The What: Aurora Multimedia's IPX-TCW3 4K2K IP A/V distribution wall plate made its North American debut at InfoComm 2015. Built on Aurora Multimedia’s IPBaseT technology—which synergizes various IP and A/V technologies to work together as one—the three-gang in-wall transceiver is the industry’s first 4K2K IP wall plate to feature zero compression and zero latency. To create more comprehensive distributed systems, it is also the first to offer an option slot for adding other IP-based capabilities such as ExtremeUSB (USB 2.0 over IP) or Dante audio.
The What Else: Part of Aurora Multimedia’s IPX Series of IP distribution solutions, audio, video, data, and control can be sent securely to one or multiple IPX-TCW3 transceiver units using off-the-shelf 10G fiber or CAT ethernet switches. The wall plate is equipped with two HDMI inputs and one HDMI output. A fiber SFP+ port allows for single or multimode use to support large-scale installations, while making the IPX-TCW3 the first fiber-based, networked HDMI wall plate on the market. A 1G RJ-45 LAN port provides a full-bandwidth 1G Copper tunnel for increasing the user’s network at each transceiver location.
To simplify A/V room combining in business centers, hospitality settings, and medical and government facilities, the IPX-TCW3 can be set up as either a transmitter (input) or a receiver (output). When configured as a transmitter, the auto-detectable HDMI inputs allow for two sources to be selected from a single wall plate over the network, and the HDMI output becomes a local loop-through for the selected source. When configured as a receiver, the TCW3 serves as an output HDMI plate installed behind a display for easy wiring, and its two HDMI inputs become local source inputs for in-room viewing.
The Bottom Line: The wall plate features built-in source switching for seamless operation; analog and digital audio de-embedding with flexible audio breakaway switching; and RS-232, IR, and ethernet control at any transceiver location. An optional Dante audio card allows for HD audio breakaway to third-party Dante DSP processors, while an optional ExtremeUSB card provides the flexibility of USB KVM switching over the network or high-speed data transfer (480 Mbps) for memory sticks.
