HDMI over IP - anyone used Aavara?

A

Arthur

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I'm considering a better way to get HDMI to various devices around the house. The current HDMI-over-dual-Cat6 is problematic in my installation because it has to go over two drops to get to the HDMI projector. I need a more elegant solution.

One possibility is to to use HDMI over IP, use the existing Cat6 cabling and the Avaara PB5000 Sender and multiple PB5000IR-R Receivers.

Even more attractive would be powerline reticulation, ie pump the HDMI-over-IP signal through the mains using something like the D-Link DHP-306AV powerline network adapter.

Anyone had any experience of these devices to distribute HDMI? Any comments most appreciated.
 
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Avaara make good products. I bought one of their HDMI cables and was really impressed with the quality. I don't have any experience with HDMI over IP but online reading I've done suggests it works well. Adding Ethernet over power to the equation may or may not complicate things.

I recently bought a pair of TP-LINK PA210's to connect my PS3 to my LAN to stream movies using PS3 Media Server and initial testing shows that on 13GB+ 1080p files things are handling fine. I've had one or two short 1s pauses mid movie, but I've not yet figured out it it's a PMS or a EoP issue.
 
Arthur said:
Even more attractive would be powerline reticulation, ie pump the HDMI-over-IP signal through the mains using something like the D-Link DHP-306AV powerline network adapter.

Anyone had any experience of these devices to distribute HDMI? Any comments most appreciated.
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I would not bother with powerline networking if I were you. I have tried it at my place, and the speeds were lower than WiFi, not to mention proper Cat6. This was a while ago though, so maybe the newer devices do work better, but tread with caution. Additionally, it is very sensitive to the electrical wiring in your house, among other things.
 
mic_y said:
I would not bother with powerline networking if I were you. I have tried it at my place, and the speeds were lower than WiFi, not to mention proper Cat6. This was a while ago though, so maybe the newer devices do work better, but tread with caution. Additionally, it is very sensitive to the electrical wiring in your house, among other things.
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I know only too well what you're saying, mic_y. I first experimented with powerline networking in the mid-90s, when an Israeli firm launched the first 1mb/s powerline adapters in SA, and it was aweful then. However, I hear things have come a long way since then. I had my entire house rewired two years ago, and everything runs off a MLT PowerStar 12KW bidirectional mains-tied inverter that smooths power and corrects PF, so I have a clean 230V 'network'. I'm ordering today but delivery will only be next Tuesday, so will have to wait to next week to check if it works ok.
 
Arthur said:
I know only too well what you're saying, mic_y. I first experimented with powerline networking in the mid-90s, when an Israeli firm launched the first 1mb/s powerline adapters in SA, and it was aweful then. However, I hear things have come a long way since then. I had my entire house rewired two years ago, and everything runs off a MLT PowerStar 12KW bidirectional mains-tied inverter that smooths power and corrects PF, so I have a clean 230V 'network'. I'm ordering today but delivery will only be next Tuesday, so will have to wait to next week to check if it works ok.
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Thanks Arthur... sounds interesting. Looking forward to hearing how it works :D

After all the modifications to your electrical wiring, would it not just have been easier to lay Cat6 where you needed it? ;)
 
@Arthur: You can also buy 500Mbps ethernet over powerline adapters for slightly more (~R400 per unit) than than the 200Mbps ones. In practice you will probably only achieve 80Mbps speed with the 200Mbps adapters (slightly less than half the rated speed).
 
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