Information before Connecting Your Device with HDMI Switch and HDMI Cable

There’s a lot of money to be made in the HDMI switch and cabling after market and unfortunately that means a lot of consumers are getting tricked in to paying outrageous prices. I’ve spent quite a bit of time helping my friends set up their home theaters recently and I thought I’d share that knowledge with my readers. If you’re tired of paying high hundreds of dollars for HDMI switcher and HDMI cables, read on.

What is HDMI?

HDMI is a high speed digital interface for the transmission of high quality digital audio and digital video. So if you plug your DVD player, your PlayStation 3, your satellite or cable TV box, or even your computer up to a modern HDTV with a single HDMI cable, then the sound and picture will all work. The HDMI plug only has a single small connector so it’s nice and simple. Before HDMI, you had to hook up three separate connectors for just the video and two additional RCA plugs for stereo sound. Instead of the two RCA plugs, you could also use an S/PDIF optical cable for the sound but it still adds a lot of cable complexity and clutter compared to a single HDMI cable.

Why are there different HDMI types?

There are 4 basic versions of HDMI these are 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 versions. The easy answer is the higher the number, the better. If you’re shopping now, try to stick with the HDMI devices if you can.

Do I need monster HDMI cables?

No, HDMI monster cables are simply a monster rip-off. If a cable is HDMI certified, it will by definition offer you a perfect digital signal. Despite the fact that the electrical signals traversing an HDMI cable degrade as a cable gets longer, it will still offer perfect digital transmission so long as the signal loss or distortion is within a certain tolerance. Analog cables might benefit from extra thickness and insulation because there’s not much you can do to fix analog signal loss or distortion other than to amplify and maybe filter the signal a little to mitigate the bad side effects. But when it comes to digital technology, the signal is either all there or it isn’t. There is zero measurable difference in the digital signal quality between the $6 HDMI cable and the $60 monster HDMI cable.

Choose Right IP KVM Switch for Your Business

With today's advances in I.T. infrastructure technology it is now possible for many businesses running multiple computers on a network to operate globally, regardless of the company size. What used to be a big challenge for network administrators to control a network of many computers at a remote facility is now easy with the help of the IP KVM switch. These great devices allow the managing of several computers from just about location in the world, which is very convenient for I.T. staff.

An IP KVM switch makes it possible to lose the limitations brought by long distances, and as such makes it possible to manage computer systems locally or remotely using TCP/IP protocols. Off-site servers and other computers can be remotely accessed and controlled from a console connected to the KVM switch, or over the internet or LAN via a web browser.

The majority of IP KVM switches is platform independent and therefore will work with virtually all operating systems and network devices. There are models available in a choice of 2 through to 128 ports, which means that you can connect to a very large amount of servers remotely. Switching between computer servers can be accessed via buttons on the KVM switches or via menus or hot keys.

Should you be looking for KVM over IP equipment there are a few key functions you may wish to look out for before committing to a purchase. Think about what is most important for you or your IT staff. Investigate if the switch is flexible and secure enough to meet your requirements, and check if it gives you the excellent performance you desire. Here is a list of some of the main features to consider:

1. Do you need to be able to automatically detect video resolution for a high quality display?

2. Do you need integrated microprocessor emulation for individual port booting?

3. Do you need a KVM with a built-in BIOS level access for administration?

4. Will you need built-in plug and play technology that will not require software installation on servers and remote PCs?

5. Some models include an automatic scanning ability that constantly checks servers at intervals between 5 and 99 seconds. Is this something you would need?

6. Do you need a multilingual interface that lets users choose a preferred language?

7. Do you need an IP KVM switch that can support the performance benefits of Cat 5 or Cat 6 cables instead of the older standard cables?

These are just a few questions you can ask yourself when on the lookout for an IP KVM switch. Hopefully, if you take these ideas into consideration you will produce a short list of suitable switch that meets your requirements much quicker.

SmartVM Extenders- Revolutionizing the world of DVI, HDMI and USB extension

SmartVM introduces affordable and good quality extenders which relay audio along with HDMI signals over long distance & overcome limitations imposed by DVI and USB cables.

Cleveland, (Ohio) September 9th, 2010: At SmartVM amongst the many extenders that are available the vastly popular ones are HDMI Extender, USB Extender & DVI Extender. The HDMI Extender, which is the latest in the category of extenders offered by SmartVM, has overcome the distance limitation imposed by HDMI cables. By relaying signals over fiber optic cables, this hardware device makes it possible for a user to connect and operate a host computer and display devices with HDMI over a distance ranging from 164 feet to 330 feet. It also eliminates the need for bulky cables thereby saving space and eliminating clutter. Consisting of a transmitter and a receiver, this device has the capacity to relay uncompressed digital and audio streams at high resolutions. Equipped with the ability to deliver crisp and clear images with a single link PC resolution of 1600×1200 and 1920×1200 along with HDTV resolution up to 1080p at 60 Hz and it seems as though each display device is directly connected to the source even though this may not be the case.

Now, with the help of the USB Extender available at SmartVM, extending your USB devices more than 5 feet is no longer a dream. By using this device, one can extend the distance between the host computer and the USB peripherals beyond this barrier. The distance of extension depends on the kind of extender which is being used. There are three categories of extenders which vary with each other in the type of cables/technology used for connection. While the first category uses Cat5 cables, the second one secures connections through fiber optic cables. The latest category is the wireless USB extender which works on Icron’s patented Extreme USB technology.

While previous standards such as Video Graphics Array (VGA) were designed exclusively for CRT-based devices, the DVI (Digital Video Interface) is designed by the Digital Display Working Group (DDWG) and aims at maximizing the picture quality of digital display devices such as digital projectors and LCD screens. The DVI Extender by SmartVM is crafted for transporting uncompressed digital video information over large distances to a display screen. Using CAT5 cables to secure connections between the host computer and the display device, this extender supports high resolutions up to 1920×1200. Consisting of a local transmitter placed next to the source and a remote receiver placed at the display end, these extenders are partly compatible with the High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) standard in digital mode (DVI-D), and VGA in analog mode (DVI-A). These extenders are available with short or long range receivers with the short range extending up to 25 meters (75ft) and the long range up to 100meters (300ft) away from your DVI source.

About SmartVM:

SmartVM has carved a niche for itself in the global market for extenders by providing high quality extenders with the best possible features at affordable prices. Along with quality, SmartVM offers low-cost, high-performance products. Known for their innovative products, they ensure that they constantly work to provide new and updated technology products.

SmartVM
23900 Mercantile Road
Cleveland, OH 44122
Tel: (216) 765-1122 x 8311
Fax: (216) 765-0548
URL: http://www.smartvm.com/