First introduced at ISE, HDANYWHERE’s new MHUB PRO 2.0 HDBaseT 2.0 complete mega-matrix packages have begun shipping to customers. With features like auto-videodownscaling, 18G i/o, ARC management, DAC audio downmixing, independent audio matrixing and something called ‘SuperPort’, HDA is looking to take things to the next level. New hire, Justin Fothergill, (HDA Brand Director) gives EI the deep dive.
This is a tricky business we’re in, isn’t it? Everyone yelling about how much better their gizwack is compared to the next guy’s, everyone trying to be cutting-edge in order to outsmart, out-PR and outsell, and yet somehow often ending up not delivering what is really needed in the way it is needed. HDA is focused on delivering real-world innovation in products that ultimately upset an established industry by being built well, priced right, reliable, that delivered unique, practical features that integrators and consumers loved and which looked and felt sexy. That’s right – a sexy matrix! Since our X Event in 2016 our new matrixes back then led the charge to revolutionise what a video matrix could and should really be – much more than just a juiced-up dumb switch, that’s for sure!
Fast forward to 2019 and we have been humbled by the incredible global success of our MHUB U and PRO models, as well as our HDA Cloud and award-winning uControl software platforms (which honestly started out as just value-added features and have since become key components in our strength, growth and dominance in many markets). While we introduced significant updates to both our MHUB U and PRO matrixes over the last three years (including features like Remote Management and what is now arguably one of the most robust and flexible API’s available in our product category to date) we were also getting valuable feedback from integrators around the world on the daily challenges they faced and what they would like to see in our products of the future.
We also watched as our market and industry embraced audio streaming and wholehome integration at an increasing rate, we waited for ancillary technologies like ARC and CEC to mature and we observed the evolution of more tech-savvy (but still price-conscious) consumers with higher expectations. All this led us to carefully develop and now finally launch our powerful new HDANYWHERE MHUB PRO 2.0 range and our opening salvo of #NEXTLEVELHDA.
There are two MHUB PRO 2.0 models, an 8×8 with 100m range and a 40m range 4×4, we seek to once again redefine how a premium entertainment experience is delivered to an enduser and simultaneously provide features and functions that could really help an integrator meet as many of the requirements (and surprises!) that come with each project. We took everything that had made our preceding iteration of MHUB PRO so popular (which meant pretty much all of it) and added more bandwidth, more inputs, more tech, more wow – all to help deliver a seamless and enjoyable entertainment experience with as little hardware as possible and regardless of how our matrix is integrated into the project.
With quite a few ‘under-the-hood’ upgrades and even more connectivity, we could easily go on about just how amazing we think we’ve made the two new HDA MHUB PRO 2.0 models, but just like our proprietary operating system (simply called MHUB-OS) we would prefer to keep it simple so let’s just focus on the four main improvements over what was an alreadyimpressive MHUB PRO feature set 18GBPS INPUTS AND OUTPUTS With more content and hardware at 4K/60 (4:4:4), it was imperative that our new matrixes are able to deliver up to 18Gbps content to as many equally capable displays as are connected to the MHUB. Out of the HDMI outputs this is Native and out of the HDBaseT outputs we employ our TPC (Tipping Point Compression) technology to deliver virtually lossless image over long distance connections.
ON-BOARD AUTOMATIC VIDEO DOWNSCALING
A big request from our integrators was the ability to deliver 4K source content to all 4K displays connected to the system but still accommodate any 1080p displays that would otherwise drag the whole system down to that resolution. So we proudly introduce an automatic video downscaler per zone, over both HDMI and/or HDBaseT zone outputs. The downscaling is handled in the MHUB itself and is entirely automatic.
BUILT-IN AUDIO MATRIX Beyond just HDMI audio-passthrough and our popular MHUB PRO analogue and digital stereo downmixing and extraction per zone, HDA MHUB PRO 2.0 also offers four additional discrete stereo, audio-only inputs (two analogue and two digital) to embed to any and/or every zone. Imagine a product like a Sonos Connect streaming your favourite playlist, overlaying the match replay you just want to keep an occasional eye on. Furthermore, both the HDMI and HDBaseT zone outputs for each zone support ARC (Audio Return Channel) from compatible displays, which can then be extracted or rerouted as desired. NETFLIX app off the Smart TV through decent speakers in the room driven by a decent amp in the rack anyone? Yes please!
Add independant gain and delay adjustments per input for even more on-site flexibility! CEC Lastly, adding to the incredible power of the free HDANYWHERE uControl app, we bring CEC control (of displays only) to the already brilliant (and patented) IP-to-IR engine built into our HDA MHUB PRO 2.0 matrixes. While not all displays ‘play well with others’ when it comes to CEC, it adds another level of potential control to integrate into the project for when they do.
This removes the need for an IR emitter attached to that display (which sometimes can mean no more expensive and time-wasting service calls to reattach a wayward emitter on a recently cleaned display, as a prime example). With so much power per zone, we have created what we call the world’s only SuperPort – a zone output with incredible Video, Audio Power and Control capability, from just two sockets! We’re fully focused on delivering #NEXTLEVELHDA experience, product, quality, service and training and we hope you enjoy using our new HDANYWHERE MHUB PRO 2.0 products as much as we have enjoyed bringing them to life! We can’t wait for our new Advanced Expanded I/O drivers to be ready soon, because then you will really experience #NEXTLEVELHDA.