Just Add Power is now shipping its 2G+AVPro transmitter and receiver models. With a licensed Dolby DSP chipset on board, the AVPro transmitters allow integrators to get 2.0 channel stereo audio at all stereo zones and 5.1 multi-channel audio at every multi-channel zone simultaneously.
Whereas the 2G/2G+ transmitters can only send one audio format at a time, the Dolby DSP chipset on board the AVPro transmitters transforms Dolby 5.1 audio to Dolby PLII format and sends it over the network. The Dolby PLII format is recognized as Stereo 2.0 audio by regular HDMI devices but an AVR in a multi-channel audio zone is able to recognize the Dolby PLII and convert it back to 5.1. The result is that you simultaneously get 2.0 stereo audio in all stereo zones and 5.1 in all multi-channel zones. No fiddling with EDID settings or additional signal management is required, as can be the case with fixed format video matrixes.
This mixed mode audio format works on all the 2G/2G+/2G+AVPro receivers running firmware A5.30 or later, so integrators do not have to pair AVPro receivers with AVPro transmitters in order to receive the benefits of the Dolby DSP chipset. The 2G+AVPro transmitters and receivers are backwards compatible with all the other 2G and 2G+ models, allowing integrators to implement the AVPro features only where needed without having to replace the entire system with AVPro models.
Additionally, the AVPro transmitters have an integrated audio mixer on board, which allows the three audio inputs (HDMI, Stereo, and Mic) to be independently mixed / muted via a control system. Both the AVPro transmitter and receiver models have a variable audio output on the stereo out port that can be adjusted up or down via a control system. They also both feature an integrated ground loop isolator.
Ed Qualls, CEO of Just Add Power, commented on the development of AVPro, saying “with HDMI over IP being used in a multitude of applications, installers want the ability to add and extract audio for paging, injecting and distributing analog audio. Installers are also increasingly requesting audio extraction for integrating with video conferencing systems. The 2G+AVPro HD over IP solutions deliver all of this requested functionality whilst adding Dolby certification and an IP controlled variable analog audio-out, giving a true down mix from HDMI Dolby audio to stereo analog with easy control.”
