Smart-e 4K-RX9000 User Manual - page 13
4K-9000 USER MANUAL V1.1
© 2018 Smart-e (UK) Ltd
www.smart-e.co.uk
PAGE | 13
cables running in proximity to these devices and the greater the switching current of the device the larger and
more destructive this effect is likely to be. This of course is only looking at devices within the home but if we
consider large commercial installations with large air conditioning systems and large amounts of server
equipment, the chance of interference being encountered is increased and when encountered is likely to be
very destructive to system performance. Progressing in to large industrial applications where sites may include
the use of robotic machinery, conveyor belts and their associated motors, EMI is going to be unavoidable.
EMI when induced in to a cable is referred to as noise, the data required is referred to as the signal, the aim is
to have the greatest signal level possible with the lowest level of noise giving you the best possible signal to
noise ratio (SNR). The longer the run of cable whether that be HDMI or CATx cable the more noise is going to
be introduced and the lower the received signal is going to be. Frequency of signal being transmitted is a major
factor, UHD or HD video is very high frequency content, the greater the frequency of transmitted signal the
higher the risk of the transmission to EMI. When noise is seen on a HDMI signal it is common to observe a
‘snowflake’ effect
(see image below), the image is still visible but some information for specific pixels has been
lost due to EMI, if the amount of data lost due to EMI is too great no signal will be displayed.
The HDBaseT protocol is designed to be as robust as possible to deal with instances where EMI leads to a low
SNR, but it cannot compensate completely. A Long-range mode is available for HDBaseT, whereby the possible
transmission bandwidth is lowered which will mean possibly reducing the resolution you transmit to your
screen, but the system is a lot more resilient to noise and to this end can extend the range of HDBaseT
transmission up to 150m under certain circumstances. The 4K-9000 aims to provide a tool to measure what
effects EMI is having on your HDBaseT installation, you can then use the tool to configure the type of content
you are sending to bring the transmission to a stable point to ensure resilience for your install.
However, there is another step to consider, the grade of cabling used in your installation. CATx cabling comes
in many varieties, the next section of this manual discusses how cabling can protect your system from errors
and how it must be at the forefront of your thinking when at the specification stage of a HDBaseT project or
considering problems being encountered within an existing installation. As discussed previously, if the errors
encountered are so overwhelming to the transmission, no signal is going to be displayed on the output screen.
This would generally lead to the conclusion of faulty hardware, this is going to encounter large costs of
procuring new equipment or at the very least having to wait for new equipment to be sent from a manufacturer
and then having to reattend site to install only to find the problem is still there. The 4K-9000 aims to remove
this step by offering a convenient tool to see instantly if the problem lay with the hardware or the often-
overlooked problem of EMI.