Articles and whitepapers

Industry Opinion: Distributing AV Around the Home (5/9/2011)

By Yasmin Hashmi, HiddenWires

Never before has there been such a choice of sources for high-quality home entertainment, or such a choice in terms of control. Whether the sources are located centrally, or are spread around the home, the goal is to be able to share content and access it from anywhere, at any time. We asked a number of leading lights about their views on the key technologies and developments to be prepared for in terms of AV distribution around the home. Here are their replies:

Jamey Calloway, Product Manager, Liberty AV

Many homes today have equipment such as cable TV, satellite or IPTV set top boxes (STB) located at each TV. The signals from the service provider are distributed throughout the home over coaxial or CAT5e/6 cabling. It is quite common for the flatpanel TVs to be wall-mounted and the STB to be placed on an entertainment stand below the TV. An HDMI cable is routed in the wall between the TV and STB. Some homes have equipment racks where all of the AV sources and distribution equipment, such as matrix switchers are centrally located. The HDMI signals are distributed to the TVs in the home using in-wall rated HDMI cables or over CAT5e/6 cable. The latter requires an HDMI twisted pair extender at the source and display.

A growing trend is the streaming of content from Internet sources, such as Netflix. This content is distributed to TVs over a home Ethernet network. This has created the need to be able to distribute both HDMI and Ethernet to each TV location. HDMI extenders based upon HDBaseT technology provide the capability to distribute HDMI and 100Mb/s Ethernet as well as IR and RS232 control signals over a single CAT cable up to 100 metres. This technology is actually a bridge to the future when all AV content and control signals will be distributed over an IP network.

Industry alliances, such as AVnu, are promoting the adoption of the IEEE 802.1 Audio/Video Bridging standard. This technology will be incorporated into future Ethernet products to ensure interoperability of networked AV devices while providing the highest quality streaming AV experience. This underscores the need for a standards-compliant structured cabling platform in the home that will provide the necessary bandwidth required for distributing high-definition content. The latest IEEE 802.3an 10 Gigabit Ethernet and TIA-568-C CAT6A structured cabling solutions are now being deployed commercially. These products will make their way into the residential market as network demands continue to increase.

www.libav.com

Chris Pinder, Managing Director, Connectivity UK

The big thing to be prepared for is the emergence of the 'IP Home' where everything is run over IP, controlled over IP and delivered over IP. I know I'm biased, but developments in AV delivery over IP technology and particularly 'HD over IP' offer installers and users some unique benefits. AV over IP distribution networks are totally flexible and easy to scale, since accommodating a new source or display device just means the simple addition of an extra transmitter or receiver onto the network rather than the entire replacement of a fixed-format central matrix distribution unit. With ongoing HDMI specification revisions, future-proofing traditional AV distribution hardware has proved futile. In contrast, because AV delivery over IP uses primarily software engines, new firmware updates can be easily implemented to accommodate new HDMI features such as 3D, and even higher resolutions when the time comes. Future-proofing AV systems to a greater degree will be a key sales feature and possibly even a client requirement.

www.connectivityuk.com

Rob Gelphman, Chair, Marketing Work group, MoCA

The number one and unassailable requirement for AV distribution around the home, specifically regarding video, is reliability. Portability and ease of use are important, but when it comes to high-definition content sharing, packets must arrive on time and in the right order. This is not always assured when using wireless or powerline media. The best medium for video delivery is still a wire - coax.

www.mocalliance.org

Micha Risling, Marketing Committee Chair, HDBaseT Alliance

Consumer demand for high-definition, quality entertainment is booming and projected to continue to grow in the coming years. As modern homes are flooded with multiple CE devices in various locations, meeting these needs is challenging: high-cost cables with limited distance capabilities restrict options and inflate expenses. Additionally, existing solutions require a specific cable, a new proprietary connector, or both to network an entire household.

The industry needs a reliable, easy-to-install connectivity technology to keep up with consumer demand for an ideal digital home. HDBaseT can connect all the entertainment devices in a setting through its 5Play feature set, converging uncompressed full HD digital video, audio, 100BaseT Ethernet, power over cable (up to 100W) and various control signals through a single LAN cable. Utilizing the existing Ethernet infrastructure, HDBaseT enables long-reach wired connectivity for uncompressed full HD multimedia content up to 100m and sends up to 100 watts of charging power over that same CAT5e/6 cable.

www.hdbaset.org

Chris Bundy, Director of Marketing, Atlona Technologies

Technologies that make better use of existing signal transport methods are changing the face of home AV distribution. With the recent introduction of HDBaseT and the revitalisation of WHDI (Wireless Home Digital Interface), home AV systems are able to overcome obstacles inherent in cable limitations and TDMS (Transition Minimised Differential Signalling) baluns.

HDBaseT, Valen's standard for HD video transmission over CAT5, offers the entire industry a unified method of transporting not only content, but also control, power, and Internet, while supporting all of the features offered by the latest HDMI specification. This new format is quickly being adopted by signal management manufacturers and will soon make its way to consumer displays and sources, allowing users to centralise media and power distribution for their entire multiroom AV system. For those looking to overcome shorter distances without running any cables, WHDI products are surfacing that provide a level of stability and reliability that has never before been available in a wireless format. WHDI is a true cable replacement standard, which allows for uncompressed audio and video transmissions at about the same distances from any common wireless router.

Unlike wireless iterations of the past, the newest generation of WHDI products can gather power directly from an HDMI port, saving the need for bulky power supplies that steadily drain power even when the device is not in use. With strong support from integrators and installers, this new generation of WHDI products is overcoming past stigma that has surrounded wireless products since the analogue days of video.

www.atlona.com

Nick Hsu, Director, Aavara Innovation Corp

The emerging HD video distribution technologies around the home are HDMI over IP and HDMI over single coax. HDMI is becoming the most popular HD interface for AV equipment, but it is difficult to extend over long distances in order to reach every room in the home.

By leveraging existing inexpensive Gigabit Ethernet switch technology and CAT5e cable, HDMI over IP can achieve multicasting and can easily extend up to 100m or further. Plus, it is very easy to add another video source or another TV, simply by connecting it to the HDMI over IP sender/receiver to the Gigabit switch using a single CAT5e cable. Furthermore, HDMI over IP will become increasingly powerful by taking advantage of the fast-evolving IT Ethernet technology, and costs will come down quickly.

HDMI over single coax leverages broadcast technology, and can deliver ultra high quality video up to 100m. It is daisy chainable, and using a coax matrix/splitter, can be used for AV sharing to all floors and rooms. It can utilise existing installed RG6U cable, which has the advantage of being very durable and resistant to EMI, and can be used externally to link floors or buildings.

Both technologies provide great video quality, installation flexibility and future scalability, at reasonable cost.

www.aavara.com

Steven Cheung, President of VidaBox

All integrators should be well-versed on HDMI-based and network-based (TCP/IP) video distribution methods and technologies. For example, media centres, extenders, and other systems can easily stream lossless HD audio and video over a single CAT5 cable, so it is vitally important to understand how to design, deploy, and maintain these Ethernet networks - as they are the backbone of the entire AV setup. On the other hand, centralised, matrix switch-based installations are still very common, so it is important to understand HDMI's complexities such as HDCP and EDID, and what issues may arise when using items such as extension baluns for a trouble-free, reliable installation.

For the end user, it is more important than ever to have proper structured wiring in place. Working hands-on with dealers on a daily basis, there are so many projects we've encountered that would have been far easier with properly-planned wiring. For new construction, end users should really be demanding and expect every room to be wired for AV - just as every room has electricity. It should never be seen as an afterthought, as it is far less expensive to pull wire up front than it is to install after the walls are up.

VidaBox provides a free whitepaper to dealers and integrators that discusses best practices and wiring recommendations for multiroom AV distribution.

www.vidabox.com

Gareth Rolls, Business Development Manager, CYP (UK)

Presently, there are still just a few robust technologies for AV distribution around the home which encompass the ability to distribute full HD quality video. We've seen lots of new products, and clever new technologies come to market over the past few years which allow for audio distribution, but the challenge remains to reliably distribute HD video, and 3D signals along with audio.

Good management of HDMI signals, EDID handshakes, and HDCP protocols is the key to success in this field, and there is a relatively new technology at the forefront, HDBaseT, which can deal with all of these elements, and add further functionality for controlling sources and screens and even IP networking.

This technology allows the transfer of HDMI signals, with two-way IR control, RS232, Power over Ethernet (PoE), and 100BaseT Ethernet transmission, all over a single CAT5e/6 cable. We have developed a number of solutions using this technology, and given its ability to distribute and manage all of these signals over long distances (100m when using single CAT6 cable infrastructure), the benefits it brings are significant to both the installer and the end user. End users are more technology savvy than ever before, and demand solutions which have a good degree of 'future proofing' whilst providing the highest quality result.

Previous technologies have had their fair share of issues, particularly when dealing with some of the intricacies associated with HDMI signal management, and this can sometimes lead to headaches for the installer, especially when trying to achieve long transmission distances. HDBaseT technology has stepped up to the mark.

www.cypeurope.com

Pete Baker, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, RTI

As today's entertainment technology continues to evolve, the notion of having personalised A/V entertainment choices that follow you anywhere in the home has become very attractive. The demand to integrate technology into the consumer's lifestyle has never been higher. Consumers have grown increasingly technologically savvy and now have an insatiable appetite to blend technology into their environment; with access to these elements at home (or in the office) or away. However, the liberation of technology does raise an important issue, which is how to access all of this entertainment and environmental control easily and intuitively.

Let's take distributed audio as an example. It's a given that distributed audio products should sound great, but they should also be easy to access from a variety of interfaces throughout the home. Today's consumer has come to expect to be able to access control from a variety of different devices. The 'traditional' approach of providing two-way control from a handheld or in-wall product should of course be supported, but homeowners should also be able to control any zone of audio at any time via their PC or iDevice. The user interface on all of these devices should be completely customisable by the dealer, allowing for a consistent user experience, regardless of the control device being used.

www.rticorp.com

Serkan Güner, International Marcom Manager, TLS Communication

The demands on home control systems have changed radically in the last few years. Whilst previously there were individual control concepts for HiFi, TV, lighting, heating, air conditioning or security, the home is today considered and controlled as one integral unit, and so more flexibility is needed. Regarding the home as a unit provides customers with added value, and is more likely to satisfy the growing demand for ease of use and sustainability.

This holistic approach can especially be met by control systems and interfaces which use international standards for communication, such as the TCP/IP standard of the Internet, as well as the GSM standard for mobile communications.

Many agree that the future of the AV business is in IP technology. A system which is accessible by any browser does not require any special software or bus, but can be controlled by the user in a flexible and comfortable way by using any web-enabled PC, smart phone, tablet or touchpanel. To check if you really switched off the TV at home, or to turn on the heating by sending a message from your mobile while waiting at the airport for your return flight, is where the future of the smart home lies.

www.tls-gmbh.com

Iain Martin, Regional Sales Manager, MidwichHome

With the set up of the modern home placing pressure on technology to integrate more and more systems into one, products and solutions need to be finely-tuned and ahead of the curve to be effective.

For example, in today's homes, security, climate control, and even irrigation systems are all becoming more commonplace, alongside the distribution and management of audio and video media. As a result, the single control platform is increasingly becoming necessary.

Wireless tablets such as the iPad are fast becoming the default choice for the customer-facing controller. With almost every system and aspect of home automation having a separate app, operation of systems can be a very messy process ? with users having to open and close different apps to control different parts of the system.

What is required is a system that allows the installer to integrate all aspects of home automation into a comprehensive yet simple and intuitive solution that embraces the use of devices such as iPad, while at the same time offering a versatile range of user control options.

www.MidwichHome.com

Yasmin Hashmi is the Editor of HiddenWires magazine. Additional comments on this issue can be found at the HiddenWires LinkedIn Group where you can also participate in the discussion.