Crestron Releases DMCI Signal Integration Solution

August 13, 2009

Source: Crestron

Crestron DMCI Delivers an Affordable, Flexible Solution to Manage Embedded HD Data and Integrate Analog and Digital Source Switching

Crestron, announced that its new DMCI (DigitalMedia Card Interface) solution is now shipping.

The DMCI is a compact, rack-mountable enclosure designed to house a single DM Input Card to accept any AV source, including all analog audio and video, computer, HDMI, DVI and DisplayPort signals, and output those signals as HDMI. DMCI even handles USB-HID over Ethernet for remote wireless keyboard/mouse control, and USB-HID signals and output those signals as HDMI.

Combining the DMCI with a HD-MD8X1 or HD-MD8X2 QuickSwitch HD™ HDMI switcher, provides the only fully integrated source switching solution for modern home theaters, meeting rooms and classrooms that include a variety of different signal formats that all must be displayed on 1080p displays via HDMI. DMCI manages HDCP, EDID and CEC data communication, and functions as a DM receiver as part of a complete Crestron DigitalMedia™ system.

Home theaters, classrooms and conference rooms today include a variety of analog and digital signal formats, including DVD/Blu-ray players, PCs, MacBooks, streaming media over the Internet, which often are not fully integrated. New HD digital signals include embedded data such as HDCP, EDID and CEC, which create several new challenges for system design and installation.

While there are several HDMI switchers available, none integrate other signal types or handles the digital control data. Combined with the HD-MD8x1 or HD-MD8x2, DMCI is the ideal, cost-effective solution to provide a seamless, fully integrated in-room switching solution.

With a wide selection of DMC input cards available for every audio/video signal type, integrators simply select the type and quantity needed for their design to accept any composite, component, S-video, VGA, DisplayPort (multimode), DVI and even Crestron DM source signal, and output HDMI to an HD display. The versatile DMCI enables installers to deliver the perfect solution for any room environment.

“The DMCI is a powerful problem solver, whether it’s part of a DM system or combined with a one of our HDMI switchers” explains Vincent Bruno, Crestron Director of Marketing. “The DMCI can manage EDID and CEC information, extract audio embedded in HDMI, add video to DVI or provide simultaneous surround sound and stereo audio through HDMI. You get a lot for just a little.”

While any HDMI input can ordinarily accommodate DVI sources with just a simple passive adapter, that design does not support audio signals. Loaded with a DMC-DVI card, the DMCI provides a simple means for merging DVI digital video and analog stereo audio into a single HDMI output.

While HDMI transmits audio and video together on a single wire, a DMC-HD HDMI card allows audio to be extracted from the digital stream via its analog stereo output, while simultaneously allowing the full HDMI signal to pass through unaffected. Yet another option, the DSP-enhanced DMC-HD-DSP card accepts HDMI signals containing multi-channel surround sound audio and s also provides a 2-channel down-mix signal, delivering the choice of either 2-channel or multi-channel audio to the HDMI output.

All Crestron digital solutions manage the data embedded in HD digital signals, necessary for reliable system performance. DMCI and QuickSwitch HD switchers properly process and control HDCP content protection, EDID signal format and resolution management and CEC consumer electronics control protocols. Without proper management of these data streams, sources will turn off, display images won’t fill the screen or systems simply won’t perform to specification. Crestron DMCI and QuickSwitch HD switchers pre-authorize the HDCP handshake between sources and displays to ensure fast, uninterrupted source switching.

Through its Cresnet connection to a control system, the DMCI can report EDID information about any connected signal for viewing on a touchpanel, or for auto-configuring a display device. Harnessing the CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) signal embedded in HDMI, the DMCI can provide an alternative to conventional IR and RS-232 device control.

The DMCI provides a gateway for controlling many devices directly through their HDMI connections, potentially eliminating the need for any dedicated control wires or IR probes.


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