View this article at: http://www.macnn.com/articles/05/01/10/gefen.dual.link.hd/
Monday, Jan 10, 2005 11:30am
Gefen debuts Dual Link HD solutions, cables, more
Gefen today announced several new cables and peripheral/display sharing devices at Macworld Expo, including Dual Link DVI solutions that support Apple's 30-inch Cinema display, a combo USB/FireWire/video cable, an upgraded KVM extender to support the G5 and Apple's newer Cinema displays, pre-packaged video extensions kits for Apple's HD displays, and new FireWire 800 and USB 2.0 repeaters designed to extend the limits of standard cabling.


Gefen's 2x1 DVI-DL Switcher and DVI-2000 HD Extender designed to specifically work with G5 computers and displays that utilize dual link DVI (e.g., Apple's 30 inch Cinema HD Displays). Both devices support Dual link DVI, which utilizes 24 pins on one DVI connector to transmit super high resolutions up to 3840x2400. Gefen’s 2x1 DVI-DL Switcher ($700) provides a useful method for working on two computers using the same display, keyboard and mouse. Gefen's DVI-2000 HD ($1,400) is a high definition display extension solution that sustains visual clarity at long distances through the use of fiber optics cables. It features a small sender unit connected to the source computer transmits dual link DVI video to a remote receiver unit connected to the display via a multimode fiber optic cable (up to 330ft). It utilizes a power supply that can be connected at either end.


Gefen's Combo Extension Cable provides a simple solution for home offices,
small businesses and personal users who want to centralize their
computers in another room, a closet or across the room. It is equipped with three connectors on each end: DVI for video displays supporting resolutions up to 1920x1200, USB and FireWire. The cable boasts a plug and play installation, requiring the three interfaces at one end to be connected to the computer and to the extended peripherals at the other end. No additional power supply is
needed. The single bundled cable comes in two convenient lengths: 10ft ($100) and 15ft ($130).

Gefen has its upgraded its KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) extender to accommodate
Apple's 20- and 23-inch Cinema Displays as well as Apple's new G5 computers. The CAT5-5000 HD ($1,300) supports the extension of two displays using DVI (digital visual interface) plus a keyboard and mouse using USB using cost-effective, industry standard CAT-5 cables. A small sender unit at the computer is connected to the remote receiver unit at the workstation with four CAT-5 cables, effectively spanning up to 150 feet in distance while sustaining multiple resolutions up to 1920x1200. Both units are rackmountable; the CAT5-5000 HD is fully HDCP (high bandwidth digital content protection) compatible and will support protected digital content at its highest resolutions at extended distances.

Gefen has released pre-packaged video and peripheral extension kits for both the 20- and 23-inch Apple Cinema HD Displays. Gefen's DVI Extension Kits ($27-$4000) are equipped to extend DVI for the display, USB for the keyboard and mouse and FireWire for an optional peripheral. Gefen also offers ADC Extension Kits for extending one or two Apple flat panel digital displays equipped with ADC ranging
from 30 to 330 feet and a DVI-2000 HD for extending Apple's 30-inch
Cinema HD Display. Gefen's DVI Extension Kits come in varying lengths ranging from 10 feet up to 330 feet in distance, and include all cables, adapters and
components needed to extend the peripherals. All of Gefen’s kits
support high definition video in multiple resolutions up to 1920x1200.
Kits for distances under 100 feet utilize high quality DVI copper cables, while fiber optics cables are utlized for longer distance extension kits.


Gefen today debuted new extenders enable the operation of FireWire and USB devices beyond their protocol's standard distance limitation without loss of signal quality. The FireWire Repeater 800 comes is offered in a compact, shielded plastic case that connects upstream and downstream FireWire cables; it replicates the data it receives from the source cable and sends it along the second cable to the extended device. The Firewire Repeater 800 is capable of transmitting Firewire IEEE 1394b up to 33 feet and it supports data transfers up to 800Mbps. The USB 2.0 Extender can data at a rate of 400 Mbps over CAT-5 cables, providing a nearly instant transmission at distances up to 150 feet from the computer. Gefen's USB 2.0 Extender is compatible with keyboards, mice,
hard disks and video