Beaverton, Ore. – The
has launched its HDBaseT
1.0 certification program and announced the availability of the first HDBaseT-certified
product, a Gefen Extender that delivers
HDMI 1.3 over CAT5 with Ethernet.
The alliance was formed to promote
and standardize
for whole-home distribution of uncompressed
HDMI video, audio 100BaseT Ethernet data, various control signals, and up to
100 watts of power over standard Ethernet cables, which are less expensive than
HDMI cables. The technology also distributes HDMI video up to 100 meters,
exceeding current cable-length limits.
The certification program is
designed to ensure that current and future HDBaseT products are interoperable and
meet an approved baseline for functionality, the alliance said.
The HDBaseT Alliance incorporated
less than a year ago, and many products supporting HDBaseT technology have
already hit the market, but alliance president Ariel Sobelman said the launch
of the 1.0 certification program “is an important milestone for the alliance in
promoting industry-wide adoption of HDBaseT technology for whole-home and
commercial multimedia content distribution.”
Gefen already offers other HDBaseT
products, including matrixes, that haven’t yet been certified. Another HDBateT
product not yet certified is the recently launched $999-suggested Kordz’s HDBaseT Extender, which
enables uncompressed HDMI, six-port Ethernet, IR and RS232 data to be sent over
a single CAT cable up to 100 meters. Multiple devices can be attached to the transmitter
and receiver in the package. The receiver is an active powered device
that dras up to 100 watts of power from its embedded PoE (Power over Ethernet) feature.
The Kordz HDBaseT Extender supports all
mandated HDMI 3D formats, 4K (2160p) XHD digital cinema, and all available
formats of HD Audio.
The first HDBaseT test facility
is in Israel.
