The What: Atlona has introduced the Centum Series AT-CENT-301-CEA, the industry’s first high dynamic range (HDR) compatible video extender, according to the company. It delivers 4K/UHD video at 60Hz with 4:4:4 chroma sampling and HDMI data rates up to 18Gbps, to meet next-generation residential integration requirements. The AT-CENT-301-CEA is the latest addition to Atlona’s extensive family of HDBaseT extenders.
Centum Series AT-CENT-3010CEA by Atlona
The What Else: The AT-CENT-301-CEA is HDCP 2.2 compliant and provides HDMI transmission up to 330 feet (100 meters) over category cable with embedded multi-channel audio. HDR and 4K/60 4:4:4 video extension are made possible through the use of visually lossless VESA Display Stream Compression (DSC). This extender also supports ethernet pass-through, RS-232 and IR control, and power over ethernet—the receiver is powered by the extender. EDID management features ensure proper audio formats and video resolutions are provided to the AV system.
“The AT-CENT-301-CEA is a real breakthrough for the HDBaseT standard, and opens up the door for residential and commercial integrators in terms of the system options and flexibility they can employ in their HDR-related projects,” said Joshua Castro, Atlona product manager. “This extender pair enables them to provide their clients with best-in-class solutions for current and forthcoming HDR and 4K applications.”
The AT-CENT-301-CEA is designed to deliver dependable, pristine-quality image presentations in residential and commercial applications, and ideal for applications such as installations utilizing the latest UHD and HDR sources such as Ultra HD Blu-ray players, plus compatible televisions and projectors; TV showrooms requiring reliable content distribution to televisions to properly demonstrate high-quality 4K and HDR programming; professional AV applications with full-motion, highly detailed 4K graphics presentations for visualization, 3D renderings, simulations, and more.
The extender pair also supports the HDMI Audio Return Channel, with the ability to transmit digital audio from a television back to the transmitter, and then to an AV receiver via HDMI or a TOSLINK digital audio output. This allows easy integration of audio from over-the-air TV broadcasts and smart TV apps. The AT-CENT-301-CEA is configured and managed by the company’s Atlona Management System (AMS). It also includes Atlona’s 10-year limited product warranty.
The Bottom Line: This extender pair is well suited for applications requiring the latest generation of 4K/UHD and HDR sources and displays, and is compatible with all video resolutions, audio formats, and color-space formats supported in the HDMI 2.0a specification. In addition, it has the ability to pass metadata for HDR content.
The AT-CENT-301-CEA extender pair will be available March 2017 for an MSRP of $1,499.99.
