Hardware: HDMI to ethernet cable and back again

There are recent and affordable devices- most sell as a transmit-receive pair- which take HDMI A/V signal out of your Mac or say, your Intensity Pro PCI card, allow you to run it through these adapters to inexpensive Cat 6 cable which goes around the room to your big screen TV where the cable plugs into back into an HDMI receiver adapter and from that into your display.

IPTV is supposed to be the new trend-- any editor here employed this concept yet? Because I can't jam a thick HDMI cable running 35' into that wall gap running around my little digihovel, but ethernet cable would fit perfectly.

Then I can watch my work in progress on a big screen, check color on a decent consumer flat, etc.

Some info I've read says you need two such cable runs, but why? It's a one-way transmission, right?

Best, as always.
Loren S. Miller

I get to reply to myself:

HDMI over IP is a reality, and affordable.

I took the plunge, purchased a transmitter and receiver system - these range from US $40-100. Picked up a GoFanco pair at US$53.00 on Amazon, well built, with flanges which allow easy tape-up to the back of the computer and display. The transmitter also loops the HDMI signal to a “local” display as well as a distant unit over IP.

The only other requirements are cables. For the “IP” portion I purchased a Cat 6 (or 6a) ethernet patch cable with standard RJ-45 plugs. I selected a 35’ flat cable I can hide along the wall to span my living room-office area: US$10.00. Don’t crimp it! Purchased two 1.5 foot HDMI cables to connect the boxes to the computer and display, US$7.50 each, local shop.

The transmitter connects to your computer’s HDMI out port, in my case including a Blackmagic Intensity Pro 4K PCI card on my now aging 8-core tower. You could also pick up an HDMI adapter to convert a second-display out from, say, a Radeon 5770 GPU card.

The receiver plugs into an available HDMI port on your TV. The IP cable plugs into each box and creates the bridge, pretending to be HDMI cable! Power them up via supplied adapters, boot your computer, power up your remote consumer flatscreen and play material fullscreen from an FCP7 (and probably FCPX), Avid, or Premiere Pro CC timeline, at full quality.

Set up and testing was barely half an hour.

A simple home example. This can be scaled with repeater switch boxes and such, to distribute signal to many displays. The limits to cable runs are around 150 feet. Some users employ them to avoid second cable-line fees.

No more gargantuan runs of HDMI cable requiring repeater boxes! A great rainy (or humid) Saturday project.

Happy viewing, keep cutting!
Loren

That's great - I think I'll try that for the big viewing screen I plan in my editing room. Very helpful!

--
macpro 2x3 ghz dual core intel, 10.6.8, FCS 2

Stefan-

Let me know how thats for you.

Best, as always.
Loren