IS THE MATRIX STILL THE EXCALIBUR OF DISTRIBUTION SOLUTIONS?

Phill Wildman, Technical Consultant at SY Electronics Ltd, asks what does the matrix offer? And what is next for the matrix?

Of all the choices for av signal distribution, the matrix switch has been the backbone of our industry for decades. Getting many sources to many end points (displays) is a function we all need. As soon as we use more than two sources and two display screens, we start to think about efficiency in terms of hardware.

For example, in a home we may have four sources: SKY1, SKY2, Blu-ray and a streaming stick. But we may have eight TV sets in different rooms where we may want to be able to view them all at different times. So, while having many viewing choices available for anyone to view is great to have, multiplying all those sources up and installing them in every room with a TV would make no sense. Hence the usefulness of the matrix switch! View any of your sources, no matter how many you have in any room, mixed and matched to suit the person.

This example is even more relevant when the installation is in an office environment. The principle would apply in any type of building where flexibility is desired regarding ‘which source to watch’ and ‘where to watch it’. With possible sources comprising computers, signage players, PCs with info content, and corporate video replays for reception areas and the like, being able to choose and select at the touch of a button is practical, efficient, and desirable.

Which type of matrix should you choose?

As well as being able to choose the source and route to any given display, we also want to be able to make sure that the source will match our display capability too. So, a scaler of some sort will inevitably be a ‘must have’ feature when mixing source types and display types. Some may just need a down scaler, while many will require a full range up scaler as well, with the ability to scale both resolution as well as refresh rate. Every source will require EDID information from the display. So being able to choose and fix the EDID is a necessity when installing a system that routes a video signal through hardware. EDID information can be read from your display and stored in your switch, or you could choose a pre-defined EDID from within your signal connectivity device which can then be reliably sent to your source to tell it to transmit the correct video and audio signal to your display. Or your matrix or video switch may be able to process and transmit the correct format signal from within, by scaling the resolution and refresh rate to suit the maximum ability of the connected display. In this case the EDID would be pre-defined.

SY’s Xcalibur range of matrixes

However, if it is a Pro install with presentation or signage use in mind, you may also need seamless switching to give that high quality touch to the installation. Not everything is built equal. Extra built-in features will suit varying needs of some end users more than others. Make sure to choose the right equipment for the job. Does it have all these features built-in? My favourite is the SY SMS88-18G which offers all of the above functions in one unit.

What about distance?

In many cases do you need to send the signals over a long distance? If so, then you would benefit from a matrix with long range CAT6 outputs as well as HDMI outputs. For commercial applications, the professional installer will also love features like a built-in test patten generator. Many end users will no doubt appreciate things like a ‘Video Keep Alive’ (VKA) function to prevent the projector from powering down between meetings and presentations. This is especially a desired function when used within office meeting rooms or lecture theatres in Universities.

Some of these features are also available in HDMI Switchers and even in a few HDBaseT extenders. This leads us to the question of transmission distance. How far do you want to go? If a meeting room needs to display content with text and numbers that can be viewed clearly, then consider the performance of your device. For instance, using a Class B HDBaseT device gives you the ability to send 4K 30Hz 4:4:4 to 40m which is good for display text rich content. But if you want fast moving video (sports) then you will be limited to transmitting at either 4K 60Hz 4:2:0 or 4K 30Hz 4:4:4. Neither of those latter choices are optimal for mixed media content, as you really want to use a faster refresh rate and full colour spacing for sports and action movies. So, to stick with CAT6 transmission, you will need to choose alternate product ranges like those that use HX Technology. These will transmit 4K 60Hz 4:4:4 at up to 120m. Ideal for use in residential or commercial applications where distances of 20m or more are required. This will offer viewing of high-quality video without colour space sub sampling, and at the same time will also let you send signals over a long distance using CAT6 cables.

KEEP THINGS UNDER CONTROL

Connecting equipment over a long distance will no doubt require a means of controlling the switching of inputs, outputs, source transport, display switching, volume, power etc. For residential use you may choose to use Infra-red control, however for more reliable and consistent control, RS232 will prove to be the best choice for a professional control system installation. A commercial grade matrix, presentation switch and CAT6 extender will offer all these options along with the afore mentioned features, giving you the functions like test pattern generation, VKA, scaling, EDID and HDCP control.

Keep it hard wired for a reliable, straight forward, high quality installation, without latency or compression issues.

ALTERNATE SYSTEMS

There are other alternative solutions available, and they all have their place. AVoIP is a popular choice that makes sense to choose when the inherent latency issues would not impede the end user experience.

For example, in a sports bar that wants to use a few sources (let’s say two to four) and needs to transmit those to many displays (let’s say 16 or more) then a traditional video matrix is perhaps not as flexible a solution as AVoIP. These options will let you choose an input count which is unrelated to the output count. The downside being the latency incurred by a network driven system. But if the punters in a bar are watching a game on the displays, then a short latency has no detrimental effect on the viewing experience, so it is therefore a good choice.

Other factors to consider here are compression vs bandwidth and of course cost.

You can’t match apples to oranges. Each technology has its merits, and these are the things that should be considered when selecting your components in your AV system.

First, look for the features and functions that you absolutely need, and then try to include as many of the additional features and functions that you want to add. In this way you will satisfy the requirements of your customer.

Comparing apples with oranges can get you in a pickle