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Fed up of having to handle cable calls where the question is which cable goes in which hole? At the recent CES Expo the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) intoduced a single-cable solution designed to replace a variety of standard connectors on PC monitors and flat panels.
VESA first introduced its DisplayPort digital technology in May 2006 primarily to provide PC manufacturers with an option to replace the DVI connector for PC monitors, the LVDS interface for flat panels and the analog VGA connector. A VESA newsletter from December explained "DisplayPort is not being positioned to compete with HDMI, but rather to complement it for PC and PC-based products."
With so many AV devices on the network, troubleshooting is becoming a critical skill for AV integrators. Here are some tips for solving the most common network cabling problems.
Cheat Sheet: Troubleshooting Network Cabling
COMMON CABLING FAILURE CAUSES
1. Installation errors.
2. Bad connectors.
3. Inappropriate tester set-up.
4. Bad cable.
5. Bad patch cords.
6. Any of several types of crosstalk.
The structured wiring enclosure is the communications crossroads in the digital home. It is the point from which all communications-related wiring-data network, telephone, video, and security-emanates. It performs for communications and signal management what the electrical service panel does for the home's power wiring. In the words of Gordon Waldhausen, product manager for On-Q Legrand, "The structured wiring enclosure is the hub of home technology."
You probably have a few surge strips lying around your house. In today's technology-laden homes, it's nearly impossible not to when you want to protect your expensive gear from electrical damage. But it takes more than a couple of strips to adequately protect the home systems from damaging electrical disturbances. For complete protection, you'll need lots of strips as well as several different types of protection devices installed near your home's electrical fuse box.
Monster Power has unveiled its Audio/Video AV 800, which offers a claimed 2500 joules of MOV protection for your home theatre.
Monster's distributor, Convoy said the new product differs from other surge protectors because it offers Dual Mode Plus protection circuitry. This automatically disconnects all connected equipment if a "big one" hits. So rather than leaving equipment connected (and therefore vulnerable) after a high voltage hit, Monster's AV 800 disconnects them.
CE products with new HDMI 1.3 connectors will be available in stores before Christmas now that the 1.3 standard is days away from approval and Silicon Image is sampling HDMI 1.3 chips, said Silicon Image marketing director Joel Lee.
The new connector offers the potential for enhanced audio and video performance in future CE products, a mini connector for camcorders and other small devices, and automatic synchronization of audio with video when audio is transported to a surround-sound processor from a video source but video is delivered directly to the display.
Solio, an award-winning, portable hybrid solar charger for mobile electronics devices, is now available in Telstra Shops for $139.
Solio captures energy from sunlight and stores it within an integrated battery to power mobile phones, PDAs, iPod/mp3 players, digital cameras and portable game consoles. It can also be charged from a mains power supply.
Rearrange your power supply with the new Eubiq system - a power track that allows you to plug in all your appliances anywhere along one track, by connecting a Eubiq plug, adaptor or accessory.
There are two different types of Eubiq power tracks - one that can be mounted on any existing surface and one that can be recess mounted (into furniture, panels and skirting, for example).
Apple's annual consumer electronics show, MacWorld Expo, is upon us with a slew of new Mac-orientated products set to trickle into the Australian market over the next few months.
No-one can be sure what Apple itself will reveal at the event; the company has typically updated its iPod offerings at MacWorld Expo however the latest range of the popular MP3 player was revealed last year in time for Christmas.
Motorola is now providing an adaptor allowing owners of the Motorokr S9 Bluetooth stereo headphones to listen to their iPod wirelessly through the headphones.
Powered by the iPod's internal battery, the D650 connects to the bottom of the iPod which in turn wirelessly connects to the S9 Bluetooth headphones, streaming the iPod's playlist to the headphones.
Click to enlarge
A Motorola-created technology called EasyPair is responsible for the D650 adaptor, according to the company.
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