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July 7 , 2005 - Podcast #15 Our email address is hdtvpodcast@mac.com Thank You for staying subscribed!
This weeks show This week we bring you the news (Podcast Only), we'll tell you everything you need to know about HDMI, and finally we review the Belkin RemoteTV. Belkin PureAV RemoteTV
Belkin has just eliminated the need for wiring. The PureAV RemoteTV will transmit TV signals anywhere in your house up to a distance of 350 feet. In our tests we were able to receive the signal anywhere in our homes, garage, and backyard without fail. The transmitter and receiver talk to each other on the 5-GHz band using a proprietary technology. All of our wireless devices worked without any interference from the RemoteTV and the RemoteTV did not pick up any interference from our wireless devices. Setting up the RemoteTV is a snap. You connect the transmitter to your Satellite or Cable Box (you can connect your DVD or VCR player as well). There are connections for Component, S-Video, and Composite. There is no support for digital audio or HDTV at this time. You make the similar connections on the receiving end between the RemoteTV receiver and your display and that’s it! There is no configuration. You just turn the devices on, they find each other and you are good to go. If your tuner does not have multiple video and audio outputs the RemoteTV transmitter supports a pass through mode. With this feature you can connect the tuner to the transmitter and then connect the transmitter to a TV. In this scenario the transmitter must remain on to provide a signal to the connected TV. But how do you control the receiver from another room? Well they thought of this at Belkin. The RemoteTV has a remote control pass though mode. You simply aim your remote at the receiver and all the commands are relayed to the transmitter. There is an IR blaster connected to the transmitter that does all the work at the A/V source. In our tests the remote worked just as if we were in front of the original device. The picture looked great. It looked every bit as good as the original. We were expecting some degradation but we really didn’t see any. Belkin claims to support a data rate of up to 40Mbps, which is plenty to support standard definition television and DVDs. The size of the transmitter and receiver is 8” high by 4.5” wide by 8” deep (20.32cm h X 10.16cm w X 20.32cm d). Having a transmitter and receiver may make it a bit more difficult to cleanly install but it beats ripping up your drywall to run wires. Where would you use this device? When we were finished playing with this device we thought how could we incorporate the RemoteTV into our homes. We came up with three uses (we know there are probably more, this is just how we would use it):
Conclusion: The RemoteTV is the fastest and easiest way to add a TV anywhere in your home! It produces a great picture and does not interfere with any other wireless devices in your home. The Remote Control Extender allows you to control the TV as if you are in front of the original device. The only drawbacks are that if two TVs are connected to the same tuner both will display the same programming. Also, if the pass through mode on the transmitter is used power to the transmitter unit must stay on. The RemoteTV has a MSRP of $499.99 but can be found online for as low as $400. What is HDMI A quote from www.hdmi.org: “HDMI
was developed to meet the explosive demand for high-definition video
and audio. With the release of HD content from broadcasters, studios
and others, traditional ways to connect consumer electronics devices
fall short of delivering the ultimate high-definition viewing and
listening experience. To address this issue, leading consumer
electronics manufacturers gathered to develop a next-generation digital
interface that would meet the requirements for consumer electronics
products today and in the future.
HDMI supports two-way control communication via CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) which is based on the AV Link protocol. AV Link is very common in Europe. This means that it is possible to control multiple components connected together with HDMI with one remote control. Also, the devices will be able to communicate even without a remote control, for example, the TV could, in theory, automatically notify the DVD player that it is a 16:9 aspect ratio display, removing that step from the setup. Check out the HDMI FAQ. HDMI Receivers: Denon AVR 4806, 3 HDMI inputs, 1 output, not fully implemented, no control support Yamaha RX-V4600, 2 HDMI inputs, 1 output, doesn't appear to support control Marantz SR-9600, 2HDMI inputs, 1 output, doesn't appear to support control |
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