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HDBaseT Alliance ready to certify hardware for its do-everything cable, first product revealed
If you've been waiting to get rid of your current cable clutter and rely on one connection to bring video, audio, power, data and control to your devices then your some time is now. the HDBaseT Alliance announced today it is releasing version 1.0 of the Certification Program along with its first test facility to put the approved stamp on compatible equipment. LG, Samsung and Sony pledged alliance with the spec last year, but the first out of the gate with a product using its (of course) Gefen, ready to extend HDMI cables over long distances with the boxes shown above. While that may be an initial killer app for the tech, we'll have to wait and see if it gets picked up elsewhere, and to find out how much cheaper running Cat5e/6 cables throughout our homes are than other options.
Dr. Flick goes in-depth with HDBaseT, the 'better HDMI extender'
Over on CEPro our good friend and podcast guest Derek Flickinger has dived into the recently finalized HDBaseT 1.0 spec to see what it is -- and what it isn't. A few have suggested it's a future "HDMI killer" but this breakdown focuses on its potential as an enhancement to HDMI, with its ability for longer cable runs, and carrying power and control signals along with data, video and audio. Buried in those specs and diagrams, a look at the hardware behind the (not Ethernet) HDBaseT standard reveals how it works with HDMI instead of in place of it, and what future versions might look like. Consider it required reading before you start running CAT5e/6 cable everywhere.
HDBaseT 1.0 finalized; LG, Samsung & Sony ally behind one do-everything cable
Valens Semiconductor has been pushing the benefits of an Ethernet-based cable standard that easily carries HD video, audio, power, data and control (5Play) signals all at once for a while, and with the HDBaseT Alliance officially incorporated, it's found powerful friends in LG, Samsung and Sony to fill out the Board of Directors. The HDBaseT 1.0 spec has also been finalized, so we can expect to see the first DVRs, Blu-ray players, or anything else that can be plugged in with compatible hardware to ship with the technology in the second half of this year. Check the press release after the break for more details, we'll be in the back putting ends on a few new cables.
HDBaseT Alliance needs just one LAN cable to bind them
Add one more HD connectivity standard to the many clamoring for attention, as the HDBaseT Alliance has linked up to promote whole-home distribution of uncompressed HD content over simple network cables. Valens Semiconductor, the company behind HDBaseT and proponents of 5Play convergence -- that's video, audio, internet, power and various controls over a single Ethernet cable for the uninitiated -- has drawn LG, Samsung and Sony into the fold as founding members, with details about more global leaders joining due in "the upcoming weeks." The tech already had a demo at CES '09, and we've no doubt there's a few more examples of what to expect from a one cable connected multiroom future waiting for us next month in Las Vegas.
