HIGH DEFINITION HOME With multiple TV locations around the home becoming the norm we thought it might be time to discuss the various methods of delivering a high definition picture around the home. Not only are we seeing a trend in the size of the average TV, but also in the number of locations where you may want to view one from.
best units, also deliver the audio return channel (ARC) back to the equipment area, it would be easy to assume its game, set and match to CAT5/6. However there are a few downsides to be aware of:
Recently we have seen the introduction of outdoor TV’s to the NZ market and with the life span of a flat panel typically exceeding that of the older tube TV’s by a factor of 3 to 6, TV’s are not dying as early and end up shifting to a less used location in the home. A typical prewire not only needs to account for TV locations in immediate use, but also any future positions as occupants change habits over time. If the home is at the build or renovation stage, this presents the possibility of running the necessary cables to choose any of the methods discussed here but if you are looking to distribute HD in an existing home, then you may be forced to deal with whatever wiring infrastructure is already in place. The following article discusses the 3 main methods of HD distribution in popular use today….
2. Compression Typically lower cost extenders use compression to take what could be up to 10.2Gbps for 1080p 3D, and reduce it to well below 1Gbps where CAT6 is happiest. Modern compression techniques are good enough now that is getting very hard to pick up any differences from the original picture at a screen size of 50” or below. A few short years ago 50” was the default TV size for many NZ lounges, whereas today, the trend is towards 60-65” and yet we are still sitting in the same positions to view. As well as the trend towards larger TV’s, panel technology is also moving forward. We have the increase in pixel count from 1080p to 4K (and recently 8K), the move towards 10bit colour (HDR) and beyond, and the trend towards higher frame rates, all contributing to a much higher quality viewing experience. This all means its getting easier to discern the picture quality issues at play when choosing a distribution method with modern large TV’s. If quality is a priority consider option 2.
1/ CAT5/6 Extenders
CAT5/6 cable has become popular as a means to distribute AV around a home or business. And its easy to see why, a relatively cheap and easy prewire, its ability to turn its hand to a variety of functions, and its ability reliably to deliver out to 50m and beyond all contribute to the present day culture of CAT5/6 popularity. If you also consider a CAT5/6 extender’s ability to deliver the remote control commands back to the equipment area from the TV end, and, in the case of the very
40 | LIVEWIRE
1. Reliability Whilst no one is suggesting CAT5/6 HDMI Extenders are not reliable (they are) nothing lasts forever. With an active transmitter and receiver, and the included powersupply, there is simply more to go wrong further down the line as opposed to a straight HDMI cabled install.
Summary: An easy cost effective prewire together with a quality picture with no latency issues makes for a strong argument for CAT5/6. Throw in IR capability and its almost a no brainer for the average installer, but for the highest quality option available read on…..
