HDMI Basics: Evolution, Installation and Testing

There are many installers struggling to comprehend the scope of HDMI and its impact on their businesses -- case in point, the lively discussion on ways to improve the cabling standard.

Because of this, CE Pro asked David Coleman, director of CE for Honeywell International, for some refresher points to help figure these signals out.

How has HDMI technology evolved since its introduction?

Over the last few years, the HD marketplace has made massive improvements in resolution, color depth, refresh rate, audio detail and security.

In order to allow for these and future developments, the HDMI licensing group has revised the specifications several times.

When choosing consumer electronics devices, installers should determine which features are supported by the products they are considering, and they should not worry about which version of the specification they are using.

Can HDMI be used for multiroom A/V in addition to home theater? If so, how are HDMI products meeting various usage scenarios?

HDMI can be used for multiroom A/V in addition to home theater. There are solutions that use HDMI from point-to-point and point-to-multipoint, while others transcode the HDMI signal over mediums, like Cat 5, coax or fiber.

Look for solutions by the end of this year to move HDMI signals around the house at a reasonable price point.

What special HDMI installation techniques or limitations should CE pros keep in mind?

To begin with, installers should treat HDMI cables as gently as they do Cat 5.

An HDMI cable is made up of 19 relatively high-gauge conductors. If something happens mechanically to the cable, there will be big problems.

When planning on a basic HDTV pre-wire, I recommend one HDMI cable, one component video cable and three Cat 5 wires run in a 2-inch pipe. This configuration allows enough flexibility to ensure you have your bases covered.

The first thing a dealer should consider is what type of HD their customer is going to be experiencing now and in the future. There are two types of HDMI certification -- standard speed and high speed.

The best way a dealer can be assured of the peak performance is to look for the eye pattern test results for that length of HDMI cable performed at high-speed compliance levels.

HDMI transmissions can be especially tricky over distances of five meters. Look for devices that restore the signal and place them at the end of the transmission.

HDMI-to-Cat 5 converters can deliver high-speed HDMI transmissions up to 125 feet over a pair of Cat 5s or 200 feet over a pair of Cat 6 cables.

One of the most perplexing problems facing dealers today is a communication issue that can occur at any distance.

These problems are diagnosed by having seemingly strange A/V artifacts (like pink, green or blue screens at start-up, or audio dropouts), and a recent survey revealed that one in three CEDIA installers has experienced these types of problems.

What is the best way for integrators to test the quality of their installs?

The best way to make sure the system is functional is to try it out in the same way the customer will. Switch between sources, test the power cycle and experiment with different types of content.

Dealers should demo all the products they sell for several weeks before ever selling them to a customer.

Eye pattern test results and Digital Performance Level (DPL) scores offered by manufacturers are some of the ways installers can easily make sure the products have been comprehensively tested by the manufacturer.



For a more in-depth look at HDMI, download The Installer's Guide to HDMI, a free Advantage Series from CE Pro.