HDBaseT Shows Off Multimedia Megacable

With help from good old Ethernet, a nascent cable spec called HDBaseT aims to do away with the need for individual set-top boxes in every room.

HDBaseT runs uncompressed video (including 3D), audio, networking, 100 watts of power and a control signal over a single Cat5e Ethernet cable through distances of 100 meters. The spec was finalized in July 2010, and the HDBaseT Alliance has previously demonstrated a single video source running to a single television.

In a demo at CES 2011, the Alliance was feeding multiple sources, including a Playstation 3, Blu-ray player and PC, through a single cable from a nearby converter box.

The idea is to let users store their entire home entertainment set-up in one room -- or a closet -- and distribute video throughout the house with one Ethernet cable per television. So if your kid is playing video games on the living room big screen TV, you can kick him out and he can resume playing on the television in his room.

HDBaseT has a couple big hurdles to deal with before it becomes practical for consumers. First, it needs TV and set-top box makers to get on board. Although many set-tops and TVs have Ethernet jacks already, they lack the necessary chip, made by Alliance member Valens, to translate all the data within the input and output sources. For now, HDBaseT requires expensive and bulky inverters at each end.

There's also the cost of the converter box, which runs between your collection of set-top boxes and video sources. Today, these hulking boxes are meant for professional use and cost thousands of dollars. HDBaseT hopes the price will drop to around $100 within five years.

Even with costs down and native adoption in tech products, HDBaseT must compete with wireless transfer methods, which now include Wi-Di and ActionTec's MyWirelessTV. They won't transfer electric power like HDBaseT, and the media will be compressed, but the convenience of wireless may ultimately win out. Besides, most people don't have Ethernet jacks running into every room.

HDBaseT hopes to see native adoption in consumer tech products within the next year to 18 months.

Check out our complete coverage of CES 2011.

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