do.

At our church we went through some renovation and ended up with two Monoprice 1x4 HDMI over CatX distribution systems, and our iMac (2009-ish model) just flat out would NOT negotiate with anything.. (I think those 1x4's seem to negotiate with whoever is first in the chain, if they're on, but that's another discussion for another day) I ended up putting a Monoprice 4x1 switch between the iMac and the Monoprice distribution boxes and boom, everything works. It seems to me that the iMac doesn't properly negotiate with all downstream devices. Maybe it's a timing thing (adding a device immediately after the iMac versus a the TV having to route through a distribution box for its negotiation causing too much communication delay???), or maybe it just likes the Monoprice swtich and not the downstream TV's..
Quote:
Originally Posted by akyramoto View Post

I then re-terminated the rj45 plugs on the cat5's. My boss had me install the RJ45EZ jacks the first time. The manufacturer for the balun (SnapAV HD-2CAT-1080P-130) recommends using the regular RJ45's as the EZ version can create crosstalk.
...
Be aware of individual instructions for each balun, almost everything we install is terminated to 568A, but this particular balun needs the RJ45's terminated to 568B.

Now this is very interesting. I'm not sure I know the difference between the RJ45 RJ45EZ connectors, and to be honest, I don't know what all my network cables are terminated with. Is there a clear way to determine visually if my connectors are RJ45 or RJ45EZ? That would be interesting..

Second, this thread at least seems to indicate that 568B is the most common (with these video baluns at least)..
Quote:
Originally Posted by ericmn View Post

I picked up the Monoprice hdmi over cat5 4x4 matrix as well.
...
I started with the cheapest matrix switch out there with the plan of trading up if needed. I don't know if I'm keeping it yet. It seems to be unable to deal with HDCP content and blinks out frequently. Undecided on whether this is a showstopper.

A lot of people in this thread have had good luck with the Monoprice 4x4 MATRIX switches.. Unfortunately a lot fewer people are actually providing part or product numbers in this thread now, so if there are more than one "Monoprice 4x4 Switch," then we don't know who is using what. frown.gif
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colm View Post

Read what Atlona has to say in the FAQ. They admit that the device will not even work with 10' of cable with some source devices, let alone 100'. Despite Atlona's attempt to put the blame on the manufacturers of the source equipment, the fault lies with manufacturer of the extender if they are stupid enough to power their device off the HDMI 5V line. The HDMI specification only requires source devices be able to supply 55 mA on the 5V line, primarily for hot plug detect. It isn't intended to power extenders.

Then would a simple HDMI 5V Injector work in such a situation? I actually have one that I thought was the problem in my original
Quote:
Originally Posted by politby View Post

The extender is an NXG Technologies NX-HDEXT115 purchased at Amazon. It works perfectly when the signal is 50p or 60p. I would have thought 1080p60 would be harder to handle by the HDMI extender than 1080p24.
The projector behaves differently depending on the source when fed 24p material:
  • PS3: Handshake with pre/pro results in 60p playback rather than 24p.
  • HTPC: Handshake fails completely and the projector says "No signal". I have to power cycle both the projector and pre/pro in order for the projector to recover.
Can a low budget HDMI extender cause symptoms like this? I am thinking of ordering a new (returnable) HDbase-T extender to test with, I do not have a long enough HDMI cable anyway to test a direct connection.

Back up a step- in the bolded statement above; does the projector behave differently depending on the source material even when NO EXTENDER is being used? Extender interactions I think are NOT out of the question, but I think isolating source-based issues should start with removing everything else first..
Quote:
Originally Posted by Derek Ouellet View Post

Result for both balun attempts:
Blu ray player menu appears. I can traverse the menu, launch apps, but when I go to play a blu ray disc, I get a "not supported" message that flashes in the corner of the screen. I also get a "not supported" message for the Wii input. A DVD successfully displayed, but the video quality seemed bad.
I also used a 50ft Cat 5e cable that I had to test the Accell balun to no avail.
Tests conducted to isolate problem:
1) Connect blu ray player directly to projector. RESULT = SUCCESS.
2) Connect blu ray player through receiver to projector. RESULT = SUCCESS
3) Connect blu ray player through receiver via 50ft Redmere cable to projector. RESULT = SUCCESS
Blu ray player and Wii all displayed as normal in these tests.
Seems like some kind of handshaking issue with the balun and the projector? Please offer any tips. I turned on the balun transmitter with the hdmi connected directly to the projector to try and sync them, but that didn't help resolve the issue.
Ugh.

I think handshaking problems can be introduced by the (wrong) HDMI-over-Cat5 adapters, yes. Unfortunately there is no magic bullet to isolate the problem; just good old fashioned troubleshooting skills are the best first step. The fact that your 50' redmere cable works and that your 50' cat5e cable with adapters does not is an indication that the adapters you're using or the cable (check termination styles, 568B? RJ45 or RJ45EZ?, etc) might be at fault. But more testing will be necessary.
Quote:
Originally Posted by StantonGuy View Post

Very informative, if long, thread, thanks to everyone for your input. Basic question, what wires HDMI or Cat 6 should I run to a bedroom? About 30' away.
I'm finishing up running structured wiring to a central hub to the top of what will be a media closet. I've got, I think, one more long run to go between the hub and bedroom upstairs which is 15' away, plus maybe 5' to go up in the closet and 10' from the wall to TV/receiver in my bedroom so at about 30' long not that far. With a lot still exposed from other renovations, it's almost like a new construction.

Simple answer-- If at all possible, run HDMI! I have heard good things about the Redmere cable from Monoprice, and user "Derek Ouellet" quoted directly above you seems to be having good success with it at 50' lengths! I wish it were available when I was doing my room in 2009! If HDMI is *not* possible, then this thread is here to help you (as best we can). smile.gif
Quote:
Originally Posted by NVNYC View Post

Great thread, Ty to all for sharing. Have been looking for an HDMI over cat6 that will support IR (of which there are many examples) and also ARC (which seems much less frequent). Apart from >$700 snapAV variants the only other one i've found is the "Sewell HDBaseT HDMI and IR over Single Cat 5 Extender 100M, 3D, HEC, ARC, and 4Kx2K" for $299 from amazon - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0079LSIDY/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00 (which if it works fine would be great although on receiving unit IR is built in directly so needs to be visible which isn't ideal). Has anyone had any experience with this (or another device that supports ARC?) Ultimate setup will be roughly 30' run of cat6 UTP, pioneer sc-1222-k on one end feeding from ps3, xbox360 etc into a Samsung D8000 other end. Any thoughts much appreciated.

It seems that 30' is no longer a problem for Redmere HDMI cables. Can that work for you? IR over Cat5e is no big deal and can be solved separately.. Does Redmere support ARC though? I don't know.. First things first though, is Redmere an option for you?
Quote:
Originally Posted by AI Limited View Post

Double check me because it's been a while since I read this, but I thought that the Cox box used dual band IR which the Monoprice product didn't support. I would think that the picture would show up though, and it would just not be controllable via IR. Did you run a test setup with store-bought cat5e's over a short distance? Did you put a tester on both ends of your Cat5 to make sure it was terminated correctly? Did you use 568a or 568b? (either should work as they are both straight through cables, don't use a crossover cable).

Most CatX-HDMI baluns are recommending 568B termination. I *think* that there is a difference I think in the overall complex impedance of the pairings between 568A and 568B that may be at play here (and that may NOT be in play when used for Ethernet traffic???), but I honestly don't know, that's just a guess at this point..

cheers,
..dane

ps.- I've updated the first post as of today to reflect new reports submitted to this thread. Thank you all for your continued support!
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post #276 of 301
1/9/13 at 11:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by audiodane View Post

Most CatX-HDMI baluns are recommending 568B termination. I *think* that there is a difference I think in the overall complex impedance of the pairings between 568A and 568B that may be at play here (and that may NOT be in play when used for Ethernet traffic???), but I honestly don't know, that's just a guess at this point..

cheers,
..dane

ps.- I've updated the first post as of today to reflect new reports submitted to this thread. Thank you all for your continued support!

Complex impedance of the pairings? What you talking about willis? If it's 568A at both ends, it's a straight through cable. If it's 568B at both ends it's a straight through cable. 568B is more common, but not mandatory. Sure you can talk about alien crosstalk, yada yada, but it makes no difference.
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post #277 of 301
1/10/13 at 7:32am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by AI Limited View Post


Complex impedance of the pairings? What you talking about willis? If it's 568A at both ends, it's a straight through cable. If it's 568B at both ends it's a straight through cable. 568B is more common, but not mandatory. Sure you can talk about alien crosstalk, yada yada, but it makes no difference.


As with most technology, "the devil is in the details."  CatX cables are not all created equal, but many are interchangeable when used for lesser-demanding applications. The higher the demand, issues that normally "don't much matter" become "very important."  crosstalk, attenuation, skew, etc.  I was theorizing that the differences in termination styles may play a small (but increasingly important) role in the minor timing differences and signal integrity issues of translating HDMI data over CatX cables.

Some brief searching this morning has brought up a treasure trove of articles and data that never even existed when I started this project in early 2010 (and started this thread in Aug 2010 to capture my experiences and create a place to collectively "solve the problem")..

It seems that a fellow named Jeff Boccaccio, president of DPL Labs, has written a bunch of very appropriate articles:

 

HDMI: Is Timing Everything? (12.06.2012)

Can Category Cable Replace HDMI? (11.13.2012)

The Evolution of HDMI Long-Distance Applications (06.14.2012)

HDMI to Cat 5/6: Are 1- or 2-Wire Solutions Best? (05.15.2012)

HDMI: A Closer Look Under the Jacket (03.20.2012)

Cat 568A or B: Which is Right For HDMI? (02.16.2012)

Inside an HDMI Problem (11.28.2011)

Is Your HDMI Balun Really a Balun? (11.04.2011)

Re-Defining HDMI Performance (09.16.2011)

Why 2 Short HDMI Cables Yield Different Results (08.05.2011)

Inside the HDMI Balun's Transmitter Job (12.21.2010)

Pros & Cons of HDMI Baluns (10.21.2010)

Aren't All Cables the Same? (01.21.2010)

The Importance of Good Signal Integrity (01.20.2010)

HDMI 1.4 Requires Increased Bandwidth: True or False? (10.01.2009)

HDMI: High Emissions, Poor Grounds Don't Mix (06.19.2009)

HDMI: The Importance of Termination (04.06.2009)

Cat 5 & 6: Why Do We Need Two for HDMI? (03.06.2009)

...


I have captured a few and converted them to MHT (single-file-html-archive format) and attached them here..  I'm going to email Jeff a few questions and will report back what I hear..  Seems there is growing evidence that maybe it DOES make a difference..  eek.gif

 

 

 

JeffBoccacci_Various_Articles.zip 1,036k .zip file

 

 

 

 

..dane

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post #278 of 301
1/15/13 at 5:41pm
ty for the suggestion AudioDane, ultimately that's the route I am going. Got the Sewell HDbaseT balun mentioned above, HDMI worked fine but did NOT support ARC (at least not from my test using Samsung smarthub to play videos on a NAS drive or Netflix...curiously the four-page manual that came with the device had no mention of ARC so possibly incorrectly labeled on amazon.com). Anyway am going to ship that back to Amazon. 50' redmere from monoprix due to arrive shortly, will be a pain but will snake that into the TV and should work fine (we tested ARC with some other HDMI 1.4 cables and worked like a charm). Will deal with IR separately as u note. I found some more expensive HDbaseT baluns that claim to support ARC but they are $700 a pop...if anyone happens across one that actually supports ARC would be curious for other projects. ty all & good luck
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post #279 of 301
1/17/13 at 9:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by audiodane View Post


As with most technology, "the devil is in the details."  CatX cables are not all created equal, but many are interchangeable when used for lesser-demanding applications. The higher the demand, issues that normally "don't much matter" become "very important."  crosstalk, attenuation, skew, etc.  I was theorizing that the differences in termination styles may play a small (but increasingly important) role in the minor timing differences and signal integrity issues of translating HDMI data over CatX cables.


Some brief searching this morning has brought up a treasure trove of articles and data that never even existed when I started this project in early 2010 (and started this thread in Aug 2010 to capture my experiences and create a place to collectively "solve the problem")..


It seems that a fellow named Jeff Boccaccio, president of DPL Labs, has written a bunch of very appropriate articles:

HDMI: Is Timing Everything? (12.06.2012)



Can Category Cable Replace HDMI? (11.13.2012)



The Evolution of HDMI Long-Distance Applications (06.14.2012)

HDMI to Cat 5/6: Are 1- or 2-Wire Solutions Best? (05.15.2012)



HDMI: A Closer Look Under the Jacket (03.20.2012)



Cat 568A or B: Which is Right For HDMI? (02.16.2012)



Inside an HDMI Problem (11.28.2011)



Is Your HDMI Balun Really a Balun? (11.04.2011)



Re-Defining HDMI Performance (09.16.2011)



Why 2 Short HDMI Cables Yield Different Results (08.05.2011)



Inside the HDMI Balun's Transmitter Job (12.21.2010)



Pros & Cons of HDMI Baluns (10.21.2010)



Aren't All Cables the Same? (01.21.2010)

The Importance of Good Signal Integrity (01.20.2010)



HDMI 1.4 Requires Increased Bandwidth: True or False? (10.01.2009)

HDMI: High Emissions, Poor Grounds Don't Mix (06.19.2009)

HDMI: The Importance of Termination (04.06.2009)

Cat 5 & 6: Why Do We Need Two for HDMI? (03.06.2009)



...


I have captured a few and converted them to MHT (single-file-html-archive format) and attached them here..  I'm going to email Jeff a few questions and will report back what I hear..  Seems there is growing evidence that maybe it DOES make a difference..  eek.gif



JeffBoccacci_Various_Articles.zip 1036k .zip file




..dane

Thanks for the articles. They look interesting. I meant that it made no difference if you use 568A or 568B, as long as you're consistent. I understand that you were theorizing so I was essentially disagreeing with your theory. I happen to be an EE and I took a lot of transmission line classes as I ended up going into communications. As far as HDMI is concerned, you can use either standard even though some manufacturers may prefer one over another. If you read Jeff's article on "568A or 568B?" I think you'll find that he essentially agrees.

Now I have to re-read most of this thread because I suddenly find myself in a situation where a simple balun may buy me some time on renewing a SAT TV contract if there are affordable ones working. Up until now, I've been focusing strictly on matrix switches.
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post #280 of 301
1/18/13 at 4:55pm
Sound and Video Contractor magazine has sponsored a HDMI extender shootout. The webinar is available on demand. Print copy of results to be published in an upcoming edition.
https://event.meetingstream.com/eventRegistration/EventLobbyServlet?target=registration.jsp&eventid=549112&sessionid=1&key=15E9EB1BBC1BCF8431A8B1CECF625111&sourcepage=register
registration required
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post #281 of 301
1/19/13 at 9:05am
Results of that shoutout were published already this month, in the print edition. Great resource, includes distances with cat5, cat5e, and cat6, IIRC.
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post #282 of 301
1/22/13 at 4:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neurorad View Post

Results of that shoutout were published already this month, in the print edition. Great resource, includes distances with cat5, cat5e, and cat6, IIRC.

Useful but not sure it's a great resource. Why isn't the $200 Monoprice option in there? Why didn't they test IR? If it was listed which ones supported dual-band IR it would've been much more useful even if they didn't test the IR. So many people have SAT/CBL boxes that require dual band and it is impossible to know which extenders will support it most of the time since that spec isn't published very often.
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post #283 of 301
1/23/13 at 9:31am
Good Morning All,

I will give the usual apology if I am in the wrong spot but figured this just might be the place. I recently purchase the following setup (I think it is a great price as well):

4x4 HDMI Matrix Switcher w/8 Outputs - HDBaseT "Lite" to 220 Feet
http://www.hdtvsupply.com/4x4-hdmi-matrix-switch-hdbaset-lite.html#axzz2Iou5XUTR

I purchased this with 1 receiver for now.

I have tested this unit out in various locations in my home by taking a 22" monitor to a spot and seeing if the Cable box that is hooked into input 1 displays. Works flawlessly so far. However here is my issue.

When I take the receiver unit to my bedroom and use the freshly run (as in Monday of this week) cat 6 wire (I ran two just because) and plug it into the portable monitor, all is perfect. Works like a charm.

When I plug the hdmi connection (this is a hdmi balun) into my panasonic TC-P42S2 I get nothing. I have tried the following:
Hdmi ports 1,2 and 3 on the TV. I know 1 and 2 work as I have tried the local blu ray player, so it is not a port issue
Swaping Cat6 runs....figured worth a try

The funny thing is when looking at the inputs on the TV the hdmi ports, no matter which one I use for this balun receiver, are greyed out. I was expecting it to pick up the hdmi signal and just be able to switch to that input. No such luck. I know the HDBaseT distribution box is hdcp compliant, I have new hdmi cables. I am at a loss. Anyone have any thoughts?

I have not run through a tv setup again as of yet and I have not tried another source device besides the cable box. I plan on trying both of those tonight, but it still seems odd.

Thanks!
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post #284 of 301
1/23/13 at 9:41am
^^^

Jake

with the Panasonic connected and turned on, reboot (repower) the HDMI matrix switch and see if that works...
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post #285 of 301
1/24/13 at 6:12am
Mark,

I am sure you have heard this 1 or 2x before....Genius. You nailed it. I was so focused on the more complex issues at hand thinking it was more "technical" than the obvious--though clearly not obvious to me!

For anyone looking for a cost effective (at least to me) solution this looks promising. In doing a little research, these matrix switches are made out of china and are rebranded with some minor tweaks it, and then sold to some of the names you are already familiar with for 2x - 2.5x more.

Thanks again!
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post #286 of 301
1/25/13 at 3:01pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neurorad View Post

Results of that shoutout were published already this month, in the print edition. Great resource, includes distances with cat5, cat5e, and cat6, IIRC.

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by AI Limited View Post


Useful but not sure it's a great resource. Why isn't the $200 Monoprice option in there? Why didn't they test IR? If it was listed which ones supported dual-band IR it would've been much more useful even if they didn't test the IR. So many people have SAT/CBL boxes that require dual band and it is impossible to know which extenders will support it most of the time since that spec isn't published very often.

 

Is the final report available yet online?  (I don't want to register just to find out it's not..)

 

I'm not surprised that MonoPrice extenders were not included.  I see this all the time with speaker shootouts, amplifier shootouts, etc.  The big name players are included, the "little boys" (low-cost, internet-direct, etc) are typically ignored.  Conspiracy theory goes that it's because the little boys don't pay to advertise in the big boy publications or trade events.  Another conspiracy theory goes that it will completely throw off the "price-to-performance" ratios of the big boys if the little boys are included in the results..  Either way, it's a disadvantage to those who are not against trying something "new" ..

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by jakeyb View Post

Mark,

I am sure you have heard this 1 or 2x before....Genius. You nailed it. I was so focused on the more complex issues at hand thinking it was more "technical" than the obvious--though clearly not obvious to me!

For anyone looking for a cost effective (at least to me) solution this looks promising. In doing a little research, these matrix switches are made out of china and are rebranded with some minor tweaks it, and then sold to some of the names you are already familiar with for 2x - 2.5x more.

Thanks again!

 

Wow, a nearly $1000 solution is cost effective, I never thought I'd hear that.  but I suppose it entirely depends on your setup-- The link you provided is an EIGHT (8!!!) output matrix.  If you've really got that many displays, then I suppose $1000 distribution solution really is cost effective!  :)

 

cheers,

..dane

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post #287 of 301
1/25/13 at 8:26pm
No, the review isn't available online, looked for it yesterday.

No, it wasn't an exhaustive review, but that's reality. That's how the world works.

Edit - I looked in the wrong trade pub. It was SVC, as stated above.

http://svconline.com/cables/products/hdmi_extenders_review/
Edited by Neurorad - 1/25/13 at 8:41pm
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post #288 of 301
2/6/13 at 3:25pm
really, conspiracy.?....Shinybow, Star Tech com, Zektor, Zigen? These are the super powers swaying the publishing industry? There were prerequisites for the test that excluded anything that did video only, so no surprise Monoprice didn't make the cut. The magazine is aimed at commercial integrators, not home theater.
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post #289 of 301
2/7/13 at 11:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jakeyb View Post

Good Morning All,

I will give the usual apology if I am in the wrong spot but figured this just might be the place. I recently purchase the following setup (I think it is a great price as well):

4x4 HDMI Matrix Switcher w/8 Outputs - HDBaseT "Lite" to 220 Feet
http://www.hdtvsupply.com/4x4-hdmi-matrix-switch-hdbaset-lite.html#axzz2Iou5XUTR

I purchased this with 1 receiver for now.

That is the most reasonably priced piece I have seen. The spec's do not say anything about audio and it says it uses a "Lite" version of HDBaseT. Will the unit transmit only PCM or will it handle dolby digital or the new lossless codec's? I read through the manual and it does not say anything about audio either.

Thanks.
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post #290 of 301
2/7/13 at 12:09pm
http://www.valens.com/products/vs010

Joe
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post #291 of 301
2/7/13 at 12:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by adk highlander View Post

The spec's do not say anything about audio and it says it uses a "Lite" version of HDBaseT. Will the unit transmit only PCM or will it handle dolby digital or the new lossless codec's? I read through the manual and it does not say anything about audio either.

The 'Lite' version of HDBaseT is limited to a distance of 70m (instead of 100m) and drops the Ethernet channel. It's still passing the HDMI data stream, so whatever audio/video comes in goes out. "Doing something" to the audio would require the chip to crack open the packets and be more complicated than 'regular' HDBaseT - which would defeat the whole point of the cheaper/smaller/less-power Lite version...
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post #292 of 301
2/7/13 at 4:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by weaselfest View Post

really, conspiracy.?....Shinybow, Star Tech com, Zektor, Zigen? These are the super powers swaying the publishing industry? There were prerequisites for the test that excluded anything that did video only, so no surprise Monoprice didn't make the cut. The magazine is aimed at commercial integrators, not home theater.

The Monoprice solution also does IR and Ethernet. Commercial Integrators use Monoprice products all the time.
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post #293 of 301
2/17/13 at 12:31pm
I bought the XTENDEX as prescribed on this thread. Paid $310 shipped. I received it in two days from Ohio to NY approx 4 days ago.

I am a 21 Year IT Network Engineer. I ran all the cat 5e and Cat6 wires in my house avoiding 110V and 220v power routes. I was using the Tripplite HDMI wall plates that you punch down directly from Cat wire to the HDMI wall plate. These were purchased from AMAZON.

I was experiencing temp loss of signal anytime my boiler would kick in or when the power switches for lights in 2 separate locations were used. After reading this thread. I bought the XTENDEX.
It does not work well on anything under 1080i.

- Source-end: FIOS Cable Box from Motorola with HDMI out. Set at 1080I. NY Models.
- CatX Adapter: XTENDEX® ST-C5HDMI-150 (NTI, $310 shipped from reseller)
- Cat6 Cables: Cat 6 Honeywell Genesis non shielded (Blue Color) 4 Pair Solid 18AWG wire. Approx 55' of wire.
- Far-end: Sony Bravia TV (Smart TV)1
- HDMI Cables: VIZIO Cable provided with another TV from Source to XTENDEX approx 6'. Monster Cable @ remote location approx 4' to TV
- Resolution(s) tested:

1080i and 1080p @ 120 (not sure about bit rate) - This works well. No loss in signal and great quality video.
Sparkles @ 480i 480p and 720p. Audio good. But video useless.

- Status: Does not work on any 480 or 720. Which is common when using a cable box in the basement and all TV's are elsewhere. We watch 1080i Cable when a movie is on or Sports etc, but my wife an I usually hit channel 5 etc for news, which comes in at 480. Adjusting resolutions or turnning off or on HDMI features does not do anything or help with the sparkles.

I am super pissed this did not work. Now going to a Cat to component cable adapter.
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post #294 of 301
4/28/13 at 1:34pm
Meta question: Is this the correct thread to talk about DVI over Cat6 STP, or should I start a new topic?
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post #295 of 301
4/28/13 at 1:53pm
Should be fine here. The technology is the same, just DVI doesn't carry audio.
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post #296 of 301
4/28/13 at 3:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colm View Post

Should be fine here. The technology is the same, just DVI doesn't carry audio.

Does anybody have any first hand experience comparing the various DVI over Cat6 STP solutions at 75 foot distance? ie: Geffen vs. Extron vs. Startech, especially in terms of latency (delay) when running 1080P@24? I want to run DVI over Cat6 STP but absolutely minimize latency to reduce/prevent lip synch issues since I will route the audio via a different method.

Any info greatly appreciated.

thanks


-jay
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post #297 of 301
4/28/13 at 3:50pm
No experienced with DVI extenders. But pretty much everything in this thread that applies to HDMI pretty also applies to DVI. Latency is not a problem, it is so small as to be inconsequential. Any lip sync issues will originate at the source or the sound system. A HDBaseT-based solution is most likely to work well.
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post #298 of 301
4/29/13 at 6:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by JayNYC View Post

Meta question: Is this the correct thread to talk about DVI over Cat6 STP, or should I start a new topic?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Colm View Post

Should be fine here. The technology is the same, just DVI doesn't carry audio.

Both HDMI and DVI utilize LVDS signaling so they operate almost identically. On a side note, all the DVI extenders I have tested will pass HDMI audio and support HDCP content protection when used with a HDMI display and source device.
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post #299 of 301
4/29/13 at 10:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ward216 View Post

...the DVI extenders I have tested will pass HDMI audio and support HDCP content protection when used with a HDMI display and source device.
As one would expect.
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post #300 of 301
5/10/13 at 6:58pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by GaryChios View Post

I bought the XTENDEX as prescribed on this thread. Paid $310 shipped. I received it in two days from Ohio to NY approx 4 days ago.

I am a 21 Year IT Network Engineer. I ran all the cat 5e and Cat6 wires in my house avoiding 110V and 220v power routes. I was using the Tripplite HDMI wall plates that you punch down directly from Cat wire to the HDMI wall plate. These were purchased from AMAZON.

I was experiencing temp loss of signal anytime my boiler would kick in or when the power switches for lights in 2 separate locations were used. After reading this thread. I bought the XTENDEX.
It does not work well on anything under 1080i.

- Source-end: FIOS Cable Box from Motorola with HDMI out. Set at 1080I. NY Models.
- CatX Adapter: XTENDEX® ST-C5HDMI-150 (NTI, $310 shipped from reseller)
- Cat6 Cables: Cat 6 Honeywell Genesis non shielded (Blue Color) 4 Pair Solid 18AWG wire. Approx 55' of wire.
- Far-end: Sony Bravia TV (Smart TV)1
- HDMI Cables: VIZIO Cable provided with another TV from Source to XTENDEX approx 6'. Monster Cable @ remote location approx 4' to TV
- Resolution(s) tested:

1080i and 1080p @ 120 (not sure about bit rate) - This works well. No loss in signal and great quality video.
Sparkles @ 480i 480p and 720p. Audio good. But video useless.

- Status: Does not work on any 480 or 720. Which is common when using a cable box in the basement and all TV's are elsewhere. We watch 1080i Cable when a movie is on or Sports etc, but my wife an I usually hit channel 5 etc for news, which comes in at 480. Adjusting resolutions or turnning off or on HDMI features does not do anything or help with the sparkles.

I am super pissed this did not work. Now going to a Cat to component cable adapter.

 

Thanks for your update, I will add it to the first post.  I am sorry to hear that the XTENDEX did not work for you.  I am likewise sorry that you inferred any units in particular were "recommended."  I tried very hard on the first post (and in many subsequent posts) to make the point clear that combination A works well for some and not others, and combination B is completely opposite.  As of my personal experience, there is not "end-all-solution."  HDbaseT I think makes fantastic strides and improvements, but unfortunately I lack the funding to purchase so many units to do an appropriate 'shootout' and even then, it would only be based on my own configuration.  Hopefully your reseller has an acceptable return policy so that your losses are minimal (maybe just shipping charges?).

 

I don't recall testing anything below 1080 on my configuration as it is all driven through a DVDO Edge which upscales everything to 1080p60..  Maybe sometime I'll have time to go back and try those resolutions on my unit to add some additional datapoints.

 

Keep us posted on your progress.  Good luck!  ..and thanks for posting.

..dane

 

ps.- I just noticed you said, "1080i and 1080p @ 120" ... do you mean 3D @ 60fps?  thanks..

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