TECHNOLOGY: SHOWCASE {}


Asheridge’s echoBox speeds internet data around the home


In modern homes there are devices with online capabilities everywhere you look: smart TVs, satellite receivers, DVRs, online movie streaming devices and games consoles. Increasingly our homes depend on an internet connection for entertainment as well as for staying in touch with the world. Unfortunately the rapid increases in the speed of delivery of the internet to the home in recent years have not been matched by the speed by which data can be transferred within the home. WiFi boxes are still unable to adequately carry HD video signals, with congested bandwidth often causing signal or picture degradation. The echoBox from Asheridge Communications has been developed in an attempt to solve commonly encountered slow data transfer speeds. It works off a home’s existing coax cable network


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to deliver signal connections to multiple locations. The box-shaped device plugs into the internet hub via Ethernet and then into the coax aerial network. Any coax socket located in the building can then become an internet gateway simply by connecting a secondary echoBox to it, and then running an Ethernet cable to the endpoint device –which can power the echoBox via its USB port. Asheridge is specifically targeting this adaptive unit to HD video streaming devices such as Apple TV, satellite and cable set-top boxes and receivers. Its custom-designed chipset enables it to send multiple streams of HD video around the home at any one time. When installing the system, the user doesn’t have to tamper with the existing coax system: no alteration is necessary and the units offer auto set-up, with no configuration buttons and no router settings to adjust. Data speeds of up to 136Mb/s can be achieved from the echoBox, with a network maximum of up to 16 boxes in one home. Each unit consumes 10W during operation and can be wall mounted. www.ashcomms.com


TLS sends signals 25m – or 100m with amplification


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TLS’s fire-retardant HDMI/DVI cable allows Full HD signals – including data, clock and audio – to be transferred over 25m without amplification. In addition, HDCP copy protection as well as CEC and AV.link remote control signals are transferred over the cable. For transmission distances of up to 100m, the company offers the TLS DVI-I SignalManager. This is an active signal amplifier that supports digital signals up to a resolution of 1920 x 1200 at 60Hz, as well as analogue signals (500MHz, -3dB), and features a video bandwidth of 1.65Gbps. In addition the amplifier also supports DDC and HDCP. It is connected close to an output device to produce the


www.installation-international.com


optimal image quality when used in conjunction with the TLS DVI cable. The DVI-I SignalManager also has a connection for TLS’s GlobalControl IP room control system. This can be powered from a graphics card, the GlobalControl Interface or an external power supply. TLS claims that amplifying the signal is a superior choice in comparison to converting or compressing it, which will degrade the quality of the original signal. An additional benefit of TLS’s


system is that installers have the option of customisable cable lengths, so they arrive on site with the exact length of cable that they need. www.tls-gmbh.de


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After releasing the original opticalCON fibre connection system in 2005, entertainment industry cable specialist Neutrik unveiled its successor, the opticalCON ADVANCED, at this year’s Prolight + Sound. Thanks to its ruggedness and low maintenance requirements, the original opticalCON cable became widely accepted in the pro audio and broadcast industries. The new opticalCON ADVANCED is the result of customer feedback and company findings. The upgraded version makes the opticalCON fibre connection system more robust by adding a lockable and waterproofed metal cap, as well as the option of rubber guards, which make the cable especially useful for outdoor applications. The ADVANCED cable drum comes with optimised cable drum management and maintenance covers for the female connectors. Elsewhere the ergonomically designed kinking boot improves cable protection and water resistance in long-term use, while colour-coding options allow customised coding.


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Neutrik advances the opticalCON range For improved


robustness and resistance, Neutrik supplies the opticalCON Armored cable. This allows the system to become more robust and resistant to ‘extraordinary’ strains, says Neutrik. Yet, despite this level of protection, the cable remains highly flexible and easy to handle. The pulling sock, which is available in single and split versions, simplifies installation with a pulling force of 100kg. The ADVANCED pulling solution also offers optimal protection for cable connectors in harsh environment. www.neutrik.com


VDC Trading unleashes Van Damme purple cable


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so is not intended to replace the multiple methods of transferring higher sample-rate digital audio signals through MADI (copper or fibre) or via a traditional network infrastructure (Dante) – it is instead intended to augment them.


Its 22AWG conductors,


precision-foamed polyethylene insulation and low capacitance also make it suitable for common data protocols such as RS422, RS485 and DMX512, as


The Van Damme Super Purple Series Cable (available from VDC Trading) continues the company’s 25-year commitment to providing professional cable solutions for analogue and audio applications in the installation market. The cable is a development of the Super Green Series, and offers a low-smoke and zero-halogen alternative to its well-established green predecessor. The cable is available in single-pair,


four-pair and eight-pair multicore versions. It is can transmit 96kHz AES/EBU digital audio over 150m without active equalisation. The system is also suitable for long analogue audio runs and any critical balanced data signal that requires low capacitance. VDC Trading says the Van Damme Super Purple Series is a true general- purpose tie line for an installation and


well as analogue audio. In addition the Purple Series is a


good futureproofing choice because the cables provide for analogue and digital audio, control and even DMX. Using one cable to cover these protocols means fewer cable types to pull and terminate, and consequently reduced infrastructure and installation costs.


The construction of the multicores


– foil-screened pairs with clear polyester overwrap – keeps the overall diameter to a minimum for ease of installation, while colour- coded pairs simplify channel identification when terminating. The Low Smoke Zero Halogen insulation uses the thermoplastic polymer SHF1 which is compliant with IEC 60092 part 359, making this cable range suitable for the marine market. www.vdctrading.com


November 2012 49


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