I am sure that many of you have at least heard about the "sunset" of analog video.  For those of you selling, installing, or programming centrally-distributed video systems the date December 31, 2010, can have different meanings.  If you are a glass-half-full type, then the date represents an opportunity.  If you are a glass-half-empty type, then it means your phone is going to start ringing...with unhappy end users. Time to start planning.

All of this is especially true for those of you in the residential market. You see, the consumer electronics industry came up with this idea that the Advanced Access Content System Licensing Association should shepherd in the new digital formats and how those formats get protected. So content end-points like Blu-Ray and anyone else who is an AACS licensee are going to start to behave a bit differently come year end. If the device you are watching is compliant with the new rules, then the highest analog resolution you will ever be able to view on the device is going to be 480i or 480p. Wow, 480p on my Panasonic TH-103 plasma - won't that look nice! Let's be clear here, this is not a case of the devices trying to use the HDMI and the analog output at the same time. It means the analog outputs will never have any aspirations of being anything better than 480.

So what does this mean specifically for Crestron Dealers out there? Well, if you have a PVID and RMC/RMCLV based installation out there, some of those sources you are distributing around the house are potentially going to go from 1080i to 480i. It really all depends on how the licensee has adhered to the license setup by the AACS. At this point your client will only be able to enjoy resolutions higher than 480 if they have a source connected directly to a display, like a Blu-Ray player in the room. Anything pushed through the PVID is going to look a whole lot worse.

Fear not, there are some options out there. The first step would be to get yourself to Crestron and get some training on their new Digital Media system. This wickedly powerful product line may save your bacon on existing installations, one small issue though...wire length. In DM land the connection between the DM-MD matrix (PVID) and the DM-RMC-100-F is based on three wires; CAT5E, STP, and a cable that looks in construction something like Cresnet. So if you have a PVID installation running, that means that you have at least one CAT5E and a Cresnet cable running to the room. If you look at page 14 of Crestron's chock full o'nuts design guide , you will find yourself a chart that outlines what resolutions DM can push at over various lengths of CAT5E. So if you are in a home with no option for retrofit, consider this table will be your new sales tool.

If you are designing a new system around a PVID or any other CAT5 balanced analog video kind of system, stop. You are setting yourself up for failure. Like it or not DRM on the video and film content is here to stay. I highly doubt that the studios and networks are going to drop the fight and allow you to make bit-for-bit Deep Color clones of "Hurt Locker" any time soon. So embrace Crestron Digital Media as soon as you can. At its heart it is still "only" a video switcher. The challenges that lie ahead for you relate to implementation, not programming. Getting everyone in the HDMI universe to play together can be a challenge, but the end results are nothing short of spectacular.

-Jim Felderman
President
ControlWorks Consulting, LLC

Disclaimer: ControlWorks is not an agent or employee of Crestron Electronics, Inc.  The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. Product representations and capabilities may change and should be verified by the user independently. Images are the property of their respective owner.