Over the past few years, mainly thanks to TV technology moving at such a rapid rate, the way we distribute Audio-Visual systems around peoples homes and businesses has changed dramatically. A new era of 4K distribution and with the rise of HDR formats means that we’re having to rethink the way we’re planning projects for future formats and new technologies which are inevitably on the horizon.
The problem is, we’ve reached the upper limit of what a Cat6 cable infrastructure is capable of with regards to distributing 4K signals and HD audio formats such as Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. Category 6 cable (Cat6) is a data cable that was originally designed for larger networks with gigabit speeds, which was adopted by the AV industry to distribute HD signals around peoples homes. With HDR formats and 8K on the horizon we’re now recommending running a fibre based infrastructure on all new build properties to future-proof installations as best as possible.
For us at Epixx the future of AV distribution forever lies in the data network. As we continually purchase more internet connected devices, it makes sense to shift the load of distributing AV signals around a building onto the building’s network infrastructure, after all, the network is the backbone of every connected smart home or building and should be capable of super fast transfer speeds at all times.