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HDMI over cat6

whitehousejamie

By whitehousejamie
in Video & Projection

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empyfree Chief

empyfree

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What resolution do you want to send? Is delay an issue?

 

Some of the hdbaset kits are phenomenal now, but your cabling must be top notch! These can give you 4K capacity and very low latency

 

Av over Ip solutions tend to be a bit more forgiving about cable quality and can run through existing networks and switches etc. You can get various quality boxes, but latency is going to be a real factor. Perfect for distribution around a venue where you can only see one screen at once.

 

30 to 50m is relatively short distances. I’d also consider the SDI route if you can. It’s very robust and easy to extend.

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whitehousejamie Chief

whitehousejamie

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Thanks for your replies.

 

SDI looks like a good option, are the Blackmagic range of products any good?

 

Most source content is PowerPoint or video playback from a laptop.

 

Just looking for something that works every time, at the moment I find that

Hdmi is always hit and miss with any cables over 5m length.

 

Many thanks

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andy_s Production Manager

andy_s

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Posted (edited)
I've just bought two matchbox-sized black magic micro converters hdmi-sdi and sdi-hdmi, at £40 each inc VAT. They run 1080p happily, so I can have my long run of cable.. very halt with them.now all I have to do is work out how to get enough airflow through the projector - it is secreted in a scenic column on stage and we had overheating issues last night. I wil be drilling some vent holes in the scenery and possibly buying a small fan tomorrow. (30m SDI run) Edited by andy_s
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abbotsmike Chief

abbotsmike

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For what you describe, I'd use SDI. The blackmagic micro converters are good enough, and cheap enough that carrying a couple of spares isn't arduous. The SDI input to HDMI output have an SDI loop out, so you can link on a bunch of Screens if needed. They are USB powered, and typically are quite happy powered off the USB port on the back of the TV that they're feeding.

 

HDMI fibre is another way of doing it, but they can also be quite finicky and are really quite expensive!

 

If going down the SDI route, It's worth looking into the cost of pre made cables vs buying bulk reels and the right tools. We make all of our SDI now as it's a surprisingly quick job and a lot of the stuff we want is custom lengths. It's also very convenient just having a drum on the shelf and being able to turn it into a couple of 1m, 5m or just a 30m!

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ninjadingle Supervisor

ninjadingle

Posted
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We use Extron DTP systems - proprietary system that uses Cat 6a. They have a range of DA's, the DA8 takes HDMI in with DTP or HDBaseT outputs, if you're using DTP you can also inject RS232 commands etc but you need the receiver at the other end.

 

Pretty robust but as said before the cabling has to be perfect. We also use direct point to point, no breaks in the chain, so if you're going over existing infrastructure this may not be a good solution for you.

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timsabre Production Manager

timsabre

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Thanks folks. Dosxuk, would you mind elaborating a little please or point me to a reliable source showing what resolutions are supported? Most of the time source will be a laptop set to a standard resolution. Many thanks.

 

Basically any TV format is supported. But "computer" type resolutions such as XGA and WXGA aren't.

There's a list here: https://www.joelwsmith.com/blog/using-sdi-to-extend-hdmi

 

 

  • SD-SDI (SMPTE259M)
    • Resolutions of 720x480 or 720x576 (PAL countries only)
      • Interlaced frame rates only

      [*]Maximum bitrate of 270 Mbit/s (360 Mbit/s for 960x480i)

    [*]ED-SDI (SMPTE344M)

    • Resolutions of 720x480 or 720x576 (PAL countries only)
      • Progressive frame rates accepted

      [*]Maximum bitrate of 540 Mbit/s

    [*]HD-SDI (SMPTE292M)

    • Resolutions of 1280x720 and 1920x1080
      • 1080i60, 1080p30, or 1080p24

      [*]Maximum bitrate of 1.485 Gbit/s and 1.485/1.001 Gbit/s

    [*]3G-SDI (SMPTE424M)

    • Resolution of 1920x1080
      • 1080p60 and below accepted

      [*]Maximum bitrate of 2.970 Gbit/s, and 2.970/1.001 Gbit/s

    [*]6G-SDI (SMPTE ST-2081)

    • Resolutions of 4096x2160 (DCI 4K) and 3840x2160 (UHD)
      • Formats of 2160p30 or less

      [*]Maximum bitrate of 6 Gbit/s

    [*]12G-SDI (SMPTE ST-2082)

    • Resolutions of 4096x2160 (DCI 4K) and 3840x2160 (UHD)
      • Formats of 2160p60 accepted

      [*]Maximum bitrate of 12 Gbit/s

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dosxuk Supervisor

dosxuk

Posted
Posted

Thanks folks. Dosxuk, would you mind elaborating a little please or point me to a reliable source showing what resolutions are supported? Most of the time source will be a laptop set to a standard resolution. Many thanks.

 

Have a look at the specs of the converters you're interested in, as they can vary, and there's no definitive answer. The Blackmagic Design micro converters for example - https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/uk/products/microconverters/techspecs/W-CONU-03 - support the following HDMI resolutions:

525i29.97 NTSC, 625i25 PAL

720p50, 720p59.94, 720p60

1080p23.98, 1080p24, 1080p25, 1080p29.97, 1080p30, 1080p50, 1080p59.94, 1080p60

1080i50, 1080i59.94, 1080i60

 

Other converters, such as the Decimator Design MDHX, accept a wider range of HDMI inputs, but come at a greater cost. The Decimator's are pretty much the standard converter I see (not including my 4) being used to take feeds from laptops.

 

One other potential hiccup is that SDI does not support HDCP, so you will have issues connecting equipment that tries to force using it. Very few HDMI-SDI converters will output SDI for an encrypted HDMI signal.

 

Basically SDI is great for sending video, but it's not always plug-&-play (like anything 'proper' video). If you're used to forcing laptops to output a certain resolution you'll be fine.

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timsabre Production Manager

timsabre

Posted
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I have some of these and they do, but being a generic chinese type of thing, there is no guarantee that the one you buy will be the same as the ones I have got. In fact for a cheapo converter they are pretty good, have been very reliable.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Converter-Adapter-HD-SDI-Support-Theater/dp/B01FSQBVJE

 

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