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HDBaseT-IP vs. SDVoE: An AV-over-IP Standards Smackdown - CE Pro

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HDBaseT-IP and SDVoE compete for the long-distance AV advantage over IP. One of them takes the lead, and the other is a brand recognized on Cat 5 and a strong legacy of high-definition video.

"There is a battle about to begin: SDVoE (Software Defined Video over Ethernet) vs. HDBaseT-IP," said Paul Harris, CEO of the company 

, Which is a manufacturer of video distribution systems based in New Jersey. "It's already started. The question is who will win? It will be a very interesting game," 

One side of the showdown is the SDVoE of the SDVoE Alliance. Members include

The other side of this struggle is the HDBaseT-IP from the HDBaseT Alliance, which includes members such as Crestron, Extron, Samsung, LG, Sony, Harman, and Aurora Multimedia. These companies are mainly from

, Is the driving force behind HDBaseT.

The new agreement and strategy are

Soon after the SDVoE training camp ended, at ISE 2017 earlier this year

Own alliance​​. Both caused a sensation in Europe on ISE. Awkward.

At that time, Gabie Shriki, Senior Vice President of Valens

 He can hardly comment on possible competitors because they are too new. 

He said: "We have been researching this issue and trying to figure out what this alliance is." "I don't know much about it, but what I know is that HDBaseT has a strong standard and a powerful alliance with the existing HDBaseT alliance. Compared with the ecosystem of today’s introduction of HDBaseT through IP, I don’t see the need for a new alliance."

But here we are.

It is not only these two that are driving this competition, but also multi-room video transmissions that require more bandwidth, and these transmissions do not compress video and destroy visual images. This demand has promoted the explosive growth of the IP video and audio market, which can handle 10Gbps signals, while traditional HDBaseT can only handle 1Gbps signals.

Harris said: "You really can't perform 4K @ 60Hz 4:4:4 transmission at 1Gbps." "This is impractical because you get a 20:1 compression ratio."

He explained that with this compression method, you will lose enough information, so the image is "not visually lossless." Similarly, HDR may not work properly at a 20:1 compression ratio.

Harris said: "BlueRiver is a 10Gbps technology that can perform 4K @ 60 4:4:4 correctly, and there is no detectable artifact regardless of whether there is motion." "10Gbps is the way of the future, and it is also 8K. The road. Once you get into the higher refresh rate and bandwidth, you must be on a 10Gbps system. Period."

But 10Gbps still has problems, including heat output and price. Harris said that a 10Gbps wallboard consumes much more power than a 1Gbps solution, so it creates a "heat problem." Similarly, the price of 10Gbps switches is higher, but it is still falling every year.

The solution to these problems may lie in the hybrid HDBaseT-IP technology.

Harris said: "HDBaseT seems to be a technology that is about to be phased out, but maybe we are all wrong." "Maybe we need this technology to solve the IP itself."

He said that single-group and dual-group HDBaseT-IP wallboards can be used to "bridge" IP and transmit 10Gbps 4K @ 60Hz 4:4:4 from the wallboard to the network. These wall panels will be cheaper than A/V transmitters and receivers on traditional 10Gbps IP. 

Especially in the residential market, the success of HDBaseT seems to be certain, because it has a huge lead in Category 5 HDMI. The platform has been widely deployed by leading AV manufacturers, and its compatible products are interoperable to a large extent. The process of certification and interoperability testing was in place very early, the brand was widely recognized, and the broad base of existing partners and distributors also attracted a large audience.

In other words, SDVoE has attracted new partners in business, and today's products have been put into use and installed.

On the other hand, Harris believes that HDBaseT-IP products will no longer be available in two to three years. Even so, SDVoE's lead in this category did not shock him. It doesn't matter in the end because 

He also questioned those who think that HDBaseT today is just a placeholder for future IP-based distribution systems. He insisted that there is still a place for peer-to-peer HDBaseT.

He said that the rumors of HDBaseT's imminent demise have been greatly exaggerated: "The truth is that HDBaseT uses less power, is suitable for smaller devices, has a lower cost of chipsets, and has been around for a longer period of time. Therefore, ultimately , Peer-to-peer HDBaseT still exists."

With the development of manufacturers, Aurora Multimedia has been at the forefront of video distribution technology for many years.

"Frontier? I like cutting-edge technology," said Harris, who is not only the company's CEO/CTO, but also the chief designer. He founded the company in 1998 and started writing computer programs when he was 9 years old. In the past 20 years, the company has made a number of innovations in the field of video distribution.

One of Harris' biggest innovations is his patent-pending transceiver concept for video distribution compared to the traditional transmitter (encoder)/receiver (decoder) topology.

He said: "With the transceiver, you can tell the device what it will become." "We have all been taught that everything has input or output, but if you can eliminate these restrictions and choose the direction, what should you do? ? There is nothing more between input and output, such as a typical matrix of 8X8, 16X16, or 32X32." 

One of the biggest benefits of using transceivers is to save inventory costs for integrators. Integrators no longer have to worry about unused transmitters or receivers collecting dust in the storage room.

"One customer may need 10 transmitters and 50 receivers, and another customer may need 25 transmitters and 4 receivers. You just don’t know. So what happened is that you have a disproportionate situation, and There are 100 units around you at some point," Harris said.

The second major benefit is maintainability. Dealers no longer need to worry about the transmitter and receiver on the truck with multiple SKUs for HDMI input and output cards. Harris said that with the transceiver, end users can even purchase individual spare parts and keep them on site, eliminating the need to repair the phone at all.

Finally, the transceiver enables the multi-directional signal function in the system topology. Harris said that you can send signals in either direction "at the same price" instead of in a single direction. This makes Aurora's A/V-over-IP system more than just a splitter or matrix, but the basis for video walls, image rotation, multiple windows and seamless switching.

Harris said: "The transceiver solves a lot of problems and simplifies everything." In Aurora, this means that the company itself can focus on having smaller line cards. "We are working hard to make our product catalog as small as possible and make the final single SKU product. That is our goal."

In addition to transceiver products, the company also plans to use what Harris calls IPBaseT to take IP video and audio technology further forward: 

Harris said that there are many great examples of standards that apply to certain applications, but if they are used in the wrong application, they will soon be obsolete.

He said: "There is no'correct' standard, they are the correct standard, whether it is VC-2, JPEG 2000, BlueRiver or other formats of 1Gbps, 10Gbps, 10/100 style standards." "The reality is that we need to use all of them. They, not just one of them."

IPBaseT uses different IP-based A/V technologies and merges them together 

, Integrated into one

surroundings.

The company’s other innovations include reversible USB. The company has developed a circuit that reverses the flow of USB to determine which side the host can be on. According to Harris, the circuit can realize the world’s first support for 10Gig PoE. Peripherals. 

Jason Knott is the chief content officer of Emerald's affiliate brand. Since 1990, Jason has been an editor of low-voltage electronic products, as well as an editor and publisher of Security Sales & Integration. He joined CE Pro in 2000 and served as the editor-in-chief of the brand. He served as the Chairman of the Education Committee of the Security Industry Association from 2000 to 2004, and was a member of the Association's board of directors from 1998 to 2002. He is also a former board member of the Alert Industry Research and Education Foundation. Since 2010, he has been a member of the CEDIA business working group. Jason graduated from the University of Southern California.

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