Introduction Home
theater enthusiasts are now most certainly in a digital world, both
audio and very recently video. It is becoming increasingly important to
be able to add new components and switch seamlessly between a wide
variety of digital sources. These now include DVI (digital visual
interface) and HDMI (high-definition media interface) as an interface,
providing a one-cable digital solution for both picture and sound, as
opposed to the multiplicity of analog cables required to watch HDTV,
such as RGBHV or YPrPb.
Unfortunately, because of a continuing desire by the
motion picture and television industries to control the dissemination
of their intellectual property (the movie, television show or video
game itself), we now are all subject to varying degrees of digital
connection irritation brought about by the inclusion of HDCP
(high-definition copy protection). This copy management system inhibits
the ability of any digital recorder (such as a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD disc
recorder) to legally or illegally make copies of copyrighted material.
As a music and film producer, I understand and appreciate the issue of
offering up a CD or DVD product, which may have taken many years and
many millions of dollars to create, only to see bits and pieces of it
for sale over the Internet without any permission and without
compensation for any effort required to create something worth stealing.
At
the same time, I also believe that everyone has a right to enjoy
copyrighted material easily and view or copy any software that they own
or rent for the sole purpose of their continued enjoyment (with family
and, I suppose, friends and acquaintances). In any case, if I spend
money on a software product, I think it should be possible to watch,
listen to, copy and/or manipulate that purchased software in any way I
desire, so long as it does not violate copyright and generate a profit
for someone other than the owner of the original work. This includes
time-shifting, a concept that still remains a debatable security.
Notwithstanding this HDCP copyrights use issue, an HDMI switcher
is of the greatest importance to the home theater owner with a digital
display, and these devices must switch quickly and effectively between
sources to be desirable. It seems that many new A/V sources have HDMI
and/or DVI outputs, but most surround receivers and even new
televisions like the Sony 40XBR1 Bravia LCD HDTV (review coming soon to
AVRev.com) only feature a single HDMI input. On very high-end equipment
like Sony’s $30,000 Qualia 004 projector, there are only two digital
inputs available. It is very reasonable to suggest people buying HDTVs
today may be currently using HDMI sources such as HD-DVRs and HD
Satellite Receivers/Cable Boxes. It is also reasonable to suggest that
they will in the next few months be adding sources such as Blu-ray,
HD-DVD and Playstation 3. With only one or two inputs and today’s
lower-priced receivers not 100 percent reliable for HDMI switching,
what are you to do?
Thankfully,
along comes the $549 HDS-41R from PureLink. This four HDMI input to one
HDMI output switcher is compatible with both DVI sources and HDCP
encryption. This new unit is small, 13 inches (W) x 1.5 inches (H) x 4
inches (D), black, sleek and has an input cycling selection button on
the front panel, which I found very helpful, in addition to the
included miniature remote control.
Equally
as interesting is the $949 PureLink Modular OBC-010 DVI Optical
Transmission System with a 33-foot fiber optic cable (with an
industry-leading maximum possible length of 330 feet with the OBC-100
at an MSRP of $1,649). This system features a pair of optical modules
that extend the usable transmission distance for DVI signals well
beyond the 15-foot length restriction imposed by conventional copper
wire. PureLink's OBC system is HDCP-compliant, so such sources can be
used over the very long distances found in many newer home theaters,
where the video projector or display can be many meters or more away
from the source and/or switching equipment. This can also be the case
in a house-wide system, where video sources are frequently placed in a
single central control room some distance from the displays they feed.
Finally, for those worried about integrating digital sources into a
home theater that features only displays that have an analog HDTV
input, the DC-DA1 ($349 MSRP) converts an unprotected and unencrypted
DVI input to analog VGA available on a D-Sub 15 connector. I found that
HDCP-compliant sources, such as satellite receivers, cable DVRs,
Blu-Ray and HD-DVD players could be seen on various analog monitors,
such as my Sony 40XBR700, which only has analog 1080i inputs, or
various HDTV-capable CRT projectors like the Runco DTV 1201 nine-inch
front projector.
Home
theater enthusiasts are now most certainly in a digital world, both
audio and very recently video. It is becoming increasingly important to
be able to add new components and switch seamlessly between a wide
variety of digital sources. These now include DVI (digital visual
interface) and HDMI (high-definition media interface) as an interface,
providing a one-cable digital solution for both picture and sound, as
opposed to the multiplicity of analog cables required to watch HDTV,
such as RGBHV or YPrPb.
