HDMI Extender

The HDMI Extender is a single or pair of active devices that are powered with an external power source or with the 5V DC power from the HDMI source. Plain copper HDMI cable is capable of 12 to 15 meters while wireless HDMI is capable of 10 meters. [ [http://www.wirelesshd.org/technology.html Wireless Technologies for HD] ] cite news |url=http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/advice/2156/ask-an-installer-hdmi-13-cable-length-limit.html |title=Ask An Installer: HDMI 1.3 Cable Length Limit |publisher=Sound & Vision |date=February/March, 2007|accessdate=2008-06-19] HDMI extenders based on dual Category 5/Category 6 cable can extend HDMI to 50 meters while HDMI extenders based on optical fiber can extend HDMI to 100+ meters.

To use longer HDMI cable or cables, active boosters are necessary to compensate for losses and to remove the intersymbol interference. HDMI cable becomes thicker, stiffer and heavier with increasing cable length, however, making it difficult to use in many applications. Many companies developed the HDMI over UTP type extender to use CAT-5 or CAT-6 cable, which is much thiner, softer, and lighter. Most extenders use two cables to extend the 4-pairs of TMDS signals for video, and two or three control signals for the DDC and HDCP. Some extenders use single CAT-5 or CAT-6 UTP though they must be sure to multiplex the DDC channels. [cite news |title=HDCP License Agreement | date=2008-01-16 | publisher=Digital Content Protection, LLC. | url =http://www.digital-cp.com/files/static_page_files/D6724AFD-9B02-A253-D8D2FE5B1A10F7F7/HDCP_License_Agreement_082207.pdf | accessdate = 2008-01-24] To avoid EMI problems, most HDMI over UTP extenders require shielded or screened CAT-5 or CAT-6 cables (with CAT-6 being recommended). [cite news |url=http://www.hdmi.org/installers/longcablelengths.aspx |title=Running Long Cable Lengths |publisher=HDMI.org |accessdate=2008-06-19]

ee also

* High-Definition Multimedia Interface

References