[SOLVED] HDMI-over-IP/HDBaseT-over-IP? Anyone can share experience?
- Thread starter tinfoil3d
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Im revisiting my own thread to share some experience using fiber extenders.
I've connected two locations with fiber trunks terminated with MPO. Thos go to fiber patch panels, converted to LC, and in general I now use various gefen extenders, I scored 2k60fps and even 4k60fps for ~100 bucks per set recently and been using them with great success. They are NOT ethernet, but it doesn't matter so long that I have enough available fibers. They usually are single strand OM3 devices, I buy LC-SC cable to connect both sides.
This results in at least 6 points of connection per link: Sender SC -> <- SC-LC cable -> <- LC-to-MPO cassete -> <- MPO fiber trunk MPO -> <- MPO-to-LC cassete -> <- LC-SC cable -> <- Receiver SC
There are actually more hops in my system. But it works mostly flawlessly for over a year now. Mostly: from time to time under some conditions I have some slight artifacts showing up. I believe this could be improved with better cabling but it doesn't bother me that much.
I've tried gefen, broadata. These are really good brands and can be had for very cheap for 1080p.
A similarly priced (but new) IP solutions (Ethernet) are generally slow and compression only makes them suitable for some emergency way of access or something. Idk but they're garbage. Some have USB 2.0 passthrough for keyboard and mouse.
I believe there are quite rare and expensive ethernet-based solutions out there but they don't pop up on ebay that much so I never had a chance to ttry those out.
When you have an option to pull custom cables and the distance is short enough you never need to bother with fiber, solutions that use CAT cables are super cheap and lag-free because they're also not ethernet-based and only use copper to carry their custom formatted signals.
I've connected two locations with fiber trunks terminated with MPO. Thos go to fiber patch panels, converted to LC, and in general I now use various gefen extenders, I scored 2k60fps and even 4k60fps for ~100 bucks per set recently and been using them with great success. They are NOT ethernet, but it doesn't matter so long that I have enough available fibers. They usually are single strand OM3 devices, I buy LC-SC cable to connect both sides.
This results in at least 6 points of connection per link: Sender SC -> <- SC-LC cable -> <- LC-to-MPO cassete -> <- MPO fiber trunk MPO -> <- MPO-to-LC cassete -> <- LC-SC cable -> <- Receiver SC
There are actually more hops in my system. But it works mostly flawlessly for over a year now. Mostly: from time to time under some conditions I have some slight artifacts showing up. I believe this could be improved with better cabling but it doesn't bother me that much.
I've tried gefen, broadata. These are really good brands and can be had for very cheap for 1080p.
A similarly priced (but new) IP solutions (Ethernet) are generally slow and compression only makes them suitable for some emergency way of access or something. Idk but they're garbage. Some have USB 2.0 passthrough for keyboard and mouse.
I believe there are quite rare and expensive ethernet-based solutions out there but they don't pop up on ebay that much so I never had a chance to ttry those out.
When you have an option to pull custom cables and the distance is short enough you never need to bother with fiber, solutions that use CAT cables are super cheap and lag-free because they're also not ethernet-based and only use copper to carry their custom formatted signals.
For HDMI and USB, I ran Bullet Train AOC 48Gbps Fiber/HDMI cables, there are cheaper though, for me they were $750/ea. Then I also use a Bullet Train AOC Fiber USB 3.1 Hub, also expensive.
For most other remote USB stuff I use a Digi Anywhere 2 Plus, which is USB 2.0 over IP, usually pick those up for $150 on ebay. Only usb2.0 back to host though, I believe USB3 between ports. Works great IMO. I personally use it for the 2 drops from my gaming PC in my closet to my 2 TVs with the HDMI above for my gaming controllers.
Icron makes similar for USB but they have to boxes per host....
For most other remote USB stuff I use a Digi Anywhere 2 Plus, which is USB 2.0 over IP, usually pick those up for $150 on ebay. Only usb2.0 back to host though, I believe USB3 between ports. Works great IMO. I personally use it for the 2 drops from my gaming PC in my closet to my 2 TVs with the HDMI above for my gaming controllers.
Icron makes similar for USB but they have to boxes per host....
I have a bunch of cheap chinese AOCs boguth second-hand, they are 10 to 15m long here, they serve rather different purpose of decoupling an expensive computer that is only connected with copper wire to the online UPS from display that is connected directly to ground power, the thunderstorms here cause outages every year, sometimes with permanent damage. These fall into category of custom cables, where everything can be had for rather cheap under 100 bucks or so.
1080p standard SC-fiber units can be found for as low as 10 bucks if you wanna fiddle with DVI-HDMI, or slightly above for native HDMI-HDMI.
Finding a 2k or even 4k standard fiber-capable units for the same tag is rather tough but I got lucky two times. There are various chinese brands out there that go from 200 bucks new but I never tried and don't really want to, rather wait for a proper gefen or some other well-known brand with proper name and datasheets than buy some unreadable brandname junk that's gonna not make it through its first power-up sequence.
1080p standard SC-fiber units can be found for as low as 10 bucks if you wanna fiddle with DVI-HDMI, or slightly above for native HDMI-HDMI.
Finding a 2k or even 4k standard fiber-capable units for the same tag is rather tough but I got lucky two times. There are various chinese brands out there that go from 200 bucks new but I never tried and don't really want to, rather wait for a proper gefen or some other well-known brand with proper name and datasheets than buy some unreadable brandname junk that's gonna not make it through its first power-up sequence.