HDMI leads - reasonably priced supplier of 15m HDMI 2.*?

for exactly your type of usage, I've seen HDMI/USB extenders that send video in one direction and mouse controls in the other direction over a single cat5 cable, results can be variable and probably depend on the exact combination of DVR and monitor and mouse and sender/receiver unit, e.g. one model used to "lock-up" frequently, so buy from somewhere where returns will be no questions asked such as amazon (not a specific recommendation)

I *think* (i.e. I seem to remember from somewhere) that the maximum length for HDMI is 10 metres. For reasonably good and reasonably cheap I'd go to CPC.

Wikipedia suggests that you will struggle to find anything certified beyond 13 metres.

have you considered a HDMI to DVB-T modulator and then connecting the UHF output to your exisiting Freeview antenna system?

Manufacturers include Labgear, Edision and SatLink.

Our resident Aerial expert Bill will be along at some point to advise...

As for Mouse extenders this is simply a pair of baluns that use ethernet cable between DVR and the mouse/keyboard.

Another way of doing it is to install software on a PC that can talk directly to the DVR. I have Smartviewer software for desktops and IPolis for mobile/tablet use on my Samsung DVR.

There are a few options for long HDMI leads. YOu can get 15m leads, and they might work - but it is over the maximum specified length, so it is a case of try it and see.

You can go beyond 15m with an "active" lead (i.e. one that includes a repeater). These usually have a "lump" in the middle that contains the repeater. (They seem less common now, and have the disadvantage of being directional)

Or you can switch to a pair of CAT5/6 cables using a set of Baluns.

Since you want mouse / keyboard as well, it might be better to look at the devices designed to extend a console remote from a computer. e.g:

Try kenable?

The quality of the output is not worth going overkill for?

There is probably an app you can install on a networked device that also has live output. Maybe your TV if "smart" can do that?

One of the issues with a long HDMI cable is the capacitance on the EDID pins means the computer can't read the monitor capabilities correctly, and ends up using a default resolution / monitor specification. Additionally if you have HDCP protected content the HDCP negotiation fails and the screen refuses to display.

For the first of these, you can get an 'EDID emulator' dongle, which has a passthrough HDMI port. You plug it into the display, and it reads out the EDID and records it. You then plug it into the computer and the HDMI cable into it. Any EDID queries are handled by the emulator without having to go over the cable.

It doesn't help for HDCP, but the solution for that is some cheap HDMI switches or splitters strip the HDCP encryption so the content is sent unencrypted. The splitters may also be able to do EDID emulation.

Theo

There are interfaces which will ‘convert’ HDMI signals to a signal which can be sent over a CAT 5 (or 6) lan type cable over longer distances. I believe some include the ability to transmit mouse / keyboard signals. The CAT link must be direct, not via a normal network hub etc. Some use two CAT cables for higher definition video.

I briefly considered then for a similar idea but decide against it.

Is the cable duct large enough to allow the HDMI connector to pass through? If not, there are HDMI plugs with screw terminals to make it easy to wire up your own:

John

Nope.

No, that's a disaster because of latency. Makes using the mouse a bit of a farce. Bill

I did this and it worked fine. Only difference was I used the VGA output from the DVR because there was some latency on HDMI. Got the VGA extension lead and a USB extension lead for the mouse from CPC. I used a TV set with a VGA input. No problems at all. There's a monitor with the DVR and if I want to use it I just swap the leads around.

how long is the latency?

A serious question as I am considering replacing 10 analogue modulators with 10 DVB-t modulators if I replace the currennt analogue CVBS cameras to TVI/CVI/AHD cameras (there are some TVI/CVI/AHD to HDMI converters available on the market.)

I don't think you can do HDMI for 15m with a plain cable.

I have a run from front to back of the house. Involved converting HDMI to twin CAT5 cables, and back again.

Do not use those. HDMI is a multi-gigabit signal, and those will make a complete mess of the signal integrity. Fine for probing one of the low speed signals (eg the EDID), no good for wiring that'll go any distance.

Theo

VGA is not HDMI. VGA is a lot more tolerant to cable length and mismatch: you just get analogue artifacts on the VGA (ghosting etc), while beyond a certain point HDMI won't work at all.

Theo

This application won't have HDCP. HDCP is only used to guard potential Hollywood content situations. The CCTV does not assert a Do Not Copy bit as the content is non-Hollywood.

The screen resolution affects the max length of HDMI cable. The higher the resolution, the higher the cable clock rate used on the cabling, the more loss per meter.

Specifying an HDMI 2.x cable, implies a high resolution is involved. Which I suppose, is a good way to get "the very best cable that money can buy".

If the TV set is HDMI 2.x capable, it does not have to run at extreme resolution to work. Less heroic signals may work with the TV as well. The TV user manual may have a list of options, and I would expect if the CCTV box sends 1920x1080, the TV would definitely accept that. TV sets have even been known to accept

The sending box requests HDCP. The TV only responds to the negotiation, when the sender asks. If the sender does not ask, then the sender transmits unencrypted, and the TV, having not been informed, uses no crypto upon receipt and treats the pixels as the plaintext they are.

This active cable claims to be fiber optic and is 75 foot long. So they do make such things, and a shop around finds they are about a quarter of the price they used to be. There are still gougers out there charging the old prices for this. Cable runs off the +5V pin on the HDMI connector, which has limited supply current available. If the cable does not work, it may boil down to needing an intervening +5V supply to run the gear inside the connector. Notice, as someone already mentioned, this cable has a "source" connector and a "sink" connector and the cable does not work if plugged in the reverse order. Passive cable works if rotated 180 degrees end for end.

But that sort of approach is only necessary, if the signal you're working is outer space material. A plain ordinary low-res HDMI should not need such exotic treatment.

Fiber optic cable also has a bend radius spec, and cannot necessarily go round a sharp 90 in any conduit. Whereas passive cable is more forgiving. The size of the "blob" on the end of the cable, will also affect the ability to navigate a 90.

Paul