The HDBaseT Alliance and Underwriters Laboratories (UL) jointly announced the Certification Program for Power over HDBaseT (PoH) Cables. In a statement, the organizations said, “This program, targeted at cable manufacturers, addresses the increased performance and safety requirements related to heating due to current levels being carried under PoH of audiovisual installations. With increasingly complex installations and the proliferation of Power over HDBaseT equipment, AV vendors, manufacturers and professionals have indicated the need for standardization and consistency for high performance, regardless of the size of cable bundles. The new certification program evaluates the cable’s ability to carry DC [direct current] power of up to 100 watts over the four pairs of the cable and to maintain HDBaseT data transmission performance.”
The certification program is based on the soon-to-be-published standard UL 4299, Outline of Investigation for Power over HDBaseT (POH) Cables. The program will evaluate the cables in accordance with the specifications of UL 4299. “The cables will be covered under UL’s Follow-Up Services surveillance program that includes both regular inspections at cable manufacturing facilities as well as ongoing testing to determine continued compliance,” UL and the HDBaseT Alliance added.
Ariel Sobelman, the alliance’s president, observed, “Until now, the HDBaseT Allliance had a Cable Recommendation Program in which it only tested cables for HDBaseT transmission. The new cable certification program goes one step further, providing increased transparency to vendors and end users and identifying the best cables for complex installations. By cooperating with the leading safety company in the world, the alliance reiterates our commitment to the highest performance levels in the industry.”
UL’s vice president and general manager/wire and cable division, L.F. Lai, added, “As HDBaseT became the standard for the transmission of high-throughput content, it was natural for UL to join the efforts to help address the safety and performance issues of powering over these cable installations. Through the cable certification program, both vendors and end users will benefit from knowing that these cables are not only suitable to transmit HDBaseT, but also do so according to highly respected industry standards.”