AV and IT professionals have a responsibility to provide their corporate customers with dependable plug-and-play videoconferencing spaces. Whether daily collaboration or mission-critical communications, these spaces must deploy the right connectivity solution to avoid downtime. Many of today's solutions can be complicated, unreliable, and expensive.
On Tuesday, June 25, at noon EST, AV Technology (AVT) will host a roundtable, When Seamless Videoconferencing Connectivity Matters, with a panel of industry experts, including Valens, the inventors of HDBaseT technology, to discuss the critical topic of choosing the best seamless connectivity solution for all your videoconferencing spaces.
In preparation, AVT's content director, Cindy Davis, met with HDBaseT Alliance, president Effi Goldstein, and Gabi Shriki, senior vice president of Audio-Video at Valens Semiconductor. With InfoComm coming up, she thought it would be a perfect time to share their insight.
Davis: We all know that HDBaseT revolutionized the Pro-AV industry, but how did it all come about?
Goldstein: In 2010 Valens Semiconductor founders had a vision to solve the main pain points in the professional audio video industry at the time. Video resolutions were increasing, and existing media distribution solutions couldn't support the distance that the installations required with zero-latency and in an affordable manner.
Valens invented HDBaseT technology, converging uncompressed ultra-HD video, audio, controls, ethernet, and power over a single field-terminated Category cable, for distances over 100 meters.
They quickly realized that for this technology to become the ubiquitous connectivity foundation in the Pro-AV industry, they would need to broaden their vision towards standardizing products throughout the industry and by creating a robust interoperable ecosystem.
This vision took the industry by storm, with LG Electronics, Samsung, Sony Pictures, and Valens Semiconductor joining forces and co-founding the HDBaseT Alliance. Quickly, the technology won the hearts of installers by providing them with reliable plug-and-play technology. And the rest is history.
Davis: What types of problems does HDBaseT solve?
Goldstein: HDBaseT solves a myriad of wired connectivity challenges for media distribution in professional audio-video installations, ranging from cable clutter, bandwidth, distance, installation complexity, and reliability.
For manufacturers, HDBaseT technology enables industry-leading brands to design and develop the most cutting-edge devices. These companies share the assurance that HDBaseT technology provides them with a solid foundation.
For installers, HDBaseT technology became the go-to technology. This field-terminated, one-cable solution provides installers with simple, streamlined installations.
For integrators designing large-scale installations, beyond the capabilities of the technology, HDBaseT provides a robust ecosystem of interoperable products from leading manufacturers—no longer bound to a single manufacturer.
[On Hybrid Work 2024: HDBaseT Alliance]
Davis: What is the connection between Valens Semiconductor and the HDBaseT Alliance?
Shriki: As the inventor of HDBaseT technology and a co-founder of the HDBaseT Alliance, Valens is the driving force behind the technology's evolution. Valens, leaders in high-performance connectivity, continuously provides the technological backbone for the industry to evolve, and we rely on the HDBaseT Alliance and its members to nurture and grow the ecosystem.
Davis: InfoComm is just days away. Please give us a snapshot of the new announcements you'll make at the show.
Shriki: At InfoComm, the HDBaseT Alliance Pavilion (Booth C5550) will be the meeting point for the latest HDBaseT innovations. At the heart of the booth will be Valens' High-Performance Connectivity Zone, showcasing demonstrations using the Valens chipsets that are enabling next-gen videoconferencing products. Demos include a streamlined solution to support multi-camera setups for enhanced AI capabilities, support for toggling between BYOM and Appliance Mode over a single cable, and one-of-a-kind SuperSpeed USB and power extension of USB peripherals (including Hi-Res PTZ cameras and video bars) that maintain its SuperSpeed USB bandwidth with the new HDBaseT-USB3 standard.
We are also excited to unveil our 2024 Product Showcase, featuring products that are transforming the way we work, learn, and live. On this year's Power Wall, over 50 new products from HDBaseT Alliance members will be featured, including many that will be launched during InfoComm 2024.
