82 Saturday 14.09.13 theibcdaily Now I know why HDMI Opinion
For all its faults, HDMI is still the best means to route signals if used correctly, according to John Pichitino, technology evangelist, Ensemble Designs
While we were developing our newest product, a compact router with HDMI and SDI I/O, I found myself asking ‘Why HDMI?’ With its cable length limitations, consumer grade connector, and intolerance to signal interference, it appeared to me that HDMI would be less than desirable for those wishing to route video signals around a facility. Boy, was I wrong. With the introduction of
cameras with HDMI outputs, facilities are implementing multiple camera set ups in news cars, helicopters, and remote trucks. In addition, they are using an HDMI output from a computer to take internet sites directly to air (of course the computer needs to be capable of a 1920x1080 display). Having a computer output available on a router is a huge
advantage in a newsgathering environment. Viewer-submitted video content can be transmitted, and photos taken of an event from cell phone cameras and other digital devices can be integrated into telecasts without jumping through hoops. The trick however, is to
cleanly switch HDMI sources. Anyone who has tried to route sources with over-the-counter HDMI switchers knows what I’m talking about. Either there is a huge ‘hit’ or glitch, or there are seconds of black as the screen or projector attempts to lock to the new HDMI source. This is where the true magic of a router’s architecture comes into play. On-board frame syncs, or
clean switches, are required for a routing switcher to properly switch HDMI or SDI signals and provide a clean, useable
output. The presence of these clean switches in the hardware’s architecture allows totally asynchronous sources to be routed and switched cleanly. Clean switches can also deal with audio cleanly as well – no pops or sniggles. This is huge. Now HDMI and
SDI signals can be routed between formats hit-free. SDI in to HDMI out – HDMI in to SDI out, HDMI in to HDMI out – it doesn’t matter. With on- board clean switches, the switch is instantaneous and very clean. Think about that for a second. A source’s HDMI output
could feed a projection system, while its SDI output feeds air. Both would have glitch-free switching. This is a near perfect solution for broadcast, OB and events applications. Now I know why HDMI.
8.B91 John Pichitino: ‘This is a near perfect solution for broadcast’
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