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IN THIS ISSUE

Product Deals ...............................

What's New? ................................

Looking Ahead .............................

Technology Connection ..................

Welcome to our newly redesigned

newsletter - the Digital Connector.

At DVIGear, we are committed to

providing you the most innovative

and cost effective solutions for all

your digital connectivity and distri-

bution needs.

Our mission doesn't stop with great

products and excellent service,

our in-house team has decades of

experience with display technolo-

gies and audiovisual system design.

So whether you've got a quick

question on how to hook-up a new

display component, or need help in

configuring a sophisticated design,

count on DVIGear as your source for

expert solutions.

To better serve our customers, we

have expanded our educational fo-

cus starting with this issue and have

also included useful information on

our new and future products. In

the future, we will also include rel-

evant news and industry trends that

will help keep you abreast of the

technologies that are shaping our

industry. We hope that you will find

our newsletter to be a useful and

informative tool.

DVIGear made its

US tradeshow debut

at the CEDIA EXPO

which took place

September 10-12 in

Indianapolis. The

CEDIA (Custom

Electronic Design & Installation As-

sociation) tradeshow had over 24,000

attendees, many of whom found their

way to the DVIGear booth. At the

show, DVIGear demonstrated its vast

array of wall plates including their in-

dustry-first DVI wall plates. In addi-

tion, a wide range of new connectivity

products including cables, adapters

and converters were on display.

Clearly evident at the show was

the increasingly large number of AV

products, both receivers and displays,

which include HDMI inputs and out-

puts. This trend is further evidence

of the expanding acceptance of digital

connectivity and marks the beginning

of widespread adoption of the HDMI

standard in the home entertainment

market.

With the ability to carry both digital

video and digital audio signals on a

single cable, HDMI not only offers su-

perior signal fidelity, but also greatly

simplifies system connectivity and

design. In the future, these attributes

will greatly increase the demand for

high quality HDMI cables. DVIGear

offers a full range of Super High

Resolution (SHR) HDMI/DVI cables

that are unmatched in the industry

today. Thanks to using extra heavy

24-gauge, 99.9% oxygen-free copper

wires, our SHR cables offer flawless

digital performance up to 30 meters

(100 ft.). Unlike conventional HDMI/

DVI cables, these cables offer drop-

out free performance at the resolu-

tions in excess of 1080p!

DVIGear makes US tradeshow debut at CEDIA

The Digital Connector -1- November 10, 2004

DVIGear's booth at the CEDIA show in Indianapolis

pg_0002

Industry veteran Steven Barlow has

joined DVIGear as president, according

to a company announcement. Barlow

will head the company's operations and

oversee the development and deploy-

ment of a new generation of customer-

driven product solutions.

"Over the next few

years, there will be a

tremendous prolif-

eration of digitally-

based displays and

sources that will

drive the demand for

connectivity and dis-

tribution solutions,"

said Barlow in accepting the position.

"I believe that DVIGear's expanding

range of innovative products coupled

with industry-leading customer support

will position the company as the sup-

plier-of-choice for both professional and

home entertainment applications.

"Steven brings tremendous experience

and vision to DVIGear," said Chris Bing-

ham, Managing Director of DVIGear.

"DVIGear customers have learned they

can rely on us for excellent product and

application support. As the industry

continues to grow, we're excited to

offer new product solutions that will

make DVIGear an integral partner in

our customers' success."

Barlow was previously with Philips Con-

sumer Electronics as product marketing

manager for front projector products

where he helped to grow marketshare

for the company.

Prior to Philips, Barlow had a 23-year

association with Barco, initially with

early Barco distributors. In 1986, he

joined Barco's operations in Atlanta,

GA. From 1986 to 2000, Barlow was

with Barco's large screen display prod-

ucts division, eventually as business

unit manager - a division that grew

tenfold from $7 million to more than

$70 million during his tenure.

Barlow joins

DVIGear

Please check out our new dealer website: www.dvigear.com/dealers. We will

use this website to communicate pricing, promotion and other marketing sup-

port materials to our authorized dealers. If you are a reseller, dealer or system

integrator, please sign-up with us today to take full advantage of our dealer

support programs.

Great Deals on DVIGear products!

Our DVI Test Pattern Generator pro-

vides a wide range of selectable output

resolutions and refresh rates in either

RGBHV or YPbPr formats. The unit

offers 15 user selectable test patterns,

which makes it the perfect reference

tool for test and troubleshooting ap-

plications in the shop or in the field.

From now until November 30, 2004,

we're offering a $200 instant rebate

on this popular DVI test generator!

Please contact us for more details.

$200 instant rebate!!!

The Digital Connector -2- November 10, 2004

Specials on Closeout Products

New Dealer Website

Growth in HDMI Sales Expected

We have added a new section to our website to offer you savings on closeout

products. As we have very limited quantities on the items listed above, all

orders will be processed on a first-come basis. In the future, we'll continue to

add products to this section in order to provide you with superior technology at

bargain prices!

Model

Number

Description

List Price

Sale Price

DVI-1000

6 x 3 DVI Splitter (DA)

$3,600.00

$2,250.00

DVI-1001

1 x 5 DVI Splitter (DA)

$1,400.00

$750.00

DVI-7106

ADC Extender

$199.00

$175.00

DVI-75PC

PC to PC Scaler

$325.00

$300.00

DVI-7010b

Analog Test Generator

$595.00

$500.00

According to a recent report from In-Stat/MDR, a

high-tech market research firm, DVI-enabled de-

vices will grow rapidly at a rate of 34.3% between

2003 and 2008. However, the annual growth rate

of HDMI-enabled products will be a stratospheric

462.3% over the same period, though starting

from a much lower base point. In-Stat/MDR's

report states that HDMI in CE began in 2004, and

should accelerate significantly in 2005 in part due

to the backing of many large consumer electron-

ics manufacturers.

HDMI

DVI

300

100

200

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Total DVI & HDMI- Enabled Device Forecast

Units in Millions

Source: In-stat/MDR, 8/04

pg_0003

DVI to VGA Converter / Scaler

This device converts a (non-HDCP) DVI signal to an analog VGA signal on D15-pin

connector. The output signal can be selected in a variety of PC and HDTV resolutions

and refresh rates. A typical application for this product is the conversion of the DVI

output from a PC to a display with a VGA input connection.

Includes: 2 meter (6.6

ft.) DVI-I cable and 6 ft. AC Power Adapter.

VGA to DVI Converter / Scaler

This device converts an analog VGA signal on a D-15 pin connector to both an analog

and digital output signal on a DVI-I connector. The output signal can be selected in

a variety of PC and HDTV resolutions and refresh rates. A popular use of this prod-

uct is to upconvert a signal from a PC to a plasma with a DVI input, while changing

aspect ratio from 4:3 to 16:9.

Includes: 2 meter (6.6 ft.) DVI-I cable, 4 ft. 15-pin

VGA cable, 1 meter (3.3 ft.) 15-pin VGA to 3x RCA Component Video cable and 6 ft.

AC Power Adapter.

Video to VGA Converter / Scaler

This converter has a built-in 1x3 switcher that accepts Composite Video, S-Video or

YCbCr Component inputs and outputs an analog signal on a 15-pin VGA connector.

The output signal can be selected in a variety of PC and HDTV resolutions and refresh

rates. A common use of this converter is to play a VCR tape on a computer monitor.

Includes: 4 ft. 15-pin VGA cable, 8-pin DIN to 3x RCA pigtail, 1 meter (3.3 ft.) RCA

Video cable, 1 meter (3.3 ft.) 15-pin VGA to 3x RCA Component Video cable and 6 ft.

AC Power Adapter.

Video to DVI Converter / Scaler

This converter has a built-in 1x3 switcher that accepts Composite Video, S-Video or

YCbCr Component inputs and outputs both an analog and digital signal on a DVI-I

connector. The output signal can be selected in a variety of PC and HDTV resolutions

and refresh rates. A typical use for this converter is to connect a VCR to a DVI input

of a plasma, while changing aspect ratio from 4:3 to 16:9.

Includes: 2 meter (6.6

ft.) DVI-I cable, 8-pin DIN to 3x RCA pigtail, 1 meter (3.3 ft.) RCA Video cable and 6

ft. AC Power Adapter.

DVI-D Female to HDMI Male Adapter

This 6 inch adapter cable allows you to connect a DVI-D (male) cable to a display or

source with an HDMI (female) connector. The short pigtail design reduces weight

strain on the HDMI connector, a common problem as the HDMI connector does not

have a locking mechanism. This adapter will only work with digital signals. A typical

application for this adapter is to connect a DVD player with a DVI output to a display

with an HDMI input.

On the horizon from DVIGear are wide range of new HDMI and DVI based products. In the near future, we will start

shipping our Super High Resolution (SHR) HDMI cables with lengths of up to 30 meters (100 ft.). We'll also have a new

line of HDMI wall plates in a variety of standard and custom configurations. We are also working on expanding our range

of adapter products to provide you with greater connectivity options. Finally, we'll also have available 2x1 and 4x1 DVI

switchers and 1x2 and 1x4 DVI splitters. These products are the vanguard of a new line signal distribution products that

will expand to include all types of DVI and HDMI signal processing products.

WHAT'S NEW?

The Digital Connector -3- November 10, 2004

LOOKING AHEAD

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As we all know, technology changes at

an increasingly greater rate each year.

Nowhere is this more apparent than

in the evolution of digital technology

in the audiovisual industry. On the

cutting-edge of digital connectivity is

DVI and its sleeker, more advanced

companion HDMI. Until recently, there

have been few applications using DVI

and even less using HDMI. However,

this is changing rapidly. Within the

next two years, many professional

applications will embrace the DVI

platform as higher resolution display

become more commonplace. At the

same time, HDMI will emerge as THE

digital connectivity standard for home

entertainment market.

HDTV is the hottest trend in the home

theatre market today. People are buy-

ing bigger and better displays to view

their favorite programs in high defini-

tion, along with digital HD ready set-

top boxes and satellite receivers to re-

ceive the programming itself. Much of

this technology does not come cheap

and it is not uncommon for someone

to spend large sums of money to equip

their homes with this technology.

For the last few years, the ma-

jor output connection used by HDTV

display manufacturers has been analog

component video (YPrPb or YCbCr).

Component video is high quality, and

many DVD players use it for their

"progressive scan" method of deliver-

ing the highest quality picture avail-

able. Most component video outputs

support either 480i or 480p resolutions

(interlaced or progressive scan). In

some cases higher resolutions such as

720p and 1080i are also supported. In

recent years, later generations of HD

displays have been designed to accept

analog component video in order to

provide better picture quality to con-

sumers.

In October 2003, the FCC released an

update to their HDTV standards paper

originally released in 1997. This update

defined the future implementation of

HDTV in the United States and includes

several key mandates. Among these

mandates is the fact that the FCC has

required that all set-top boxes for DTV

be equipped with digital, either DVI or

HDMI, outputs by July 1, 2005, and

that all HDTVs be equipped with digital

inputs by July 1, 2006. The idea is

that the FCC has mandated an entirely

digital system.

Component Video Cable

So, as directed by the FCC, we are in

the process of a phasing-out the older

analog OTA (over the air) system cur-

rently in use by households and cable

companies in the US. Herein lies the

problem.

As we have discussed, many people

have already invested a lot of time and

money in upgrading their entertain-

ment systems to high definition. Along

with phasing out the OTA system,

the FCC has been pressured by the

MPAA (Motion Picture Association of

America) and other media organiza-

tions to downgrade the content input

via analog component video in order to

better protect the content from illegal

copying. Using an analog-based com-

ponent video setup, it is possible to

achieve a fairly high quality copy of the

original signals thus leading to content

security and copyrights infringement

issues. These media organizations

greatly support the FCC's mandating of

DVI and HDMI since they allow HDTV

content to be digitally protected us-

ing a standard created by Intel called

High-bandwidth Digital Content Protec-

tion, better known as "HDCP".

HDCP would be absolutely pointless if

legacy systems using analog compo-

nent video outputs can still be used as

it is possible to easily copy and repro-

duce the content. In order to discour-

age people from using the analog

component video for the broadcasted

cable and satellite content, the FCC

plans to downgrade (commonly called

"down-converting") the image from

the highest possible resolution (1080p)

to the lowest (480i). For some, this

would mean completely defeating the

purpose of having the high definition

Why you need DVI and HDMI

Connectivity Reference Table

Connector Style

Male (Plug)

Female (Receptacle)

HDMI

DVI-D Single Link

DVI-D Dual Link

DVI-I Single Link

DVI-I Dual Link

Technology Connection

The Digital Connector -4- November 10, 2004

pg_0005

display and HD set-top box in the first

place. Furthermore, in so doing, the

analog component connections used

by many high definition displays will be

obsolete for viewing the HDTV pro-

gramming broadcasted by the cable

and satellite companies rendering

the legacy HDTV systems that these

individuals spent so much time, money

and effort putting together useless.

Nonetheless, HDCP is the wave of

the future as the new digital-based

systems provide for not only a better

quality viewing experience (since DVI

and HDMI provide digital-to-digital

viewing systems), but also protection

from illegal copying and distribution of

content.

Entwined in the HDCP mandate is a

classic case of government regulation

versus private enterprise, where many

entities are competing for their own

interests. At the center, the FCC is the

most powerful and eventually has the

final say on HDTV television standards.

Representing the Hollywood studios,

the MPAA (Motion Picture Association

of America) is working with the FCC to

promote the concept of HDCP content

protection and digital connectivity that

it requires.

In an effort to generate additional rev-

enues from premium services, content

providers are seeking to offer their

customers the with the highest pos-

sible image quality. Therefore, many

cable and satellite companies are now

beginning to use DVI and HDMI with

their systems as these connections

offer both superior image quality and

are HDCP compliant; furthermore,

these digital connections are manda-

tory on all set-top boxes sold after July

1, 2005.

On the other side of things, many con-

sumer groups are totally against these

FCC mandates as they could obsolete

much of the earlier analog HDTV

consumer electronic products that

have been sold over the last few years.

Nonetheless, it appears that the FCC/

Hollywood team is winning the battle

and that a digital-only transmission

and display systems encrypted with

HDCP copy protection are inevitable.

Current and future users of HDTV

systems, need to align themselves with

these mandates by taking steps to fu-

ture-proof their hardware investments.

As the HDMI standard was developed

more recently, HDCP was written into

the HDMI specifications. So ALL HDMI

connections are fully HDCP compliant;

however, DVI connections are not nec-

essary HDCP compliant. For complete

HDTV functionality, it is essential that

all your system hardware includes DVI

and/or HDMI connectivity, AND that it

is fully HDCP compliant.

With rapid pace of change ushering in

a new age of high definition television,

it is better to start planning now on

how to get the most out of this new

format. Designing your system to fully

incorporate HDCP compliant DVI/HDMI

connectivity puts your best foot for-

ward into the future.

Note: For a glossary of DVI-related terms, please visit our website at http://www.dvigear.com/glofte.html.

Custom

Wall Plates

We can supply custom plates with virtually any color and connector configuration, including:

� Coaxial connectors

� Fiber optic jacks

� Single-pin type jacks

� Computer connectors

� IR connecting blocks

� Speaker connectors

� D-subminiature connectors

� Switches, lights, and indicators

� XLR jacks

� DIN connectors

� RCA adapters

� Telephone jacks

� Volume control and switches

� Video connectors

� Plugs and adapters

We have over 60 connector types available and more than 15 different plate colors. Custom wall plate

orders usually ship with two business days. Contact us at support@dvigear.com, 888.463.9927, or

919.969.6681 for availability and pricing.

Hot Products

The Digital Connector -5- November 10, 2004

The back panel of a DVD player with component video and DVI.

pg_0006

Address:

DVIGear

400 Meadowmont Village Circle Drive

Suite 425

Chapel Hill, NC 27517-8118

Website:

www.dvigear.com

Phone

888.463.9927 (toll free)

919.969.6681

Email:

support@dvigear.com

Fax:

919.969.7561

Check out DVIGear at:

� Integrated Sytems Europe (ISE)

� January 26 - 28, 2005

� Amsterdam RAI Exhibition Centre in Amsterdam,

The Netherlands

� Stand 2100

� Infocomm 2005

� June 8 - 10, 2005

� Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas,

Nevada, USA

� CEDIA Expo

� September 9 - 11, 2005

� Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

You can find earlier issues of our newsletter at:

http://www2.dvigear.com/near.html

Please contact Brittany Dunstan by phone at 919.969.6681 (ext.113) or by Email at bdunstan@kayye.com.

At DVIGear, we value our customers' thoughts and opinions. We'd love to hear from you on things that you like to see in

our newsletter, new product ideas and feedback on how we're doing to support you. Please contact us at: 800.463.9927

(toll free) or 919.969.6681, or by Email at: support@dvigear.com.

OPINIONS WANTED

The Digital Connector -6- November 10, 2004

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