Sep 30 Podcast #498: Accell UltraCat HD
Up until now the longest HDMI cable run the HT Guys were able to successfully transmit video across was 50 feet. Those cables were pretty thick and hard to snake through walls and attics. We've tried longer cables but had no luck beyond 50 feet. Thanks to Accell there is a product that will allow you to extend your HDMI up to about 330 feet. The UltraCat HD HDMI extender uses HDBaseT technology to send video over Cat5e/6 Ethernet cables. You can even send IR signals over the same cable. The device has an MSRP of $500 and is available today.
Listen to the show
Today's Show:
Blu-ray Reviews:
News:
- Dish Unveils Blockbuster Movie Pass
- Vudu TV Show Catalog Tops 10,500 Titles
- DirecTV CEO Says $30 Price for Premium Films Is ‘Too High’
- Netflix Secures Streaming Deal With DreamWorks
Accell UltraCat HD
Up until now the longest HDMI cable run the HT Guys were able to successfully transmit video across was 50 feet. Those cables were pretty thick and hard to snake through walls and attics. We've tried longer cables but had no luck beyond 50 feet. Thanks to Accell there is a product that will allow you to extend your HDMI up to about 330 feet. The UltraCat HD HDMI extender uses HDBaseT technology to send video over Cat5e/6 Ethernet cables. You can even send IR signals over the same cable. The device has an MSRP of $500 and is available today.
Features:
- Supports the latest HDMI video formats including 1080p/60Hz@48 bits, 3D & 4K
- Fully HDCP Compliant
- HDMI v1.4 compatible and 3D video supported
- DTS-HD and Dolby True HD Supported
- Uses a single Ethernet cable
Setup
Setup was as simple as 1,2,3. First you connect the source HDMI output to the HDMI input port on the transmitter. The connect the Cat5e/6 Ethernet cable to the UTP out port on the transmitter and to the UTP in port on the receiver. Finally, connect the display device to the receiver's HDMI output port. You also need to connect the transmitter and receiver to power. OK, so its as simple as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
More than likely you will need to attach the device to the ceiling on the receiver side and Accell has you covered. Both units have built in mounting ears for easy installation. If your equipment is located in a basement or an equipment rack without line of sight the UltraCat HD can send your IR signals down the same cable. For that you need to install the supplied IR TX/RX cables into the IR ports on the transmitter and receiver and then attach the emitter cables to the IR receiver on the source and display device with the included adhesive tabs. OK the install is a bit more than 1,2,3 but not by much.
Performance
Although the device can transmit data 330 feet we weren't able to verify it because we didn't have a cable that long. We did have a 100 foot cable which is twice a far as the longest run we have been able to achieve with an HDMI cable. The UltraCat transmit the data with no loss in quality from our Satellite Box. When the UltaCat receiver was connected to our AVR the 5.1 audio track came through loud and clear. The last test was to take a 1080p video signal with a Dolby TrueHD audio track from our Blu-ray player to our AVR. Again the UltraCat had no issues whatsoever.
The IR emitter worked without issues as well. We were only able to connect the receiver to one device with the included cables. If you want to control more than one device will need multiple emitters and we were not able to verify whether that works. However, if all you are doing is running a cable from the output of a switching receiver to the input of your projector you won't need to worry about the IR signals anyway.
Conclusion
The UltraCat HDMI extender performed flawlessly in all our tests. With this device we were able to transmit an HDMI signal twice as far as the longest cable we have previously used. The only issue we had with it was the price. At $500 its a bit on the pricey side but it may be the only way you have available to get an extra long run HDMI signal to your TV or projector.
Reader Comments (4)
Great show like always guys! The movie theater's first two weeks when a movie comes out 100% of ticket sales does not go to the theater. The third week they get 20% of sales forth week they get 40% fifth week they get 60% and sixth week they get 100%. At least long time ago that's how it was I don't know if they have changed that or not. This is why movie theater food and drinks cost so much is because the first two weeks a movie is out they do not make any money on it. All the money they make comes from concessions stands. I use to not buy food and drinks at the movies but once I learned this I stopped sneaking in food and drinks and started buying a few things here and there at the movies. Just to support my local movie theater.
I've had good luck with svideo products for HDMI, composite, and stereo. Here are HDMI extenders that are less than $500: http://www.svideo.com/hdmicat5.html
For Don with the TiVo to go issue... You can transfer the videos off from TiVo HD with the Desktop software, which you are probably doing to get it to your ipad/apple TV, they are mpeg2 (i believe) but are encrypted. you need to use kmttg to decrypt the files. it works great and you can queue them up and do all the ones you already transferred. Then try it on the apple tv as is... if not handbrake will convert it.
To decrypt Tivo files and transcode them into iPad/Apple TV compatible format, use KMTTG like MarkG mentioned above. It's Java based so it's OS agnostic. Tivo files are mpg files in a proprietary container. KMTTG decrypts them into mpg files. You can then choose mencoder, ffmpeg, handbrake, or other to encode them... all came with this KMTTG tool. Did I mention that it's free? You even have the options to remove commercials and create closed caption files, according to the website. It's worth a try!
http://code.google.com/p/kmttg/