macnn/electronista
07/04/2008, 9:00am, EDT
Friday, July 4thGefen intros Ethernet-based HDMI IR Extender
Gefen on Thursday introduced its newest connectivity product, the HDMI IR Extender. Aimed at custom installations, the HDMI IR Extender will allow users to control their HD source units from another room without having to purchase and run lengthy HDMI cables through their walls. The Sender and Receiver connect via two standard Ethernet (CAT-5) cables, and can deliver 1080p resolution video signals over up to 300 feet or 1080i resolution over up to 150 feet. Audio is likewise transmitted.
The system is HDCP-compliant so it won't interfere with the transmission of HDCP video between display and source. Connections are simple, with the Sender box hooking up to the HDMI source with an HDMI cable and a dual IR emitter, both of which are included. On the Remote end, a supplied HDMI cable links the box to an HD display, with an IR receiver ready to send along instructions beamed from the existing source unit's remote control. Gefen's HDMI IR Extender is able to compensate for CAT-5 cable skews.
The Gefen HDMI IR Extender, priced at $575, will be available in August.
Filed under: industry, digital imaging, accessories, audio
Other story tags: home theater, Gefen, connectivity, extender
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This is cool
To get 1080p HDMI working over IR is a good trick.
It will save a lot of hassle stringing cables in impossible situations.
Cat-5!
It's over Cat-5 not IR!
Misleading
The "IR" is very misleading, and the article is composed in such a way that it is impossible to get a definite answer from the text as well.
Ethernet is better anyway
I spotted this product almost a month ago because my new NEC LCD2690WUXi display was causing some audio interference in mire firewire Audio I/O box's output. (They make these for DVI as well).
For those of you with magnetic interference issues where you're display is concerned, this is a good way to get rid of the copper that carries the interference.
However, $575 is way to pricey at this point. Hopefully someone will makes this cheaper as competitors emerge and the market matures. Who knows- maybe will see ethernet and fiber as the replacement for all audio connections. That would GREATLY cheapen the cable costs, and bankrupt the likes of Griffin.
rubs hands together