Recently AVPro Edge was offered a great opportunity to write an article for Connected Magazine in Australia. Matt Murray wrote up a piece discussing 8K and its the benefits, which will be printed in the next issue of Connected.

​We have a sneak peek of the article below and make sure to visit Connected's website to check out all of their useful content!

HDMI 2.1 delivers new features and signal types to HDMI technology, bringing us closer to that ultimate goal, replicating human vision.

The driving force behind the HDMI 2.1 specification is the demand for higher performance signals; consumers want more color, deeper color, and smoother images. Each advancement to HDMI technology brings us another step closer to accurately mimicking human vision. 

In the last specification, HDMI 2.0, we were introduced to 4k resolutions with refresh rates up to 60 Hz. HDMI 2.0's most significant change was the addition of billions of colors using High Dynamic Range (HDR). HDR allows us to better refine the amount of light in our image, making our pictures more beautiful and lifelike.
 
HDMI 2.1 pushes even further, doubling 4k refresh rates, quadrupling the pixel count, and improving HDR, giving viewers a more immersive experience with their displays. In addition, it has forced source manufacturers to advance how the signal gets on screen, creating new ventures unavailable in previous specifications. 
 
Producing these signals requires a lot of bandwidth, and data rates for audio video signals are at an all-time high. As a result, HDMI cables need to be used in different and unique ways allowing for the maximum amount of data to flow. This article talks about why the changes in HDMI 2.1 are exciting for the consumer, making it a great way to maximize sales for all integrators. 
 
Over the last two years, over 25 million HDMI 2.1 sources have been introduced into the world. Microsoft, Sony, and Nvidia are crafting next-generation consoles and PCs. At the same time, all the major players, including Sony, Samsung, and LG, are producing a line of HDMI 2.1 displays. It's up to us in the professional video world to keep up. 
 
Like Will Farrell's character Ricky Bobby says in Talladega Nights, "If you're not first, you're last."

Increased Refresh Rate (HFR, High Frame Rate)
To deliver crisp video with high-action, fast-moving content like sports or gaming, you need to provide more than the standard 24Hz of movies. No problem! 60hz sports broadcasts have been around for a while. With HDMI 2.1, we can increase our refresh rates from 60hz to 120hz, doubling the number of still images shown in one second. This gives us the potential to have crisper and more fluid sports viewing and game playing than ever before. 
 
Bonus: High-action sports and gaming are becoming more immersive.
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​This article was written by Matt Murray, CTO of AVPro Edge, Bullet Train Cables, and Murideo.

This month's shoutout goes to H Customs Audio/Video of Fort Worth, TX! Check out one of their latest Instagram posts in which the backbone of the video distribution is an AVPro Edge 16x16 matrix!

​In our latest Case Study, Let It Fly, an upscale Sports Bar and Grill concept created by retired NBA star and South Dakota native Mike Miller, located in Sioux Falls, SD requested that live sports be visible at every angle.

Let It Fly tasked Dave Lawrence, L&S Video & Audio CEO, with finding a solution. He decided to use MXNet from AVPro Edge. Using an AV over IP solution like MXNet allowed Dave to manage all 80 displays securely and save on installation costs by using the existing internet network. He also didn't need to worry about configuring a network switch to handle AV signals ensuring a quick and successful installation.

With the MXNet Ecosystem, Dave has control and stability in the entire system and easy deployment. Learn more about how you can simplify any large-scale AV distribution with MXNet. 

Check out the video below and download the Case Study for all the install details!

​AVPro Edge develops complex hardware products that integrators use for A/V distribution. To use these products properly, you need to have quality, highly engineered HDMI cables. 

AVPro took this task upon ourselves. Using our 48Gbps Oscilloscope we could perfect the HDMI signal’s wavelengths to pass video signals with the least amount of latency and crystal-clear imaging. The product of this development is Bullet Train HDMI Cables. 

​This single gang, HDBaseT wall plate transmitter is a part of the ConferX line of professional audio video products. Installing this sleek transmitter is a breeze as it’s built to fit in any standard single gang mug ring, but the sleek design is only the beginning. Using the AC-EX100-UHD-R3, the AC-CXWP-HDMO-T can transmit an HDMI signal over CAT6a up to 100 meters using 1080p and up to 70 meters working with 4K. The entire ConferX product line is built to military-grade standards to ensure stable connections for long periods. We are so confident that it comes with our no-nonsense 10-year warranty.
 
Simplify installations in schools, offices, meeting rooms, and huddle rooms. Once integrated into your client’s system, they have the perfect solution for sharing information from any computer or source. This unit is designed to work flawlessly with all PC, VESA, and traditional resolutions 4K 60Hz 4:2:0 8-bit & HDR 4:2:2 12 BIT. With the AC-CXWP-HDMO-T, you get the sleek look your client wants, a stable connection that lasts, and a product that works seamlessly with any source you throw at it.

Distance: By using AC-CXWP-HDMO-T, the transmission distance for HD 1080P is 100 meters (330ft) & 4K is up to 70 meters (230ft)
 
Auto-Sensing: This wall plate is designed to be a "set it & forget it" piece of hardware.  When the user plugs in their device, the wall plate automatically senses the signal and makes it active.  With indicator lights on the face of the wall plate you know whether or not you have a solid connection.
 
Power: No local power required when you use the AC-CXWP-HDMO-T.  Power is provided by ultra-stable PoE technology. Optionally you can power it locally for use with any HDBaseT Receiver or projector that takes HDBaseT input.
 
Single Gang: Save space and make a squeaky clean installation with the single gang configuration. It’s perfect for mounting in a wall, on a desk or podium top, or any other place where you need a solid and sleek HDMI connection.

Use in: 

• Conference/huddle room configurations where many source types can be used.
• Auditoriums as this unit extends HDMI up to 100M (330FT).
• Personal offices to create simple presentation venues, with audio, that are plug-and-play and reliable.
• Non-technical scenarios since this device is auto sensing. The end-user has ZERO configuration, this is the perfect transmitter anywhere non-technical users will access the system.
  

Cleerline SSF Fiber Optics is one of AVPro Edge's most longstanding partners. Our companies had many of the same goals focused on moving beyond the perceived limits of A/V and driving the market forward to help integrators years down the road. As a result, we combined forces to push technology forward in the video distribution sector for integrators.

Today, we are using Cleerline's Fiber Optics inside all our Bullet Train HDMI Cables and developing Fiber optic solutions for HDMI extension and switching that will be available this year! 

A note from Cleerline:
Cleerline Technology Group provides complete solutions for every fiber optic installation. Whether your installation is in a commercial environment or a residential dwelling, Cleerline has the fiber optic components you need. From unique fiber optic cable to connectors, termination tools, enclosures, and more, Cleerline is Fiber Optics Redefined. Learn more at www.cleerlinefiber.com.

Resolution is hard to see. When you watch a movie or a TV show, you might notice their sizes are different. What you are witnessing is the change in aspect ratio. The resolution or the number of height and width pixels on the screen is not the same as the aspect ratio. However, aspect ratio and resolution are related to the image height and width, and changing one changes the other, so it’s an easy way to show resolution change. Common resolutions like 1080p, 4K, and now 8K are all the same aspect ratio but different pixel amounts, and it’s not easy to see changes between them because pixels are tiny. Still, sometimes it’s noticeable when resolution dips extremely low while streaming shows or movies over wifi.

Why 5K and 10K?
5K and 10K are video resolutions too. They have the same height of 4K and 8K, respectively, but they are wider for ultra-wide movies and gaming. 5K is a popular resolution for computer monitors because of the extra screen real estate while working and gaming. Bullet Train 5K HDMI Cables support the 5K and formats for ultra-wide monitors. In HDMI, it’s important to remember that the higher the screen pixels are, the higher the required HDMI bandwidth needs to be. 5K resolutions have some tradeoffs for the additional bandwidth requirements, and 10K is twice the resolution of 5K and is only possible with much higher bandwidth.

​Importance of HDMI Bandwidth
If we talk about resolution, then we need to talk about bandwidth. The resolution of a video signal is only one part of what contributes to the overall bandwidth of an HDMI signal. There’s also refresh rate or frames per second, color bit depth, and chroma subsampling. By adding these together, we can calculate the bandwidth of an HDMI signal. Why is this important? HDMI signals can have a variety of different mixtures of these core elements. You might see some signal combinations more often because they maximize the visuals without sacrificing quality. For example, the combination 4K 60hz 8bit 4:4:4. This combination makes the best picture for an HDMI 2.0 standard aspect ratio signal at 18Gbps. If we were to increase the 4K to 5K, that would go above 18Gbps, and that’s in HDMI 2.1 territory. The truth is, there is a lot of flexibility in what HDMI signals are possible, but many are not very practical. So it’s beneficial to know how to calculate bandwidth to make the most out of the limitations in the HDMI specification, especially as we transition into HDMI 2.1.

HDMI Spec
HDMI 2.0 and HDMI 2.1 are different versions with different capabilities. For the moment, let’s stick with HDMI 2.0 because it’s more straightforward. It has a total bandwidth of 18Gbps. We get this number by combining the three 600MHz data rate channels in an HDMI 2.0 cable. Without going too in-depth about data rate calculation, we take the number of vertical pixels, horizontal pixels, bit depth, and frame rate and multiply them together to get a rough estimation of the total bandwidth of an HDMI signal. HDMI 2.1 adds a data channel allowing bandwidth up to 48Gbps, allowing for more combinations in resolutions than ever before. We can even go beyond 8K to 10K for ultra-wide monitors. You can also use an HDMI bandwidth calculator to play around with these different values. A calculator makes bandwidth calculation easy, but keep in mind that it’s not exact.
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Bullet Train 5K HDMI Cables goes beyond the typical standard formats of 1080p and 4K by supporting all format combinations within the 18Gbps HDMI 2.0 specification, including 5K. Bullet Train 10K HDMI Cables support all combinations within the 48Gbps HDMI 2.1 specifications, including 10K.