Kramer Electronics TP-573 HDMI, Bidirectional RS-232 and IR Over Twisted Pair Transmitter

The Kramer Electronics TP-573 HDMI, Bi-Directional RS-232 & IR over Twisted Pair Transmitter is a device for converting and sending an HDMI signal (up to version 1.4) plus control commands and data over twisted pair (e.g. CAT-5) cables. Used with a Kramer TP-574 receiver, the TP-573 transmitter extends the range of an HDMI source so that it can feed a display across a facility, for instance. While HDMI cables have an approximate range of 50', CAT-5 cables can carry pristine HDTV video and associated audio signals over distances in the hundreds of feet.

The range of the device's transmission varies based on the signal resolution, graphics card, display and cables used. Kramer has tested the device with their own cables. The device transmits up to 295' at 1080i, or up to 98' at 1080p on shielded BC-DGKat524 cable. Using shielded BC-DGKat623 cable, the range extends to 295' at 1080i or up to 230' at 1080p. With shielded BC-DGKat723 cable the range is up to 330' at 1080i or up to 295' at 1080p.

The TP-573 supports bi-directional RS-232 and infrared signals, which means that a computer source, for example, can be used to control a display device hundreds of feet away and receive data from that device. Control signals are sent with converted video and audio signals over the twisted pair cable. By supporting HDMI, the transmitter passes through video and multi-channel audio from an HDMI source such as a set-top box, DVD player, camera, or AV receiver.