Happy 1st Anniversary!!!!

Today marks the one year anniversary of our blog.  Here is to another year of great education and commentary from Metra Home Theater Group.  

Education Is Very Important

Education is more important than ever due to the hot button feature everyone is talking about:  High

Dynamic Resolution or HDR for short.  With all the hyperbole about this new technology being thrown around, along with the talk about new cable certifications- one can get confused quickly.  An example of how this confusion can spread happen in our office last week in the form of an email from China.  It read as follows:

“Dear friend,

    Good day. Hope you enjoyed your weekend^_^

Attached is our HDMI 2.0 HDCP 2.2 100m extender (HDBaseT) quotation to you. Please check for your reference.”

Whoa, wait a minute! HDBaseT has upgraded to HDMI 2.0 and can therefore now support 4k/60, HDR and 4:4:4 color?  Without a clear understanding of HDMI 2.0, 2.0A, 4K and HDR one would think this HDBaseT was something to consider purchasing to use with the new 4K, HDR components because of “HDMI 2.0” listed spec.  This email could cost your business money if you do not fully understand the HDMI 2.0A spec.  HDMI 2.0 (and HDMI 2.0A) has a range of performance capabilities and if a product falls within this range, companies can say it is HDMI 2.0 compliant.   Yet if this product does not support the FULL RANGE of HDMI 2.0A spec, the product will not support 4K/60, HDR and 4:4:4 color.  The specs of this product will tell the full story of just how much of the HDMI 2.0 spec this extender supports.

After reading the header, a laymen’s translation of the above email from China is “Our HDBaseT extenders will support anything that you can throw at it”. Unfortunately this is not the case, HDBaseT will only work with in the older HDMI 1.4 spec, meaning this product will not support the full range of HDMI 2.0 spec up to 18 Gpbs and this full range is important because of HDR. HDR is without question the biggest change to picture quality since the introduction of High Definition. HDR itself is a technique used in imaging to reproduce a greater dynamic range of luminosity than is possible with standard digital imaging techniques, this means that you and your client will see much greater definition in the depth of the picture and its shading.

To validate my comments look at the data listed below that were part of the afore mentioned email, the specs listed is not the full range of HDMI 2.0A you will not see 18 Gbps listed anywhere:

  In conclusion, read the specs when you see HDMI 2.0 on any products to see if you are using the correct products for installations.  If full HDMI 2.0A spec is what you need – make sure that is what you are purchasing.

Have any questions regarding this topic?  Leave a comment.

Part 5 of Construction of a HDMI Cable: Termination

In the previous installments of this series, we have discussed everything needed for the best performing HDMI cable and to improve overall performance in a system.  With that being said without the proper termination quality parts will mean nothing and the cable will not provide top performance.

It is very important to control the heat, silver content, quantity and flow of the solder. Less is more in this application and of course “Cleanliness is next to Godliness”.  Extra solder closes the gaps between the connection points and that can/will create its own RF field. To add insult to injury, when it comes to the soldering process ROHS (Federal Lead standards) has mandated that lead be mostly removed from solder for safety reason.  Unfortunately this means that solder most be applied at a higher temperature for it to flow. Higher temps mean a greater chance of thermal damage to any board level components.

What does this have to do with cables?

                                                           

Solder work must be done with the greatest of care and with a very small thermal operating window.   Careful is not cheap and cheap is not careful.

Part 4 of Construction of a HDMI Cable: Silver Content

Now we are starting to get into the more esoteric physics of an HDMI cable. For many years, mainstream analog audio cable manufacturers talked about “Skin Effect” and how higher frequency’s tend to migrate to the surface of a cable and that lower frequencies stayed in the middle.  As it turns out, there is some truth to this statement. Oh, not in the analog audio domain, that is still BS (in our opinion).  However, in the high speed world of HDMI surface silver content and the type of dielectric do play a part in the performance of a HDMI cable.  Now just throwing a thicker cost of silver onto the copper is not the complete answer.   There must be a proper balance. Copper provides a stable high tinsel substrate for the silver plating, this will help the wire to keep its original length and shape which is necessary for the higher bandwidth and speeds (see #1 & #3). 

What does this have to do with cables?

Proper balance between copper and silver is mandatory for consistent performance.

Part 2 of Construction of a HDMI Cable: Shielding

The second part of this blog series we are discussing the two types of shielding and why they are important.  The two types of shielding that a HDIMI cable should have to provide the best protection are braid and foil.  

A braid shield keeps outside noise from interfering with your HDMI cable by cutting down the 110/60Hz interference.  If outside RF/EMI noise penetrates the HDMI cable it can cause all sorts of havoc. Since pretty much everyone has had some experience with HDMI Cat/x Extender failure due to high voltage switched devices (lights, motors, etc.) cause a short term dropout of the HDMI signal, there is an understanding of this issue.   

Foil shield reduces the high frequency interference and keeps the noise within the cable.  A foil shield also protects components from damage caused by spurious HDMI noise from running amok in your system like a gremlin.   Foil shielding around the TMDS feeds of a HDMI cable also keeps the noise from causing problems with infra-red components and RF control systems.

Here is a cutaway to demonstrate where the shielding is in our Velox cables:

What does this have to do with cables?  Better materials and more coverage within the shielding protects all of the system components and promotes a higher level of performance.

Next week we will discuss bandwidth and speed.  Comment below if you have any questions regarding this blog series so far.  We will do our best to answer you ASAP. 

Construction of an HDMI Cable Part 1 of 6

We talk a lot about our cables while we are planning our displays for the CEDIA booth.  Hours are spent grouping our cables together by category and the different technology they provide.  I ask questions about each of our cables and when I started looking at my notes I saw these questions: 

“What is the truth regarding HDMI and is there in fact a difference from one cable to another? Is there a reason to buy a better HDMI cable?”

In getting these answers, this blog post was born and over the next six weeks we are going to discuss the six parts of an HDMI cable and why customers should purchase a better (and preferably one of Metra Home’s) cables.

As most dealers know Metra Home has been a DPL member (www.dpllabs.com) since its inception.  In our association with DPL we have learned that the vast majority of claims made about HDMI and HDMI cables are confusing and misleading.  Metra Home has been fortunate to be associated with DPL and has over time received a reputation for good working, reliable and affordable products due to this association.

Here is a short synapses of what they taught us about cables and the differences that they possess:

#1: Cable Architecture and Timing, Intra-pair & Inter-pair Skew: -

HDMI is all about timing, timing of the TMDS feeds, timing of the DDC feeds, timing of the voltage trigger and timing of the Hot Plug return. Timing can be affected by poor wiring architecture with-in and between the twisted pairs, also depending on where and how the twist ratios are incorrect will determine whether the issue is intra or inter pair skew related. In the graphic below you will see the cause of each of these failures.

Intra-Pair Skew refers to the length time difference between the two wires within a single shielded pair and is displayed in the top graphic , it is not uncommon to see the twist point offset from the crossover center line. This failing can cause jitter in the Audio and Video. Inter-Pair Skew is caused by the length and twist points variance between the shielded pairs and will typically manifest itself by showing sparkles in solid color or white on the display depending on which cable (or how many pairs have an issue).

What does this have to do with cables?

Well, wire gauge and consistency of the twist ratio determine both Inter-pair and Intra-Pair Skew. Better quality product better data transfer.  It is important to purchase a quality HDMI cable to ensure good wiring architecture to avoid timing failures.  Metra Home tests all HDMI cables to receive the DPL seal of approval and because of this we have over time received a reputation for good working, reliable and affordable HDMI cables.

Follow our blog to get the next installment of this six part series.

Why You Need to Visit Our CEDIA Booth 4942

Our Annual Lunch and Learn Event

Space is limited so reserve your chair and complementary lunch today.  Click here to reserve your seat.

This is a very well attended event and there will be limited standing room.

Into the Future of HDMI

By C. I. Source

In Part 1 we discussed “In the Beginning”: specs, roadblocks, software, hardware, cables, standards, and more.  Now, let’s look Into the Future of HDMI.

Here is what we will need to do to continue to work:

Now that you are completely flummoxed and plotting your escape from the world of “CI” to a job flipping burgers, how do you salvage your career and start planning for the future? You will do this by looking forward -- great scott! For years we wired the world with coax in various forms, from one to six cables per bundle. It worked pretty much every time. Then along came HDMI. We had to switch over to Category X cables to get some distance. At first, it took Cat/X 2 cables, but now we are down to one -- or are we? Yes, there are cables that will support the UHD standard of 4K/60, 4:2:0, some even up to 100’. Ethereal Evolv cables are an example and we do have a new “true” 18 Gbps cable in the new Velox series, now shipping.

Most installers still want to install a bulk cable that they can terminate as needed. For this I recommend that they use two RG/6 cables and two Cat/6 Cables. Why two each? Right now SDI 3G (single coax) allows a dealer to push 1080P up to 300+ feet and soon they will be able to support the current UHD standard down that same cable with SDI 12G. However, that will not be enough in just a few years! By adding one more coax on the job site the dealers will be able to use the Dual 12G SDI products that will be introduced to the market soon. The same applies to the Cat/6 cables. HDBaseT may require that we double up on cables and transceivers to carry the needed bandwidth in the future.

I mentioned our new 18 Gbps Velox Cable. This product has been designed and built to go well beyond the existing HDMI 1.4 High Speed Max Cable Spec of 10.2 Gbps* which is the most recent spec available.  VELOX UHD cables are now available in lengths of one up to 12 meters and can handle anything the HDMI 2.0 spec can throw at it! VELOX UHD cables are the first-to-market cable line to combine evolutionary design and engineering techniques to support the new generation of HD, Ultra-HD and 4K video applications.

The elephant in the room HDCP 2.2:

HDCP is all content providers are concerned about -- and is the most important part of HDMI. It is what protects their intellectual property from theft by copying. HDCP has been with us since the very beginning of HDMI, in fact HDCP is the real reason for HDMI. Over the years, HDCP has gotten more sophisticated and harder, but not impossible, to hack. However, with the introduction of HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2, content is fairly secure. It is important to note, despite common thinking, having HDMI 2.0 in your product does NOT guarantee that you will also have HDCP 2.2.

OK, then when will HDCP 2.2 impact your installations? Simple! Anything that switches, processes, distributes, displays or extracts must be HDCP 2.2 if the source is HDCP 2.2. Cables and extenders as a rule are not subject to this rule.

HDMI 2.0 Cables: Who makes them and how much are they?

There is no such animal! HDMI LLC does not have a spec or a test to support any cable technology beyond the current 1.4 High Speed Cable specification.

Does HDMI 2.0 require new cables?

No, HDMI 2.0 will work with existing HDMI cables. Higher bandwidth features, such as 4K@50/60 (2160p) video formats, will require existing high speed HDMI cables (Category 2 cables).

Here is what HDMI states about cables:

http://www.hdmi.org/manufacturer/hdmi_2_0/hdmi_2_0_faq.aspx#144

So are there any products that exceed this spec?

Yes, yes there are, and as usual we have them.

Our new VELOX UHD cables are the only cable as far as I know that will meet and exceed the 18 Gbps requirement without Eq. 

Hopefully this information helped clarify UHD and HDMI 2.0, so that along with Metra Home 

Theater Group’s technical support and products, you feel more confident with your gear choices and installs.

*Remember that just because it is “high speed cable,” it does not mean it reaches the 10.2 Gbps capability.

So, what do you think? Be sure to send me your questions and any feedback you may have. I’d love to hear from you!

Introducing C.I. Scource

In an effort to better engage and inform our customers, Metra Home Theater Group would like to introduce our mascot - C.I. Source ! C.I. Source (appropriately named after the Custom Integrator audience he will serve), is an adorable, approachable, tech-savvy, and slightly frazzled-looking, home theater enthusiast created to provide brand recognition for Metra Home Theater and serve as a tool to educate and provide solutions to our customer base.

To ensure customers fully appreciate our new mascot, we gave C.I. Source a rich history:

C. I. always had a passion for technology dating back to the days of turntables and loudspeakers. While selling Hi-Fi in his college days, C.I. decided to turn his passion into his life’s work. After an illustrious career in the car audio business, he expanded into other areas including home automation. C.I. was right in the middle of the mix when digital came along and changed the home entertainment industry forevermore. Instead of boxes going out the door, customers wanted video and audio in every room, with custom functions ranging from automatic draperies to home monitoring.  This meant new electronics – distribution amplifiers, projectors, switchers –- and it all had to be designed to work seamlessly in the home. C. I. was thrilled to take on this challenge, which would be the first of many as he was faced with wider bandwidths, fascinating new delivery systems and extreme home theater advances. C.I. – who is married to his high school sweetheart, Sandy Tereo aka S.Tereo (now hyphenated Stereo-Source.) They have one son, Di’Gital. C. I. is passionate about making home theater and home automation accessible to all.

Metra Home Theater Group strives to be a problem solving resource for CIs by sharing a wide range of content and actively communicating with our Custom Integrator audience.  By creating C.I. Source, we hope our customers past, present and future will find him an accessible, fun way to get the guidance and support so many crave in setting up and operating their home theater and automation systems exactly to their specifications, needs and wants.