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Locking HDMI Connectors Cut Service Calls
Cables with incorporated locking mechanisms, as well as adapters, hit the market. Increased costs can benefit customer and dealers' credibility.
Blue Echo Solutions’ HD EZlock recently won a 2009 CES Innovations Design and Engineering Showcase Award.
The last thing an integrator like Chris Adelman of Hi Tech Homes in Cedarburg, Wis. needs is a phone call at 9:30 p.m. on a Saturday night from a client who has lost the image on their flat panel.
But those calls were occurring with some consistency as clients accidentally disconnected their HDMI cables from their TVs.
"It would happen all the time. The client, a cleaning person or teenage kids trying to connect a gaming system would accidentally knock out the connectors," says Adelman.
"We would get a call and try to talk them through the problem. Sometimes have to drive out there."
The problem is exacerbated by the slight differences in the consistency of HDMI connectors among manufacturers. An LG port is different than a Sony port, for example, according to Andy White, vice president of satellite sales at PPC, a manufacturer based in East Syracuse, N.Y.
To solve that problem, engineers from PPC developed a locking HDMI connector.
The patent-pending product enables integrators to securely install HDMI cables with little concern over future service calls related to the connector.
The company does not publicize a specific amount of pull-force, but it ranges between 3 lbs. and 12 lbs. of force -- three times the force of a regular HDMI connection.
PPC has its roots in cable TV and satellite business. The 60-year-old company claims to be the leading supplier of connectors to those markets, touting 200 patents to its credit.
"We were looking for a way to enter the home theater market and be unique, so our engineers came up with the locking HDMI connector," says White.
"We don't have an official brand name for the product. I am not even sure 'locking connector' is the proper terminology."
Whatever you call it, the connector works for Adelman.
"I am more confident in HDMI in general now. Whenever you are able to eliminate a problem that is so simple, it solves a lot of headaches," he says. Hi Tech Homes now includes the locking connector in every proposal.
At first, Adelman says there was a significant price difference to include HDMI cables with the locking connectors in his proposals, but now he buys the product in bulk, which "makes it competitive."
A 6-foot PPC cable costs about $13 (in bulk) compared to a same-length HDMI cable without a locking connector for less than $10 in bulk. As a one-off purchase, a 6-foot PPC cable sells for $40, according to White.
Adelman adds that he is able to use the price difference in sales discussions with clients, pointing out how he is using the upgraded HDMI connector. He says it benefits his company's credibility.
PPC sells the cable direct to dealers, via its Web site and through select distribution. Adelman first saw the product at CEDIA Expo in Denver.
It offers a training certification credential to dealers who can pass a test show they are capable of properly installing the connectors. PPC has a team of engineers that travel the country assisting dealers and conducting the certification class.
Meanwhile, another company has recently hit the market with a locking adaptor that can be retrofitted to an existing HDMI cable and to a component. Blue Echo Solutions out of Lakewood, Wash. has introduced the patent-pending HD EZlock, which recently won a 2009 CES Innovations Design and Engineering Showcase Award.
The adapter is installed in either screw or adhesive versions.
But those calls were occurring with some consistency as clients accidentally disconnected their HDMI cables from their TVs.
"It would happen all the time. The client, a cleaning person or teenage kids trying to connect a gaming system would accidentally knock out the connectors," says Adelman.
"We would get a call and try to talk them through the problem. Sometimes have to drive out there."
The problem is exacerbated by the slight differences in the consistency of HDMI connectors among manufacturers. An LG port is different than a Sony port, for example, according to Andy White, vice president of satellite sales at PPC, a manufacturer based in East Syracuse, N.Y.
Locking HDMI Connectors Hit the Scene
To solve that problem, engineers from PPC developed a locking HDMI connector.
The patent-pending product enables integrators to securely install HDMI cables with little concern over future service calls related to the connector.
The company does not publicize a specific amount of pull-force, but it ranges between 3 lbs. and 12 lbs. of force -- three times the force of a regular HDMI connection.
PPC has its roots in cable TV and satellite business. The 60-year-old company claims to be the leading supplier of connectors to those markets, touting 200 patents to its credit.
"We were looking for a way to enter the home theater market and be unique, so our engineers came up with the locking HDMI connector," says White.
"We don't have an official brand name for the product. I am not even sure 'locking connector' is the proper terminology."
Whatever you call it, the connector works for Adelman.
"I am more confident in HDMI in general now. Whenever you are able to eliminate a problem that is so simple, it solves a lot of headaches," he says. Hi Tech Homes now includes the locking connector in every proposal.
At first, Adelman says there was a significant price difference to include HDMI cables with the locking connectors in his proposals, but now he buys the product in bulk, which "makes it competitive."
A 6-foot PPC cable costs about $13 (in bulk) compared to a same-length HDMI cable without a locking connector for less than $10 in bulk. As a one-off purchase, a 6-foot PPC cable sells for $40, according to White.
Adelman adds that he is able to use the price difference in sales discussions with clients, pointing out how he is using the upgraded HDMI connector. He says it benefits his company's credibility.
PPC sells the cable direct to dealers, via its Web site and through select distribution. Adelman first saw the product at CEDIA Expo in Denver.
It offers a training certification credential to dealers who can pass a test show they are capable of properly installing the connectors. PPC has a team of engineers that travel the country assisting dealers and conducting the certification class.
Meanwhile, another company has recently hit the market with a locking adaptor that can be retrofitted to an existing HDMI cable and to a component. Blue Echo Solutions out of Lakewood, Wash. has introduced the patent-pending HD EZlock, which recently won a 2009 CES Innovations Design and Engineering Showcase Award.
The adapter is installed in either screw or adhesive versions.
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About the Author
Jason Knott, Editor, CE Pro
Jason has covered low-voltage electronics as an editor since 1990. He joined EH Publishing in 2000, and before that served as publisher and editor of Security Sales, a leading magazine for the security industry. He served as chairman of the Security Industry Association’s Education Committee from 2000-2004 and sat on the board of that association from 1998-2002. He is also a former board member of the Alarm Industry Research and Educational Foundation. He is currently a member of the CEDIA Education Action Team for Electronic Systems Business. Jason graduated from the University of Southern California.
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