Metra Home Theater Group helps JVC bring 4K to home theater projection technology with its HDM-GA1, transforming hard-wired passive HDMI® cables into full 4K and HDR capable systems.

CE Pro Editors — April 13, 2016

JVC launched its new 4K e-shift4 projectors at CEDIA Expo 2015. The new projectors added support for full spec 18Gbps HDMI 2.0a with HDCP 2.2, which could challenge many of the current HDMI cable options that are available to dealers. And without the right connection, it's impossible to take advantage of the new projectors' impressive performance.

That's why JVC partnered with Metra Home Theater Group. The HDM-GA1 from Metra transforms existing hard-wired passive HDMI cables into full 4K and HDR resolution capable transmission systems.

JVC had worked with Metra in the past, so the company felt comfortable turning to Metra once again for a workable solution. Of course, JVC had stringent needs.

“A 4K signal is much more demanding in terms of the required bandwidth. This is magnified even more with the capabilities of the new JVC projectors and the new UHD 4K Blu-ray players. In the past, 10.2 Gbps was adequate for a High Speed HDMI connection. Now signals are being passed that can require the full 18 Gbps. Our new projectors are the only ones in their price class that meet those standards of a full spec 18 Gbps HDMI connection with HDMI 2.0a and HDCP2.2, assuring our projectors are ready for the future of 4K,” reports Chris Deutsch, product and training manager for JVC.

“Ultra HD Blu-ray Players can offer 4K resolution, 10 bit video, expanded color gamut, and high dynamic range (HDR), but the technology needs more than the standard HDMI cables can provide," Deutsch continues. "This is magnified even further when runs of over 30 feet are required, which is fairly common with home theater projectors. I called the Metra Home Theater team to help us find a solution that would allow us to support the 4K Ultra HD data.”

Metra Home Theater Group provided JVC with the Ethereal MHY and MHX Series, Velox Cables and the Gigabit HDMI Accelerator (HDM-GA1) to deliver 4K Ultra HD video over longer length cables.

“We were impressed with the HDM-GA1 and how reliably it helped connect the projector to the UHD Blu-ray,” says Deutsch. “We tested the HDM-GA1 with multiple systems and it worked flawlessly through each test while solving the problem of supporting 4K ultra HD content on reasonable quality cables with a variety of sources. And the kicker is that the HDM-GA1 can keep 4K HDR resolutions intact up to fifty-plus feet.”

The Ethereal HDM-GA1 Gigabit Accelerator allows installers to utilize existing in-wall passive HDMI cables up to 15 meters, or approximately 50 feet. The Ethereal MHX-HDME17 can be used for a run of 17 meters, or approximately 56 feet. Either option upgrades and supports the full 4K/60, 4:4:4 or 4K/60, HDR signal found in many current products, such as the new Ultra HD Blu-ray Players being used by the team at JVC.

“The multi-award winning HDM-GA1 provides integrators with any easy 4K upgrade solution without having to re-wire a system. The compact in-line Gigabit Accelerator has a 2” by 1” aluminum chassis that is powered from an external USB power supply through a USB mini connector, “ says Jessy Crabb, general manager of Metra Home Theater Group. “The simple ‘plug and play’ device takes micro-technology and transforms any quality 24-gauge passive cable up to 15 meters to 4K with full signal integrity. This new innovation gives our dealers a very simple way to upgrade current installations to the latest 4K technology, meeting 4K/60, 4:4:4 HDR standards with existing HDMI cables.”