Crestron DM Provides the Only Control and Distribution Solution for the Digital Age
Crestron has released and is shipping its revolutionary new DigitalMedia™ product line, the only complete, integrated solution that manages, controls and distributes all analog and uncompressed digital content over twisted pair or fiber. The core of a Crestron DigitalMedia (DM) system consists of matrix switchers, repeaters and receivers. Flexible and modular, DM matrix switchers accept every type of signal and transmit them long distance as digital DM signals. Exclusive built-in QuickSwitch HD™ technology pre-authorizes HDCP keys and maintains a constant handshake for fast, uninterrupted HD switching. At the end points, DM receivers output HDMI and control to the display. Crestron DigitalMedia is the only solution that answers the challenges of tomorrow — today.
There’s no question that the digital age is here today. Analog television is going off the air; practically every device you plug into a TV has an HDMI port; MacBooks only provide DisplayPort outputs; laptops now include built-in Blu-ray players, and the latest video conferencing systems feature HDMI/DVI outputs exclusively. The solutions used today now won’t work for much longer. Crestron has dedicated more than five years researching HDMI/HDCP and developing DM technology to resolve the issues installers are increasingly facing in the field.
More than just another HDMI switcher or extender, Crestron DigitalMedia is a total digital system solution, accepting and distributing all analog audio and video, uncompressed digital signals, HDMI, DVI, DisplayPort, HD-SDI, Ethernet and USB keyboard/mouse control. DM manages HDCP content protection, EDID resolution management and CEC device control. All content and data is managed, routed and transmitted long distance over copper or multimode fiber.
Just like traditional AV distribution systems, the foundation of a DM system is the matrix switcher. DM matrix switchers are flexible, expandable and card-based. The DM-MD8x8 and DM-MD16x16 feature a wide variety of input and output cards from which to choose. The DM-MD8X8 is field-configurable to handle up to eight sources, and provide up to eight DM room outputs with expansion capability for even larger applications. The DM-MD16X16 features 16 individually configurable and field-upgradeable input card slots, and a choice of eight or 16 factory-configured twisted pair or fiber DM outputs (or eight of each).
There are input cards for every signal type, including the HDMI card with DSP (DMC-HD-DSP), which supports HDMI 1.3a with Deep Color, 1080p60 and WUXGA computer resolutions. The DMC-HD-DSP is ideal for Blu-ray players and other HD sources that output 7.1 surround sound via HDMI. The DM card with DSP simultaneously sends the lossless multi-channel audio to the surround sound system and a 2-channel down-mix to the audio distribution system.
DM offers output cards for both twisted pair and fiber wiring. Using multimode fiber, such as Crestron CresFiber™, DM signals can be transmitted up to one kilometer. CresFiber is standard wire using SC connectors and guarantees 1.2 GHz bandwidth, which is necessary to transmit 1080p with Deep Color. Using twisted pair, such as the recommended DM Cable, the length of runs will vary depending on signal resolution and wire. For longer distances using copper, DM repeaters (DM-DR) decode and regenerate every signal, eliminating noise and often doubling the length of cable runs.
At the endpoints, DM receivers output HDMI to the displays. DM receivers (DM-RMC-100) mount in a standard 2-gang box for easy installation on dry wall and ceiling tiles. The low-profile design offers a nearly flush mount installation behind displays. Also featuring a USB HID port to provide connectivity for wireless mouse/keyboard and game controllers, DM receivers enable distributed control of centralized computers, servers and game consoles.
Crestron DigitalMedia systems are fully functional right from power up, without any programming or network configuration. Simply scroll through a menu-driven sequence from the front panel LCD display, or step through the setup Wizard from a laptop to tune a DM system for optimal performance. DM switchers feature built-in tools to run HDCP and Data Rate Checks for every connected input and output.
Crestron DigitalMedia is the perfect solution for the digital age, handling all analog and uncompressed digital signals, including embedded data such as HDCP, EDID and CEC.
