Trinnov Audio has announced a partnership with Taiwanese manufacturer Cypress Technology (CYP) for the development of HDMI boards to be implemented in Trinnov’s Altitude series of home theatre processors.
Trinnov already recognises the complexity of HDMI in home cinema installations that AV manufacturers and integrators are experiencing by providing support, advanced technical training and unique product feature. For example, current Altitude software effectively turns the product into an HDMI analyser, helping installers troubleshoot and resolve the HDMI interoperability issues they face daily.
The current Altitude HDMI platform has proven to be solidly reliable, with thousands of home cinemas, including many of the most complex, using the platform. However, HDMI 2.1 presents new challenges for manufacturers and integrators with its wider bandwidth requirements and new features.
Recognising the need for deeper research and development to maintain its position in achieving excellence in HDMI performance, Trinnov Audio began a search for a long-term partner who could provide expertise and resources to develop HDMI boards for Trinnov’s products.
“In anticipation of the future evolution of HDMI formats, we started our investigation at the end of 2017 and came to the conclusion Cypress Technology was the best partner for us going forward,” explained Arnaud Laborie, CEO of Trinnov Audio.
“In addition to their own product line, CYP designs and manufacturers HDMI equipment for many of the most highly-regarded AV manufacturers. We have staff presence in Taiwan, enabling seamless communication, and we are confident CYP will prove to be the ideal partner when the time comes to incorporate HDMI 2.1 into our own products.”
Erik Su, vice president of Cypress Technology said: “It’s our greatest honour to work with Trinnov Audio, the leader of high-end home theatre audio processors, on the project that incorporates Cypress Technology’s signature expertise in HDMI with Trinnov’s uniquely implemented audio processing platform.”
Trinnov processors will soon be delivered with a new HDMI 2.0 board, co-developed with CYP. The new board ensures better interoperability and faster switching, while also restoring the eighth HDMI input that was present on the original Altitude HDMI 1.4 board.
The new HDMI 2.0 board will also provide a baseline product for work towards the adoption of HDMI 2.1. At the time of release and over the next several months, it will incorporate several capabilities from the HDMI 2.1 specification while remaining optimised for current 4K sources and displays.
The manufacturer advises current owners of Altitude processors not to replace their existing HDMI boards with the new one, unless the existing system requires an additional HDMI input. This is because, in terms of performance, the new board brings little to no benefit for watching 4K content.
Once HDMI 2.1 becomes a reality and suitable chipset are available, a new HDMI 2.1 board will be developed with CYP, which will be made available to all Altitude owners, regardless of the age of their processor.
For those interested in obtaining the eighth input now, a programme for purchasing the new HDMI 2.0 board will be announced later this year.
Current release dates for the new HDMI 2.0 board are uncertain due to the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. At the moment, it is planned to ship the first Altitude processors with the new boards towards the beginning of June.