My new motto is “Sources are meant to be enjoyed, but not seen”. Since our homes are now being filled with elegant flat screen displays, why on earth would anyone want to clutter a room with bulky equipment furniture to store the sources, DVDs, and speakers? Why not hang the display (Plasma or LCD), recess the speakers, and centralize all of the sources in one location (usually a closet or equipment room)? This would make your ‘significant other’ extremely happy and make your room appear bigger.
Although there are a large number of high definition sources available today, and more coming as outlined in my previous blog post, there are not many methods that support the distribution of high definition video/audio signals. The video distribution solutions offered by structured wiring centers, found in most new homes today, are not suitable for distribution of high definition video. The splitters and amplifiers found these structured wiring centers are OK for the distribution of cable or satellite TV signals, if you plan on installing a set top box in each room, but even then, these products can’t distribute the signal without some signal degradation. If you centralize your set top boxes and redistribute the signals over coax, then you not only lose picture quality, but you also lose the 5.1, 7.1, Dolby or DTS audio signals offered with some of the new programming (broadcasted movies/games).
For large homes, the best method for video distribution has been to use matrix switches and a lot of cabling to each room for multiple signal types. These systems distribute the video using analog methods. This means that the further your video signals have to travel, the more video performance you are sacrificing. In many cases, these systems also require other equipment like converters and scalers to optimize the picture for each type of display, attenuators and a lot of tweaking. And after you have the video working, a control system must be installed to direct the video from each source to its destination(s), whenever the user presses a particular button in the control system. These control systems require a lot of design, programming and the cost of installation and programming can many times exceed the cost of the distribution equipment.
Several manufactures now offer high definition video distribution solutions over CAT 5, and NetStreams is one of these companies, however, not all CAT 5 systems are created equal. Performance should be compared by your professional integrator. Our Panorama video system is designed to distribute high definition video from sources to multiple rooms, and does a great job at that. Until recently, this is what I used in my home for video distribution and control and my family and I were very pleased with the quality. We married Panorama (video distribution) with DigiLinX, which we use for audio distribution and control, and the experience was seamless. Although we distributed the video over Panorama and the audio and control over our home network, we had no delay or lip-syncing issues between the audio and video. We simply would select any source from any room, and we could count on solid performance and the highest in picture quality, every time. If your home does not require any runs that are longer than 1,000 ft. from the head-end to the room, than NetStreams’ Panorama video distribution will meet your high definition distribution needs.
In addition to distributing video, Panorama saved us a significant amount of money by also handling the control of the video sources and displays around our home. This eliminated the need for additional runs of cable to control (IP, IR, and/or RS-232) the displays and sources, and a lot of programming to control what signals go where and when.
Panorama simply requires one CAT 5 from the head-end (where your sources are located) to each room. This CAT 5 then plugs into a Video Port, which fits into a one-gang electrical box behind your display. Your display then plugs into Panorama’s Video Port; Composite, S-Video (better), or Component (best). Panorama allows you to switch between four video sources. If you marry Panorama to DigiLinX, you can distribute up to 8 sources to each room, if you double up on the Video Ports. Two video ports will fit in one two-gang box, and a standard 2-gang Décora plate.
Recently, I upgraded our video distribution system to NetStreams’ DigiLinX IP video products. Honestly, if you are on a tight budget for the electronics in your home and you don’t have any runs that are over 1,000 ft, our Panorama system will offer you everything you could want in a high definition video distribution system. But, if you have the discretionary budget and want to have the *best commercial grade video distribution system available today, then DigiLinX IP video is for you. I try not to turn my blog posts into commercials, but our DigiLinX IP Video products have received so much recognition over the last 12 months, that it is worth mentioning it here. I will post these at the end, in case you are interested.
Although most people may not see a video image difference between Panorama and DigiLinX IP video, there is a difference and it does offer some very nice control and audio options. The biggest benefits of owning an IP-Based video distribution are yet to come. For NetStreams, its IP Video products is a platform, which it will build a lot of applications for and offer as upgrades. On my wish list (but not committed by NS yet) are: live thumbnails of all of my streaming sources, a custom guide where I can mix channels from any source (i.e. Chan. 1 = My Picasa channel to display my family photos from the Internet, Chan 2 = My uTube channel; another Internet channel, Chan 3 = CNN from Satellite, Chan 4 = HBO from my cable box, Chan 5 is my Blu-ray player, etc…), and an onscreen control panel to view my security camera and control my lighting, HVAC, and more.
A common mistake that most people make is to assume that CAT 5 makes it an IP system. That is simply not the case with most CAT 5 systems today. In fact, most are merely using CAT 5 cable for line-driving analog video signals from point to point. To capture the full benefits of streaming sources, IPTV, and the new networked source arriving, if you can, you will want to have IP Video.
DigiLinX IP Video is comprised of a source encoder (MediaLinX A/V) and a decoder (ViewLinX) for each display. Each source and display are given their own IP address, and the home network not acts like a matrix switch, allowing any source to be viewed on any one or more displays, at anytime. DigiLinX IP video products will accept Composite, S-Video, Component, or VGA (1280 x 768). It will even transcode video signals in real time (i.e. convert VGA from a computer to Component for viewing on a Component display).In my next Blog, I will talk about the many exciting video sources available today, including some of the ones that I am currently enjoying: Blu-ray DVD, Vudu, Apple TV, HTPC (Home Theater PC), and multi-room DVR from my DirecTV.
*NetStreams DigiLinX IP Video Solution:
In June of 2007, commercial integrators voted DigiLinX IP Video as ‘Product of the Year’ at InfoComm 2007 – the industry’s leading audio/video and now networking tradeshow.
Audioholics.com named DigiLinX as its 2007 Consumer Excellence Award winner.
Electronic House Magazine honors NetStreams with 2007 Products of the Year Award
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA®) selected DigiLinX as a 2008 CES Innovations Design and Engineering Award winner.
DigiLinX IP Video products also won a Perfect Vision's Editor's Choice Award in the Emerging Technology category. Named as the “Most Forward-Looking Multi-room Video System”.
Robb Report Home Entertainment Magazine awarded NetStreams DigiLinX a “Top 10 Best Gear Award for 2008” The magazine’s editors who evaluate several hundred products, called DigiLinX the “world’s most advanced entertainment system,” and highlighted the unique benefits of NetStreams’ DigiLinX Multi-Room IP-Based A/V solution, including superior audio/video quality, modularity, easy expandability, and future compatibility of the IP-Based A/V solution.
Most recently, CEA’s TechHome division honored NetStreams with two ‘Mark of Excellence’ awards: ‘Best Distributed Audio/Video Product’ and ‘IP-Based Product’.
Herman Cardenas
If my blog has been helpful to you in any way, or if you have any comments or questions, please drop me a note. I would love to hear from you: hermansblog@netstreams.com
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