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Copper Cable Extenders

There are many challenges to overcome when designing systems that require long DVI or HDMI cable runs. These high-speed serial data formats operate at 10x bit rates (or higher) than corresponding analog signals. The bit rates of these digital signals increase in direct proportion to their resolution and color depth. As cable length increases, moving these high-speed bits over copper cables becomes increasingly difficult due to a variety of factors including: cable capacitance, inter-pair and intra-pair skew, crosstalk, differential impedance errors, group delay errors, etc.

To achieve successful digital video cable runs, it is essential to use high-performance cables where these factors are minimized to the greatest extent possible. This especially true with longer cables >50 ft. (15 meters) because these degenerative effects become worse as cable length increases. Increased cable range is possible using copper cable extender technologies, of which there are two (2) basic types: Twisted-Pair Extenders and Active Cable Extenders (ACE™).







Twisted-Pair Extenders

These products use twisted pair cabling typically found in data center applications to extend DVI and HDMI signals distances of up to 100 meters (328 ft.). Typically, CAT6A or CAT7 cables will provide the best results with respect to noise immunity and range. In addition to the twisted pair cabling, these extenders consist of two basic components

Transmitter Unit – accepts an input signal from the source device and conditions it for transport over the twisted pair cable.

Receiver Unit – receives the signal from the Transmitter Unit and converts the signal to the intended output format for display or routing further downstream in the signal chain.


WILDCAT™ 4K HDMI CAT6 Extender DVI-7570-TX / DVI-7570-RX
 
This unit provides high-performance 4K HDMI extension at a remarkably low cost. It includes support for external IR control signals, as well as de-embedded digital and analog audio outputs. These features make this unit ideal for price sensitive applications where signal quality cannot be compromised.  more details >
Price: $160.00

 
 
HDMI HDBaseT Extender, 70m DVI-7520-TX / DVI-7520-RX
 
DVIGear models DVI-7520-TX and DVI-7520-RX form a high-performance, low-cost HDBaseT twisted pair extension system for professional applications that require DVI or HDMI as well as control signal distribution.  more details >
Price: $398.00

 
 
Active Cable Extenders (ACE™)

The most common type of extender technology is the active cable equalizer.  Long cables suffer from high levels of insertion losses caused by cable capacitance.  When insertion losses become too high, the cable will introduce an excessive amount of jitter (known as additive jitter) to the digital signal, which can severely degrade the cable's performance.  A cable equalizer can help mitigate insertion losses by restoring high frequency components of the digital signal; at the same time this reduces jitter to acceptable levels.  Today, nearly all modern displays have a certain level of cable equalization on their DVI and HDMI inputs; however, in most cases, the amount of equalization is only enough for cable lengths up to 65 ft. (~ 20 meters).  DVIGear's range of Active Cable Extenders (ACE™) provides sufficient range to equalize cable lengths of up to 200 ft. (~ 60 meters).


DVI Single-Link Active Cable Extender™ DVI-7171c
 
Extends Single-Link DVI Cables up to 200 ft. (~ 60 meters) more details >
Price: $149.00

 
 
DVI Dual-Link Active Cable Extender™ DVI-7176b
 
Extends Dual-Link DVI Cables up to 200 ft. (~ 60 meters) more details >

NOTE: This product is no longer available.
 
 
HDMI Active Cable Extender™ DVI-7370c
 
Extends HDMI Cables up to 200 ft. (~ 60 meters) more details >
Price: $149.00