Just Add Power

Finally, a home theater matrix distribution solution for HDMI that can easily be "right-sized" to match any whole house requirements (practically any number of HDMI sources distributed to up to 200 displays).  The HDMI over IP Transmitter/Receiver solution is skew free, and can support sending 1080p content up to 330' on a single CAT5, and much farther (1,000') when using cascaded Ethernet LAN switches to distribute the signal.

Any HDMI source can simultaneously be diplayed on any number of display devices (if multiple displays are permitted by the HDMI source) using VLAN isolation on a Managed Ethernet switch. Using the HTTP GUI a PC (wired or wireless) can control what signal is being watched at each location. Sophisticated Home Theater installations can use a programmable console to control the system using RS232 commands. The Managed switch must support IGMP and permit duplicate IP addresses across the VLAN domains.

NOTE: Support for multiple transmitters requires a Managed network switch with VLAN/IGMP support. Standard LAN switches can only support 1 transmitter.

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The response to the CEDIA launch of HDMI over IP has really amazed us, and we are having to work overtime to answer questions and fill orders.  In order to expedite the response to questions, we have put together the following information that answers the most common questions.  We are in the process of posting a FAQ section on the website that will include the following, and much more.  If this Questions & Answers document does not answer your specific question, please ask us again (indicate you have already read this Q&A document) and we will address your specific question as soon as possible.

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Questions & Answers

What are the key benefits of the Just Add Power HDMI over IP Matrix solution compared to other Matrix Switchers?

1)  Scalability - it is simple to right-size the switch for the customers immediate needs, and when they add another TV or HD source to their collection, all they need to purchase is another Transmitter or Receiver.  With traditional Matrix switches you are buying into a fixed form factor that does not typically accommodate upgrading or expansion.

2)  Flexibility - you can put all of your sources in one closet, or you can distribute them throughout the home.  It is truly an anything anywhere to anything anywhere else solution.

3)  More Flexibility - you can mix match different resolution HDTV monitors on the network without having to lower the quality of your HDMI sources.  Other HD Matrix solutions typically require the owner to set the inputs to match the resolution of the least common denominator.  Because the HDMI over IP Receivers have a built in scaler, you can go ahead and set your HDMI sources to their highest resolution supported (1080p, 1080i, 720p, whatever).  This means the customer can enjoy their 1080p content on their main screens, and save some money by installing 720p screens for the kitchen or the kid's bedrooms.

4)  Even More Flexibility - if the customer has some legacy VGA, Component, or DVI sources that they want to continue using, it is simply a matter of using an HDMI converter (i.e. VGA+Sound>HDMI, Component+Sound>HDMI, or DVI+Sound >HDMI) to connect the legacy device into the HDMI over IP Matrix solution.

5)  Affordability - when you compare a legacy HDMI Matrix switch with all of the devices needed to distribute the signal throughout the home, the Just Add Power solution generally comes out as a better bargain.  No to mention the frustration of wondering if the long HDMI cables or the finicky Baluns will work with the necessary cable distances.  The Just Add Power solution can extend an HDMI source much farther than Baluns, and it is always reliable and consistent.

How do I become a Just Add Power dealer and purchase HDMI over IP at a discount?

You can purchase HDMI over IP at dealer pricing from one of our distributors.  In the USA you should contact www.tecnec.com, in the UK you can get dealer discount pricing from http://www.connectivityuk.com/ .  We are in the process of selecting distributors for other regions and will post their information on the www.justaddpower.com website as soon as they are ready to fill orders.

NOTE:  We are currently stocking US 110V, UK 240V, and EURO 220V power supplies.  We have AUS/NZ 220V supplies on backorder.  If your country using something else, please let us know and we will gladly add it to our stockpile.  If you can't wait for us to get your specific power supply, just locate a 5V DC 1200ma adapter with positive tip polarity.

What type of Managed Ethernet Switch do I need?

It has been brought to our attention that some of the companies and individuals we are talking with are more A/V oriented than IT oriented, so they may not be familiar with the requirement for a Managed Ethernet Switch to support the Just Add Power "right-sized" matrix solution.  The Just Add Power HDMI over IP matrix solution requires a Managed Ethernet Switch that supports port based VLAN's (Virtual Lans) and IGMP (a type of multi-casting protocol).  It is best to select a switch that supports the IEEE 802.1Q Version of VLAN.  For our demonstration at CEDIA we were using a 24port 100BT Cisco Catalyst 2960 that was generously provided by my neighbor who works for Cisco.

What is a VLAN?

A VLAN is a virtual LAN that lives on a network switch along with a number of other virtual LAN's.  From the devices perspective, an HDMI over IP Receiver can only see a Transmitter if it is on the same VLAN.  Managed switches can support anywhere from 24 to 4096 VLAN's (varies by make/model).  The number of VLAN's a switch supports determines the maximum number of HDMI over IP Transmitters that can exist on the "right sized" Matrix.  From an HDMI over IP perspective, think of each VLAN as a separate HDMI over IP Channel on the network.  For example, you could have the SkyHD box on one VLAN, a Blu-Ray player on another VLAN, a DVR on another, and so on.  There's practically no limit, as customers will likely run out of HDMI sources to purchase before the switch runs out of available VLAN's.  Each of the Receivers must be installed in it's own port in the Managed Switch.  The owner simply tells the switch to put the desired ports (and the attached HDMI over IP Receiver) into the same VLAN.  The number of Receivers per LAN is currently limited to 200, but we can expand that IP pool if you have a large system that requires support for more than 200 screens.

What is IGMP?

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The response to the CEDIA launch of HDMI over IP has really amazed us, and we are having to work overtime to answer questions and fill orders.  In order to expedite the response to questions, we have put together the following information that answers the most common questions.  We are in the process of posting a FAQ section on the website that will include the following, and much more.  If this Questions & Answers document does not answer your specific question, please ask us again (indicate you have already read this Q&A document) and we will address your specific question as soon as possible.

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Questions & Answers

IGMP stands for Internet Group Management Protocol.  This is the vehicle that allows our IP devices to join an already in progress data stream broadcast.  From an HDMI over IP perspective, this is what allows us to instantly switch an HDMI over IP Receiver between Transmitter "channels".  When you tell a Receiver to change to a different VLAN, it joins the already in progress video instantly - there are no glitches.  If the Receiver is the first/only device to connect to a Transmitter, there is a few seconds delay for the initial HDCP negotiation.  You can read more about IGMP at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Group_Management_Protocol

What is IEEE 802.1Q about?

From an HDMI over IP perspective, selecting an IEEE 802.1Q switch means you can easily expand the system if the customer outgrows their first switch.  When both switches cooperate with IEEE 802.1Q protocol, you can create VLAN's that exist across multiple switches.  Without an IEEE 802.1Q Managed Switch the owner is pretty much stuck with keeping all of their Transmitters and Receivers plugged into a single Managed Switch.  On the other hand, you can find stand alone managed switches with 48 ports.  A 48 port Managed Switch could accommodate every permutation from 1 TX and 47 RX devices to 47 TX and 1 RX device.  We are working with on one project where there will be 10 Satellite Receivers connected to a 48 port Managed switch, and 30 HDTV's.  This is a Sports Bar that is wanting to broadcast the NFL Sunday Ticket which can show up to 10 American Football games at the same time.  With the Just Add Power HDMI over IP solution, they will be able to individual switch any of the 30 screens to any of the 10 games instantly, and there is still room in the switch to add 8 more devices (TX and/or RX) in the future.  For most Home Theater users we expect a 24 port switch will be more than adequate to fill their needs for many years to come.  Keep in mind that they can use this same Managed Switch for all of their home networking needs, as they can put the home Internet traffic and the router to the outside world on it's own VLAN.

How complicated is this to administer?

The answer to this question will vary with the switch selected, and the type of interface the customer is interested in choosing.  For starters, a Managed Switch comes with a built in HTTP Interface.  Any computer on the LAN (wired or wireless) can simply point their browser to the URL for the Managed Switch (typically something like http://10.0.0.1 ) and they will be able to log into the switch and tell it to change the port VLAN assignments.  The process is very fast.  Some switches offer a very friendly HTTP interface, while others are not so acceptable to the whole family.  Fortunately, most Managed Switches have an RS232 port and/or a TELNET interface that can be used to externally control the switch.  This opens the door for home automation systems.  We are on schedule to post an example Crestron driver on the website very soon that uses the Crestron QM-RMC interface and is written for Xpanels.  It is our intention to provide drivers to support as many of the popular home automation systems as possible.  Understand the these drivers will be specific to the make/model of the managed switch, so we will publish a list of Managed Switches that can be supported with these home automation systems.  We are also working on developing a GUI for this application that will work on mobile devices such as BlackBerry and Iphone. 

So, what switch should I buy?

If you are able to write your own RS232 or IP driver to control a managed switch, it is pretty much up to you.  Otherwise we recommend you choose your switch based on the availability of drivers to match your home automation solution.  Each driver will be documented to include the make/model of Managed Ethernet switches they support.  We currently have drivers available to support AMX, Control4, Crestron, M-Control, RTI, and URC solutions.  Most drivers support the Dell and Ciscso switches, and it is usually a simple matter to adjust the driver for other common switches.

Are Managed Switches expensive?

No, they don't have to be very expensive at all.  While we did all of our proof of concept development on a fairly expensive Cisco Catalyst 2960, you can find some very budget friendly compatible devices.  The list of compatible switches includes Dell, HP, Pakedge, and Extreme Networks brand Managed Ethernet Switches..  The only brand of Managed Ethernet switches we have not been able to make work are from Netgear (if somebody does figure out how to make a Netgear switch work, please let us know).

Does the image quality get degraded over the Ethernet LAN?

If you do a side by side comparison of an identical screen connected directly to a 1080p source, and a second screen connected through the network you will detect a minor difference.  We are using a live JPEG2000 CODEC which we've optimized for motion.  Our biggest headache is with Text and large areas of the same color (i.e. a solid black screen will show some artifacts).  However, the vast majority of people who witnessed this solution being demonstrated at CEDIA said the image quality would be more than sufficient for most of their customers.  We've done our best to be up front about not being a "perfect" solution, just a pretty darned good solution that opens up a new market for distributed video.

What about the IR ports I see in the pictures?

We currently send a RETURN IR signal from the Receiver back to the HDMI source.  Several systems integrators have told us we got this backwards.  We also want to make sure that you understand that this is not a full spectrum IR channel.  We will post the specifics on what IR is supported as soon as possible.  We also understand the importance of trying to reverse this channel, or even better, provide bi-directional RS232 support.  The Return IR Control function is best suited for a Point-To-Point application, and is of limited value in a Point-To-Many environment.  For installations in a Many-To-Many environment it is necessary to use a third party home automation solution to provide distributed remote control functionality.

What about the sound quality?

The HDMI over IP solution distributes the the PCM audio (2.0 and Dolby Pro Logic II) in the HDMI DataStream.  We do not distribute the surround sound and lossless audio.  We recommend you connect your Blu-Ray player directly to the main Home Theater AVR to take advantage of the surround sound and lossless audio, and then use an HDMI splitter to distribute the output into the HDMI over IP matrix. 

How long does it take to switch between HDMI sources?

There is a demonstration video available on YouTube that shows us switching between HDMI sources at the CEDIA convention.  The videos are posted at http://www.youtube.com/user/TheSOHOShop#play/all/uploads-all/0/Z0LNaUdWnCA (HD and SD versions available for your viewing pleasure).  In this video you will see that we are able to deliver instant seamless switching between HDMI inputs at multiple resolutions.  The first source in the seamless switching demonstration is a PlayStation 3 Blu-Ray disc that we were running at 1080p60 showing the Mummy movie.  The second source was an Xbox 360 running at 720p playing the new Batman video game.  The 3rd source was a Vudu XL running at 1080p24 showing a one of the Chronicles of Riddick movies.  The 4th source was a Vudu BX100 running at 1080p24 showing The Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe.  The last source was a Sony HD Camcorder running at 1080i30.  Because the Just Add Power HDMI over IP solution uses a SCALER in the receivers, we don't experience the delays in switching caused by the EDID negotiation that is inherent in most other companies offerings.  As far as we know, no other company comes close the speed of the Just Add Power solution.

What about the HDCP Keys?

The Just Add Power HDMI over IP solution is fully HDCP compliant. 

Is there any video lag caused by the HDMI over IP solution?

The Just Add Power HDMI over IP solution has no detectable lag from the live source.  Our test of this was with gaming systems (Xbox and PlayStation 3).  Some very serious gamers tested it thoroughly and were not able to detect any lag, making the system suitable for playing a game anywhere in the home.  When we showed the Xbox on all 9 screens at CEDIA, nobody could tell the difference between the stations attached with a 5' cable and a 200' cable to the Ethernet Switch.

Are there any more Just Add Power HDMI over IP models planned?

We have several additional models planned for the HDMI over IP Family.  It is our goal to develop specific new models to further leverage the value of the Just Add Power solution.

Are there manuals available for HDMI over IP?

Installing the Just Add Power HDMI over IP devices are about as complicated as installing a light bulb.  If you can plug in an HDMI cable and an Ethernet Cable, you have all the knowledge needed to install the Transmitters and Receivers.  However, some users feel better having a manual in hand. You can download the installation manual from this link: 

http://www.justaddpower.com/component/option,com_rokdownloads/Itemid,80/id,78/view,file/

What you are probably wanting is a manual on how to implement the Right Sized Matrix using a Managed Ethernet Switch.  We'll be posting some examples and free drivers on the website very soon.

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