FEEL THE FLUX AND DO IT ANYWAY

Signal manipulation and distribution by definition is always in a state of flux, what are the main challenges facing this sector right now? Business Development Director at UK manufacturer, Pulse-Eight, Jonathan Regalado-Hawkey, provides the answers.

Until recently, there weren’t any solutions on the market that supported all video resolutions and formats of HDMI 2.0 (including 4K@60Hz/4:4:4) fully uncompressed over a single category cable. This has been a challenge for some time and so it’s great to see the introduction of HDBaseT3, which does support all formats up to 18Gbps. Hopefully, we’ll be seeing more brands adopting this technology as it really does address previous challenges and is a game changer for our industry.

Of course, component shortages remain one of the biggest challenges, not just in the AV industry but also across the automotive and technology sectors. It is predicted to continue well into next year, possibly beyond.

What will be the next challenges?

The adoption of 8K and HDMI 2.1 in the residential market has been much slower than many had once hoped for. Although companies such as Sony and Microsoft are making great headway with their gaming consoles, it’s only when residential mainstream providers such as Apple TV and Amazon Fire Stick enable their products to display this type of content that 8K can start to truly make more of an impact. A further limitation to consider is the level of bandwidth required for supporting 8K resolutions and that even the latest advances in connectivity and technologies such as HDBaseT3 are still not able to cope with these new increases in bandwidth without some compression.

Which types of system are in competition?

Smart TVs that have the capability to stream content directly are in competition with most video distribution products connected to traditional set-top boxes or video sources. However, smart TVs are limited by the display’s software and apps, as well as a reduction of audio routing options.

Another area to consider would be the prevalence of AV over IP solutions which are currently taking the commercial market by storm. As the demands of clients are changing over time, these solutions can offer further flexibility than traditional AV matrix products in residential - although usually at the expense of video quality and latency. There are a range of AV over IP solutions from various manufacturers using different compression techniques and with different bandwidth requirements.

As mentioned previously, HDBaseT3 is going to offer huge advantages for matrixs as it is now able to extend all HDMI 2.0 formats uncompressed and without compromise, including Dolby Vision at 4K@60Hz which previously could not be supported over older versions of the HDBaseT standard. Manufacturers, distributors and installers must adopt this technology in order to keep up with the technological advances and demands from end users.

What are their main strengths and weaknesses?

Content providers are making it easier to stream directly to screens, whether it is mobiles and tablets or fixed larger televisions. Interoperable smart TVs such as Sky Glass are reducing the need for numerous hardware products and can be a true benefit for quick installations. However, the limitations of distributing the content over multiple screens simultaneously and without latency will ensure that traditional video distribution equipment is still very much relevant.

Larger residential installations can benefit from the flexibility that AV over IP solutions offer when wanting to add more sources or screens. However, for most residential installations, HDBaseT matrixs will continue to offer the most cost-effective solution at the best quality (uncompressed).

As previously discussed, HDBaseT3 is a true game changer, enabling support for 4K@60Hz/4:4:4 over a single category without compromise and ensuring backwards compatibility. With that said, the adoption of 8K and HDMI 2.1 in the coming years poses a challenge for the industry which HDBaseT3 is in a good position to resolve when combining with light compression