HDbaseT Update
June 21, 2011, the HDbaseT Alliance announced the release of the HDBaseT 1.0 Certification Program and availability of the first HDBaseT certified product. The Certification Program includes the availability of the HDBaseT Compliance Test Specification (CTS), designated logo guidelines as well as the opening of the first HDBaseT recognized test facility, located in Israel at the Valens Semiconductor plant.
The Certification Program provides a formal framework, ensuring interoperability
among products and that all HDBaseT compliant products meet an approved baseline for functionality. The program is anticipating rapid turn-around for product evaluations with logos and certification stamps for passing products.
The goal of the program is to create a foundation for consumer electronics networks based on HDbaseT technologies. As more companies come on-line, other test facilities will be deployed in North America or Asia to keep the backlog and reporting times short. The evaluation processes will be transferred to the newer certification facilities when they become active.
The first product to receive certification is from Gefen, an ELR (Extra Long Range) Extender for HDMI. The Gefen Extender for HDMI over CAT-5 with Ethernet extends HDMI with 3DTV pass-through up to 330 feet (100m) in distance using a single CAT-5 cable. Over 30 companies are members of the alliance, and many other companies are expected to submit their products for certification in the near future.
The alliance is looking outside the home environment to digital signage. This display area benefits from the technology, which can reduce installation costs through its 1 port per display architecture, CAT-5e cabling, and 100 M reach without repeaters. Switches and repeaters are in the development pipeline and expected later this year.
