Jordan O'BrienJVC’s new 4K e-shift4 projectors officially made their debut at CEDIA Expo 2015, but in order to show off the high-resolution content, the company turned to Metra Home Theater for a reliable HDMI cable.
The projectors added support for full spec 18Gbps HDMI 2.0a with HDCP2.2, which proved challenging for more of the current HDMI cable options that are available to the dealer base.
Without the right connection, it simply was not possible for JVC to take advantage of the full performance that these new projectors offer.
Having partnered with Metra Home’s Ehtereal brand before, JVC decided to once again go back and use one of its HDMI cables to allow it to put on demonstrations – it also recommended the cable for any dealers looking to install the new projectors.
JVC had stringent needs: “A 4K signal is much more demanding in terms of the required bandwidth. This is magnified even more Deutsch the capabilities of the new JVC projectors and the new UHD 4K Blu-ray players,” reports Chris Deutsh, product and training manager for JVC.
“In the past, 10.2 Gbps was adequate for a High Speed HDMI connection. Now signals are being passed that can require the full 18 Gbps. Our new projectors are the only ones in their price class that meet those standards of a full spec 18 Gbps HDMI connection with HDMI 2.0a and HDCP2.2, assuring our projectors are ready for the future of 4K.
“Ultra HD Blu-ray Players can offer 4K resolution, 10 bit video, expanded colour gamut and high dynamic range (HDR), but the technology needs more than the standard HDMI cables can provide. This is magnified even further when runs of over 30ft are required, which is fairly common with home theatre projectors. I called the Metra Home Theater team to help us find a solution that would allow us to support the 4K Ultra HD data.”
Metra Home Theater Group provided JVC with the Ethereal MHY and MHX Series, Velox Cables and the Gigabit HDMI Accelerator (HDM-GA1) to deliver 4K Ultra HD video over longer length cables.
“We were impressed with the HDM-GA1 and how reliably it helped connect the projector to the UHD Blu-ray,” Chris adds. “We tested the HDM-GA1 with multiple systems and it worked flawlessly through each test while solving the problem of supporting 4K ultra HD content on reasonable quality cables with a variety of sources. And the kicker is that the HDM-GA1 can keep 4K HDR resolutions intact up to 50+ feet.”
The Ethereal HDM-GA1 Gigabit Accelerator allows installers to utilise existing in-wall passive HDMI cables up to 15m, or approximately 50ft. The Ethereal MHX-HDME17 can be used for a run of 17m, or approximately 56ft.
Either option upgrades and supports the full 4K/60, 4:4:4 or 4K/60, HDR signal found in many current products, such as the new Ultra HD Blu-ray Players being used by the team at JVC.
“The multi-award winning HDM-GA1 provides integrators with any easy 4K upgrade solution without having to re-wire a system. The compact in-line Gigabit Accelerator has a 2” by 1” aluminum chassis that is powered from an external USB power supply through a USB mini connector, “ notes Jessy Crabb, general manager of Metra Home Theater Group.
“The simple ‘plug and play’ device takes micro-technology and transforms any quality 24-gauge passive cable up to 15m to 4K with full signal integrity. This new innovation gives our dealers a very simple way to upgrade current installations to the latest 4K technology, meeting 4K/60, 4:4:4 HDR standards with existing HDMI cables.”
Metra Home Theater Group’s Ethereal HDM-GA1 has built in DDC Correction Circuitry and repairs EDID real time while working in both directions. With an input sensitivity of -35dB, the HDM-GA1 will also work with passive HDMI cables (existing or new) from 5m to 15m in length.