Tokyo Friendfinder
Tweet
Folk who really dig their home theater will already be HDMI-ed to their eyeballs, we’re sure, but for those big spenders who want to push that high-def goodness a little further, may we suggest splashing up to $2k on Ophit’s new HDMI booster?
The company’s HDMI extender uses the optical method to ramp the signal’s range up from the normal 5m to 100m, so now there’s no excuse for not having an HDTV in the outhouse.
A cable than can boost the maximum distance of an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) connection to about 100m was unveiled this week at the Korea Electronics Show (KES).
HDMI is fast becoming the preferred way of interconnecting digital high-definition consumer electronics equipment. The cable carries the signal uncompressed, maximizing the audio and video signal quality, but its range is usually limited to about 5m. That’s fine if everything is located close together but can be a problem in some home theater set-ups where the equipment is far from the TV or projector.
There are already ways to extend this range, including boosters that amplify the signal to push it further, or adapters that turn the high-speed data into optical pulses that can be sent down an optical fiber. This optical method requires two adapters and an optical fiber cable. The new cable from Ophit, on show at KES, uses this method, but is much more compact than existing products.
The adapters have been shrunk and are integrated into small boxes that sit on each end of the optical fiber. No larger than some professional audio connectors, the adapters have HDMI sockets to connect with devices at each end. The audio and video is sent down four optical fibers and the lower-bandwidth control signals are sent down copper wires, which are also inside the cable, said Choi Jong Ho, director of international sales and marketing at Ophit.
Because most HDMI sockets provide power, there’s usually no need to connect the system to a power supply, said Choi. However, each adapter has a small power socket for use in systems where there is no or insufficient power available.
The cable will be available soon priced at about $400 for a 10m version and $2,000 for a 100m version, said Choi. The system is compatible with version 1.1 of the HDMI standard and HDCP (High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection).
— Martyn Williams
(Via IDG News Service)
04:54 PM 
Mark Hiratsuka •
PermalinkAdd a comment | More DWT | Get a cool job in Japan! | Follow us on Twitter
