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.  

The Back Story of the M3B

Our Metra Multi-Media Broadcast System (M3B) caused quite the stir at CEDIA this past October.  While discussing the back story with one of our product developers on how Metra Home got the idea for this product, I found it extremely interesting.  I thought others might find it intriguing as well.   Please let me know

your thoughts.

How did the idea of M3B come about?

Product Developer:     I was standing in a train station noticing how clear the information signage panels looked. Not being one to pass up a learning opportunity, I looked at the video cables and I realized that there was only a single coax running from each display to the next (at one point going through a splitter). This got my attention.  Like most old school guys I am familiar with “RF” modulation products, but I had never seen one look this good.  Armed with this knowledge we were able find and modify the technology for CI needs.

Explain how one would set up this system, how it works and why it is exciting to the CI community.

The new M3B Multi-Source, Multi-Display Coax Based HD Video Distribution System is exciting because it is a great way for the integrator to compete with any central hardware based Matrix system.  It is a simple solution for CI to broadcast HDMI over coax without rewiring the entire house.  Most houses built in the last 20 or so years are already pre-wired with RG6 coax. This was of course done to provide cable TV, however it does give us what we need to build Multi-Source, Multi-Zone HDMI Distribution systems.  With the introduction of our new M3B, HDMI over “RF” technology it is now possible the same coax infra-structure that has been in our houses since the 1980s.

Here is how you set it up:  (1) take any (or all) HDMI 1080P source(s) with or without HDCP and plug it or them each into an M3B TX1 encoder(s), (2) on the front of the M3B TX1 your select the RF-ID for the source, (3) you will then connect that unit(s) into your house wide coax system.  Here is the really exciting part, this system will share the same coax as your off air antenna or CATV system. Once connected to your coax, the encoded source(s) can been seen on ANY coax connected display in your home that has one of the M3B RX1R decoders connected to it. The M3B RX1R decoder comes with an IR receiver that when plugged in it will allow you to select which of the M3B TX1 RF-ID’s that you want to watch. It is that simple.

This sounds almost too good to be true.  Is there a down side to this M3B system?

I can only think of two things that some might consider as a down side to this product.                                                                                                                                                       

1.   It will take about 6.5 seconds to change RF-ID codes on the RX1R (on par with any AVR).                                                                                                

2.   Audio is PCM 2 channel (this is done because a lot of common displays will not accept 5.1 audio on HDMI inputs).

Part 3 of Construction of a HDMI Cable: Bandwidth and Speed

Bandwidth and Speed are very important when discussing the construction of a HDMI cable.  One has to have a general understanding of how these two words pertain to cables as well as how they play into the cables functional capability.  Bandwidth and Speed are a very difficult and confusing concept for most people to grasp.

What is Bandwidth?  What is speed? 

Although bandwidth and speed have much in common, they are different and are frequently and incorrectly used by both consumers and the manufacturers to express the same thought. 

·         Bandwidth refers to how much data can pass thru a device at the same point and time. 

·         Speed refers to how quickly a device can create the data. 

For example, when discussing the differences in bandwidth needed to produce a 1080P picture (5 Gbps by Spec) and a 4K/60, 4:2:0 picture (9.2 Gbps +/-) what we are really comparing is the width of the high-way and the number of available traffic lanes.  Think of it this way: You send a 100 vehicle convoy between two cities down a 2 lane road at 60 miles an hour, this will give you 2 columns 50 trucks deep. The last truck in line will not arrive at the same time as the first. Now we increase the road to 10 lanes across and we are only 10 trucks deep closing the time gap.  In widening the road, the trucks can now go faster and vehicle speed increases to 120 mph.  A 10 to 1 increase in traffic flow is the result.

The trucks become data and you get our point – wider bandwidth increases the speed of the data in a HDMI cable.

What does this have to do with cables and why is this part of our series?

How fast a HDMI cable sends data is one of the most important facts of a cable and in our opinion must be a part of this series.  There is not one physical part of a cable that increases bandwidth and speed.  Wire gauge and consistency of the twist ratio determine both speed and bandwidth. Better quality product equals better data transfer.  A cable must be well built to be able to produce wider bandwidths and increasing speed. DPL certification on HDMI cables is a good way to know if the cable will provide the best bandwidth and speed. 

DPL certification is neither quick nor cheap. First it takes a while to design and build a cable that meets the DPL standards. Second in order for DPL to maintain “Truth in testing” on going testing is required and DPL does not get this samples from the vendor they come from dealers or distribution, so like “UL” certification there is a yearly fee to keep you (the vendor) up to date.

For the dealer, this is a fantastic resource as well as a great and timely report of what is tested and real.

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.

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!