New At rAVe [Publications]: Hello, Analog Sunset: Part 2

rAVe [Publications]: Hello, Analog Sunset: Part 2

Here's the link to Hello, Analog Sunset: Part 1 if you missed it before.

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New At rAVe [Publications]: HDMI Then And Now

rAVe [Publications]: HDMI Then And Now

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Field-Terminable HDMI: An Idea Whose Time Has Come, Or Past?

There's a post today on CE Pro talking about vendor BTX Technologies, and their new field-terminable bulk HDMI cables, that allow installers to make custom-length HDMI cables, something that had previously not been feasible.

CE Pro: How To Terminate HDMI Cables In The Field

I just have to say that this is an idea that, were it five years ago, I would cheer "Yea!" Now, however, it seems like kind of a "Meh."

The fact is, HDMI is, at the best of times, flaky, unstable, and prone to inexplicable failure. Everybody inside the CE industry knows it. I routinely get email from custom channel dealers sharing their jobsite horror stories with me and asking me to write another story detailing the woes that surround using HDMI.

The trick to executing custom install jobs is, ultimately, to keep it simple. Adding complexity increases the odds of something going wrong. I'm sure that BTX Technologies means well, but in my opinion, installers are better off using stock cable lengths for short distances, and proven extenders using network cables or fiber for longer distances, rather than futz around with terminating custom lengths.

With that in mind, I have trouble envisioning much of a market for field terminable HDMI cables.

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This Week In Marketnews: Conclusion Of The Image Constraint Token Series

This Week In Marketnews: Custom Corner: Image Constraint Token - Real Threat Or Tempest In A Teapot? Part 3

As someone who previewed my article said to me, "I agree that the studios’ lack of response is very telling." Another person familiar with the matter said anonymously, "This may well be the last nail in Blu-ray's coffin."

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This Week In Marketnews: Custom Corner: Image Constraint Token Part 2

Marketnews: Custom Corner: Image Constraint Token - Real Threat or Tempest in a Teapot? Part 2

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This Week In Marketnews: The Image Constraint Token

Marketnews: Custom Corner: Image Constraint Token - Real Threat or Tempest in a Teapot? Part 1

* image courtesy of the HDMI Sucks Facebook group, used without permission.

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HDMI consortium to standardize CEC, FINALLY!

For those who don't know, the CEC, or Consumer Electronics Control protocol sends control commands over the HDMI interface's Pin 13 allowing every device that's connected via HDMI to be easily controlled, in theory.

The problem so far is that the members of the HDMI consortium have pretty much done their own thing with regard to CEC. As a result, it works great if you have an all-Sony setup: TV, Blu-ray, AV receiver. It also works great if you have an all-Panasonic setup: TV, Blu-ray, AV receiver. And so on. However, when you start mixing and matching components from different brands, then things haven't worked too well.

Apparently, all that is about to change.

CE Pro: HDMI to Enhance CEC Two-Way Control Protocol

HDMI is going to make its control protocol, called Consumer Electronics Control (CEC), really meaningful. And they mean it.That's the word from Steve Venuti, president of HDMI Licensing, LLC, who spoke to CE Produring the recent CEDIA Expo.HDMI-CEC is a communications protocol that enables devices to control each other via the same HDMI cable that delivers audio and video.
...
"We really mean it this time," says Venuti. "We've worked with the founders to unify CEC. We're hoping -- and they're pushing hard -- that in Q1 there will be products out there with a meaningful command set," he says. "The marketing requirements came from retailers."

It's good to see that the major CE brands in the consortium have realized that if everybody does their own thing, then it doesn't count as a standard.

One question I'd like to see answered is how well the CEC2.0 (or whatever they choose to call it) will work retroactively with existing gear that uses a vendor-specific variation of the protocol. Time will tell, I suppose.

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PPC shows latching HDMI connectors

Filed under "what a great idea!" CE Pro's Julie Jacobsen profiles cable maker PPC, and their debut of an HDMI connection that won't accidentally fall out.

CE Pro: Miracle of Miracles: PPC’s Latching HDMI Connectors Won’t Fall Out

The patent-pending connectors have two tiny prongs that latch into HDMI ports. Press the release on the connector to remove the cable.The cable stays firm with up to 10.5 pounds of pressure "which is three times better than usual," says PPC's Wayne Hostetler. "It's not much, but it won't fall out if you dust it.

I wish PPC every success. With luck, other vendors will licence the concept, and we can all move on and stop bitching about how easily HDMI cables come unplugged.

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This Week In CE Pro: HDMI, oh my!

CE Pro: 3 Ways to Improve HDMI

I love it when I get asked to stand up and foment discontent about things that annoy me.

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HDMI Whole-Home Distribution That Works!

Regular readers will be aware that up until fairly recently, I had been hugely bearish on HDMI interfaces. A year ago, I wasn't even keen on running them between an HD cable box and a TV. If you had asked me about using it for whole home video distribution, I would have laughed so hard that coffee would have been spit out my nose.

That was then, however. In the past year, workable new hardware, and hard work by front-line integration companies have begun to make HDMI a worthwhile technology.

CE Pro has a fantastic article by Vaughn Petraglia about a distribution system he designed and implemented that makes extensive use of HDMI.

CE Pro: Whole Home Audio and Video Switching Using HDMI
Is HDMI ready for real whole home applications?

If you're a CE person, or even an interested propellerhead, this is required reading!

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This Week in Marketnews: Making HD distribution easy and cheap

Marketnews: Custom Corner: Distributing 1080p

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This Week in Marketnews: Doing an about-face on HDMI

Marketnews: Custom Corner: Is HDMI Finally Ready for Prime Time?

After years of shunning HDMI due to complications and in-field problems, I'm finally on board with the technology.

Rule #1: of Custom Integration: Your client's home is not where you want to beta-test new products. Let somebody else suffer, and then get on board when all the kinks are worked out.

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Taming HDMI

Great news for anyone in the CE install field who has been plagued by problematic HDMI cables! I'm not saying that they've been any more problematic than any other interconnect in the field, but up until now there was no easy way to test them when you were in the middle of a jobsite.

The Retail Bridge: Centronics Intros HDMI Cable Tester

DBS and HD accessory distributor Centronics last week released its new HDTE-200 HDMI cable tester, the latest addition to its Elite HD product line.

Designed to take the guesswork out of HDMI troubleshooting, the HDTE-200 allows the technician to test each cable to quickly determine where there might be a problem. The device can also be used to test new HDMI cables to be sure they work properly before installing them in-wall or behind a home theater cabinet.

To test an HDMI cable, simply connect each end to the HDTE-200's transmitter and receiver connections and let it test each of the cable's 19 pins. It is compatible with all HDMI cables up to 1.3 and can be used with both standard HDMI heads and the mini style found on camcorders.
The HDTE-200 HDMI cable tester is available at an MSRP of $69.95.

For more information visit www.centronics.com or call (800) 638-0741.

I can't tell you how important it is for installers to have a device in the field to test HDMI cables for connectivity. The custom marketplace has been clamoring for this.

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Why HDMI isn't there yet

I've railed for the last couple of years about how HDMI isn't delivering the goods that dealers need, and customers want.

Joining me today is guest columnist Dave Long, from the Evolution Audio Video agency. He had a little tirade in this month's dealer's newsletter, and he has graciously agreed to let me reprint it for your benefit:


HDMI is a nutty confusing business and it’s been it’s own worst enemy since playing in the same god-awful sandbox as the boys from the Ministry Of Silly Walks (HDCP). The marriage has produced some gut-wrenching results when innocent souls try to punch two simple pieces of equipment together. The handshakes don’t occur and if they do, they don’t the second time around, or the third. The connectors themselves are horrendously weakly designed and as such have to be handled like an open jar of Nitro. Dealers are feeling like they’d better keep away from that sharp-edged cliff because the real kick in the jewels is the supposed ease of use concept of running everything through the customer’s AV receiver that in the end, can’t pass the signal properly. Why? because of the idiotic various keys and versions the partnership has concocted in it’s mad laboratory high in the mountains of Transylvania, simply don’t mesh with each other.

That’s the way it’s been for many folk. Dealers far and wide have stayed away from HDMI and strongly suggested customers do the same but things have finally settled down. Manufacturers are placing the new 1.3 version of HDMI in the receiver’s bellies whereas many didn’t even have the initial version, hoping all would pass through like Component did…like Composite did. But HD is a different ball game and to an HDMI/HDCP signal, a receiver is just a middleman and the only reason a middleman is there it assumes… is to record and/or copy so it says, “not in THIS lifetime, Bobo!” and stops you dead. No picture… no signal… bugger all. You have just been classified as an HDCP terrorist and have been dutifully placed on the HDMI No-Fly list.

Dave goes on to pimp some great new products from PureLink that aim to solve some of these problems.

Adding his voice to the fray is emminent consultant and pundit Gary Kayye, who said in his online newsletter:

By now, you've probably all seen the HDMI connector (the connector standard for high-resolution HD-TV content) on something. It's everywhere.
It's on HD-DVD players, Blu-ray Disc players, HD DirecTV set-top boxes, Explorer 8300 HD Cable TV boxes, HD-flat panel TVs, Sony's PlayStation 3 - everywhere you see HD content.
But, it's also on progressive-scan DVD players.
And, that's where it sucks!
Look, unless you're outputting HD content that's truly digital and high-resolution (not the crappy cheaply scaled progressive scan DVD player HD-like output) then don't assume that HDMI is better than any other connector.
In fact, it's actually worse - in EVERY CASE of progressive scan DVD player I've tested.

Bottom line: we, and other integrators understand the limitations HDMI poses, and are not over-selling it at the moment, until several of these key issues can be resolved.

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When HDMI Cables Attack!

Fascinating short article at CE Pro Online about the perils of a faulty HDMI cable that was producing a burning smell.

CE Pro: When HDMI Cables Short Out a System
They installed a new cable and the problem stopped. It turned out that one pin inside the HDMI connector was shorted to ground -- pin 18. That is the 5 volt supply line. Fortunately, the DVD was built like concrete and was able to maintain its own internal supply and not become damaged.
The first lesson when installing HDMI cable is to check the cables before you install in a wall. There are HDMI testers out there you can pick up for cheap or just run the cable before you go to the job sight.

This incident highlights why it is so important to test, test, test your gear before you install it.

For those of you who like processes, the steps for solving a hardware issue are Diagnose, Analyse, Repair, Test, Prevent.

The last step is key. Once you've solved a problem, engineer the solution so that the fault won't recurr. In other words put it back together better than you installed it in the first place.

Of course, every solution has two problems, but that's a subject for another post.

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...and what's the deal with HDMI v1.3 anyways?

I just got this in my email from a source at a CE manufacturer.

Getting calls about HDMI 1.3. Required bandwidth is out to 340MHz Is there
anything out there that can actually use this bandwidth? Right now the chip
sets are simply not available for v.1.3 (for anybody- output or input
devices). To my knowledge the PlayStation 3 will be the first device shipping
w/v1.3 (in November supposedly). It will be 1st quarter next year (at the
earliest) before we start to see more components w/v1.3 (and there are no
games/dvd's available to require this much bandwidth). We plan on
implementing v1.3 as soon as possible, right now it is just not
possible. It willl be at least a year before the market is dominated by
v1.3. Even as such, I would estimate that it will be even longer before
v1.3 is fully utilized as far as bandwidth (in fact the full potential may never
be utilized, as the HDMI forum is trying to spec such that there is plenty of
headroom which may never be necessary).

Unspoken: and at least another six months to a year beyond that before all the "idiosyncrasies" are ironed out with firmware upgrades. Which is why I'm not all aflutter over HDMI yet. I've had enough issues in the field with HDMI v1.0. Personally, I intend to follow the sage advice of my old mentor at Sony, Brian J Munro (bless his heart) who often declared "Don't commit to the first generation of anything!"

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