Tester evaluates HDBase-T infrastructure for 4K capability

Media Solutions Ltd. recently announced its MS-TestPro handheld tester offers full support for HDBase-T testing analysis and inline diagnostic capabilities for 4K content. The company said that using the tester, “installers can immediately detect line sensitivity and reduce installation time. The MS-TestPro generates a 4K readiness certification report, presenting highly important HDBase-T transmission-quality data, and ensuring 4K content streaming quality and support for any topology or architecture."

Ariel Marcus, Media Solutions’ co-founder and chief technology officer, explained, “With the growing demand for 4K resolution content, we need to transmit four times as much data. Currently HDBase-T is limited to a bandwidth of 8 Gbits/sec. To quadruple the bandwidth, HDBase-T transitions to pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) with 16 levels (PAM-16) instead of 8 levels (PAM-8)—increasing the possibility of error. MS-TestPro adjusts the testing criteria while switching from 1080p to 4K resolution in order to meet the required transmission quality.”

The illustration below demonstrates the increased vulnerability to pixel errors when moving from PAM-8 to PAM-16 modulation.

Eliran Toren, co-founder and chief executive officer, added, “4K content is quickly gaining popularity in the market. To ensure HDBase-T transmission of the 4K content with high quality, it is essential that installers will be able to certify the required quality levels. MS-TestPro detects 4K sensitivities on the HDBase-T link, and assists installers in providing a guaranteed infrastructure for delivery of high-quality content using the market’s most advanced AV technology.”