Gefen ships pricey HDMI v1.3 Fiber Extender

As if Gefen didn't have enough solutions for extending your HDMI signals, along comes yet another that's more expensive and more sophisticated than any of the others. The all new HDMI v1.3 Fiber Extender enables users to pass along HDMI 1.3 signals up to 330 meters (around 1,000 feet) without even a hint of signal delay or electromagnetic interference disturbances such as cut-outs and pixilation. The secret? Rather than using Ethernet or copper wiring, this box transmits the content over a single fiber optic cable, utilizing six lasers to serialize the HDMI 1.3 signal and pass along 1080p high-def video and audio to displays far, far away. 'Tis a shame this helpful little bugger is priced at $1,499 -- kind of puts it out of reach for the vast majority of those that could use it. Full release is after the break.

CHATSWORTH, CA - Gefen's new HDMI v1.3 Fiber Extender supplies an innovative and efficient new technology so you can extend your HDMI v1.3 display up to 330 meters (about 1000-feet) in distance. The system uses six lasers to serialize the HDMI v1.3 signal, delivering 1080p full HD with TMDS and HDCP compliance for today's most dependable signal transmission.

"This is the ideal solution for distributing HDTV throughout large venues," said Hagai Gefen, president and CEO of Gefen Inc. "It works with all HDMI formats and uses small sender and receiver units at local and remote destinations, connected by just one fiber optics cable that sends HDTV with zero delay."

The use of just one cable to deliver deep color, high definition visuals with multi-channel digital audio supporting Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio allows integrators to streamline their installations and cut costs associated with multiple cable runs.

This sender/receiver system simplifies installations when paired with Gefen's pre-terminated fiber cables available in various lengths. These cables bend easily and can be disguised to blend in with decor for added convenience.

The Gefen HDMI v1.3 Fiber Extender works with Blu-ray players, gaming consoles and set-top boxes, and is compatible with all HDMI v1.3 displays and projectors. An IR back channel can be sent over CAT-5 cable, providing an efficient method of local control. An RS-232 port is also provided.

The Gefen HDMI v1.3 Fiber Extender comes with Gefen's standard, two-year warranty.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 4th 2009 9:35AM]

"kind of puts it out of reach for the vast majority of those that could use it."

Are you kidding? What kind of a/v user needs to extend HDMI over 500 feet AND have fiber optic run in their house AND can't afford a $1500 solution? The only houses I know being prewired with fiber are the mansions outside of my neighborhood. For the rest of us, CAT5e will work just fine until the pricing comes down on fiber.

[Chaos744 Posted Mar 4th 2009 10:04AM]

I hope this is the next company to suffer from the recession and fails. That box cost MORE than a decent majority of HDTVs.

Mike - pretty dope that you live near mansions.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 4th 2009 12:23PM]

I really dont understand how people think these solutions are expensive! Yes it costs more than some TVs, and no, this product is not for everyone. However, if you have a cheaper solution for running UNCOMPRESSED 1080p and 7.1 channel BITSTREAMED LOSSLESS audio over 80 feet or more, let me know!

The brand new Cat6 baluns from Gefen will work up to 70ft with HDMI 1.3. If you go over that, you have to drop down to HDMI 1.2 support, you also lose bitstream audio capability and support for mult-channel drops from 7.1 to 5.1. While the Cat6 extenders are only $599 retail compared to $1500 for the fiber solution (plus fiber optic cables!), in many situations where the customer wants or needs to maintain full functionality, this is the ONLY solution.

Mike is correct in his assesment, the person who needs this product is not going to shy away from the price tag. This will be used in high end projector setups as well as for HDMI video distribution throughout the home. If a person can afford the costs involved with video distribution, and extra $1500 per TV is not going to be an issue.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 11th 2009 5:39PM]

LINDY (www.lindy.com) just displayed a similar product at the CeBit show (Germany) last week. The product has similar distance capabilities and feature set, but they do it all over a single SC-SC fiber cable. No extra Cat 5 cable is needed (like Gefen's product). Their street price is expected to be closer to $1000 per unit. For installers, it makes life a little easier not having to run the extra cable.