One of HDBaseT's latest innovations is the introduction of a visually lossless compression solution for 4K 60Hz 4:4:4 and HDR10 transmission, to have even more installation possibilities.
Dana Zelitzki*
HDBaseT is a technology known worldwide as the standard for audiovisual installations. HDBaseT was launched in 2010 and allows the transmission of ultra high definition video and audio, Ethernet, controls, USB and up to 100W of power (which is commonly known as the 5Play feature set) over a single long-distance cable.
HDBaseT is ideal for numerous applications and different sectors. In the audiovisual, consumer electronics and even industrial PCs, HDBaseT can transmit up to 100 m of 5Play functions via a single-class cable (Cat6 or higher). For medical and government applications, fiber optics are usually preferred, offering greater security and a range of tens of kilometers.
HDBaseT simplifies installation by providing great functionality, greater range, and better performance than existing solutions. HDBaseT delivers a high-quality experience, avoiding cable clutter without impacting performance and superior quality.
Before HDBaseT, av professionals faced serious challenges, including how to stream high-quality content over a practical cable (both in terms of cost and ease of installation), more than a few meters away? Usually, the answer involved great sacrifices in terms of quality, distance or costs, not to mention the complexity of use and installation.
Deploy the HDBaseT
HDBaseT eliminated these sacrifices by offering:
• Transmission over long distances: 100 m with a single jump, or more with multiple jumps.
• Signal convergence: audio and video, Ethernet, controls, USB and power through a single cable, eliminating cable cluttering, simplifying installation, with lower infrastructure costs.
• Performance: The current generation can stream up to 4K (ultra-high definition) of uncompressed video, and 8K is already on the roadmap.
• Simplicity: LAN cable and UTP cables are easy to install and connect at the installation site. Cat cables also use standard lockable RJ-45 connectors.
• Affordability: HDBaseT employs low-cost infrastructure without compromising performance, reducing not only installation costs, but also maintenance costs. Thanks to the ability to transmit power via HDBaseT, no electrical cables and outlets are needed near all devices.
• Standardization: HDBaseT is an industry standard, which facilitates interoperability.
• Versatility: HDBaseT is an industry-proven technology that can be easily adapted to different sectors.
• Flexibility: HDBaseT allows different network topologies, expanding the range of installation topologies with daisy-chaining, multiple data flows, duplication and separation, among others.
THE HDBaseT 5Play feature set
5Play is the feature set that HDBaseT provides: audio and video, USB, Ethernet, controls, and power, all converge through the same cable. HDBaseT streams up to 4K video (4K 60Hz 4:2:0 and 4K 30Hz 4:4:4) and supports major HDMI features such as CEC, ARC, EDID, and HDCP.
One of HDBaseT's latest innovations is the introduction of a visually lossless compression solution for 4K 60Hz 4:4:4 and HDR10 transmission, to have even more installation possibilities. One of the many advantages of HDBaseT is the transmission of such high resolutions with almost zero latency.
Latency is the measurable time it takes for a signal to move from one point to another. HDBaseT adds virtually no latency to the signal, less than 10 microseconds over 100m of cable, even when running with compression with no visual loss. Other solutions, which use a high level of compression, introduce considerable latency into the transmission, affecting both quality and performance.
In addition, HDBaseT supports 100Mb Ethernet, along with the rest of the signals, through the same cable. It also supports Ethernet backup mode, which means the HDBaseT device can be connected to an Ethernet-only infrastructure. The device will "notice" and enable only the Ethernet features of the connection. Since an HDBaseT port looks identical to an Ethernet port, users can connect and have a fully functional Ethernet. A device with a separate HDBaseT/Ethernet port is not required, it can be the same port that can be used either for HDBaseT (including Ethernet) or for Ethernet connectivity only.
USB 2.0 support is integrated into the HDBaseT auxiliary integrated circuit (chipset), allowing for all USB-dependent functions such as touchscreens, KVM (keyboard-video-mouse) extension, external storage, etc.
HDBaseT extends several control signals, such as HDMI CEC (Consumer Electronics Controls), RS-232 (Recommended Standard 232), I2C, and Infrared (IR). Control can also be implemented using the Ethernet channel.
Last but not least, HDBaseT enables power over HDBaseT (PoH), an extension to power over Ethernet (PoE). PoH allows up to 100W of DC to be transmitted over the same Cat cable, which is enough to power most end devices, including large-screen TVs.
The importance of the standard
HDBaseT is an industry standard, defined and proposed by the HDBaseT Alliance. The HDBaseT Alliance is a non-profit organization, created in 2010 by LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Valens (the inventor of the technology and the supplier of the auxiliary integrated circuit or chipset), and since then has brought together the leading names in the consumer electronics sector, the professional AV sector, industrial sectors, and recently even in the automotive market.
With more than 200 member companies, the Alliance plays an active role in educating the market about the benefits of technology. The HDBaseT community is made up of vendors, installers, integrators and professionals from these sectors, and end users, who are looking for a better solution for high-quality video streaming. The Alliance serves these audiences with specialized content, webinars, participation in conferences and trade shows, among other activities.
Standardization is an important element, as it facilitates interoperability between different products, whether from the same manufacturer or from different manufacturers. In fact, the Alliance promotes this interoperability through its certification program. All members have to certify their products, according to the 5Play feature set, and such products appear on the Alliance website and also in the Android and iPhone apps. This allows any installer or integrator to check the features of each product and ensure that they are compatible with the features of other products in the same installation.
HDBaseT is constantly evolving, attending to the latest market trends and providing the most appropriate solution for each installation.
*Dana Zelitzki has a B.SC. in Computer Science and Statistics and Operations Research from Tel Aviv University. She currently serves as Associate Vice President of Marketing at Valens and Chair of the HDBaseT Alliance Marketing Committee.
