Anyone remotely familiar with Gefen gear will understand that "inexpensive" isn't really an option, so we suppose that explains the lofty $499 price tag attached to the outfit's freshest splitter. Designed to take a single HDMI 1.3 source to five different displays without a loss in quality, the 1:5 Splitter for HDMI 1.3 is fully HDCP compliant and supports resolutions as high as 2K (so yeah, 1080p is totally covered). It's available now with a 2-year warranty.

No need for a half-dozen HDMI inputs in your HDMI switcher? No worries, as IXOS has you covered. The outfit's XHE228 is a minuscule auto-switching box with two HDMI 1.3 inputs and a single HDMI 1.3 output, and it's capable of handling 1080p material up to 15-meters without signal degradation. Sadly, Americans will have to swallow the conversion fees and inflated shipping costs when paying €59 ($75) to bring it home, but those living in Europe are a-okay.

[Via HDTV Info]

Those wary of having just one option when it comes to choosing a USB-to-HDMI adapter can breathe a huge sigh of relief, as merely hours after Atlona's AT-HDPiX hit the scene, in flies a top-notch rival from Sewell Direct. The GrandTec SW-20189 USB-to-HDMI converter channels high-def video (up to 720p) through a user's USB port and into a HDMI-accepting display. The primarily difference between this device and the aforementioned Atlona is how it handles audio; you see, this box features a Display Link chip that removes the burden of bandwidth from the USB cable, enabling both audio and video to run through the same copper. 'Course, the lower price tag ($129.95) doesn't hurt things either. Expect this one to start shipping on November 17th.

In case you were worried that some AV hookup problem was going to go unresolved, Gefen has added yet another offering to its lineup with the Audio Video Scaler Pro with Amplifier (not to be confused with the company's TV Scaler Pro). This rack-mountable, black and blue little wonderbox will fill in switching, upscaling, transcoding and you guessed it, audio amplification. All you need to do is supply the video source in HDMI (two inputs), DVI, VGA, component, composite or s-video formats and corresponding audio (S/PDIF and optical for the HDMI, analog stereo for the others) and you'll be able to send a single HDMI signal with embedded audio down the line; or you can break out the two channels of 20-Watts audio right at the box's rear panel and hook up some speakers. If you've been looking for a way to get videogaming into the conference room, check the press release after the break.

First came the Emerge MPX1000, and this March, we were treated to the altogether upgraded MPX1500. Now, Avocent has introduced the (sort of) predictably titled successor, the MPX1550. This unit looks almost identical to the iteration that came out in March, though it does posses a new antenna on the front and now supports 802.11n for even snappier wireless HD transfers. Aimed at professionals needing to distribute high-def material onto digital signage displays, the box also supports bit rates as high as 110Mbps (compared to 20Mbps in the past), which pretty much guarantees that your up-to-1080i content looks as sharp as ever to prospective customers. 'Course, such a commercial device touts a commercial price tag too -- unless you consider $1,145 within most consumers' reach, that is.

[Thanks, Mufasa]

Aw c'mon, $2 per foot ain't bad, now is it? While we'll happily leave that decision to you, Gefen is giving prospective customers the option of extending their HDMI 1.3 signal another 100 feet for $199. The GefenTV Repeater for HDMI 1.3 links a pair of 50-foot (or shorter) HDMI cables together in order to create a longer connection without losing any audio / image fidelity. Additionally, multiple units can be daisy-chained for extensions up to 360-feet, and of course, the adapter plays nice with legacy HDMI versions as well as 1.3 niceties such as Deep Color, 1080p resolution and 8-channel audio. It's available to order right now.

[Via Widescreen Review]

Now that you know which cable(s) you're going to use, how's about giving Daniel a bit of advice on splitting up the signal?

"What is the best HDMI splitter on the market? I want to split my signal to a 42-inch LCD TV (about 9-feet away from the source) and a projector (through a 50-foot HDMI cable). Considering the distances needing to be covered, would a powered splitter be better than a passive one?"

We'll go ahead and assume Daniel's looking for one that can pass a 1080p signal without degradation, so recommending that Dollar Tree box you saw probably isn't the best thing to do. On the real, feel free to shout out any positive / negative experiences you've had with extenders and switches -- hopefully one of 'em will fit the bill here.

Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.

It has been quite some time since we heard from Teq AV/IT, but for folks looking to extend HDCP-laden signals over HDMI, it's latest box couldn't have arrived soon enough. The TPH372 is completely HDCP 1.3 and DCC compatible and can pass along 1080p content over a single CAT6 cable up to 130-feet. If you're down with 1080i or 720p, you can make those runs 170- or 200-feet, respectively. Expect it to start shipping October 1st for $395.

Back at CES 2008, Sony quietly unveiled a number of cutesy BRAVIA accessories. Now, those very accessories are up for pre-order. Designed to function with compatible BRAVIA HDTVs, these modules expand the capabilities of your set, with the Input Link Module ($149.99) adding four HDMI ports, the DVD Link Module ($199.99) adding an upscaling DVD player and the Wireless Link Module ($799.99) adding cordless HD transmission. Check 'em all out in detail below.

[Via SonyInsider]

Read - BRAVIA Wireless Link Module
Read - BRAVIA DVD Link Module
Read - BRAVIA Input Link Module

AV Toolbox may not be the first name that comes to mind when lookin' some new HDMI equipment, but the outfit has just rolled out a trifecta of reasonably priced, no-nonsense gear that may be just the fit for your switching, scaling and / or splitting needs. First up is the AVT-6041 HDMI Version 1.3 Routing Switcher, which enables easy switching between four HDMI sources, with or without HDCP protection. The AVT-6071 Multi-format Routing Switcher takes in a variety of analog sources (or HDMI sources) and upconverts 'em to HDMI standards (or thereabout). Finally, the AVT-6114 HDMI Version 1.3 Signal Splitter can distribute up to four HDMI / PC signals to four other displays, and it supports resolutions all the way up to UXGA. All three can be had right now for $129, $349 and $239 in order of mention.

While Gefen tries to decide if it likes UWB or WHDI better, it's getting back to its bread and butter with the 1:5 Splitter for HDMI over CAT5. The rack-mountable unit allows any single HDMI source to be split and delivered to five displays simultaneously and can also extend four displays up to 45-meters over CAT5. At the aforesaid distance, 1080p content can be streamed, but if 1080i is sufficient, you can reach up to 90-meters. Unfortunately, these privileges don't come cheap, though it's available to pre-order this very moment if you've got the $2,249 to burn.

CEDIA 2008 was a whirlwind of new projectors, HDTVs and all sorts of other wares that home theater freaks just love. As always, we were here in the Mile High City covering every minute, but we completely understand if you missed anything. Just in case, we've compiled a summary of what all happened here in Denver, and make sure you head on past the break for the rest.

Hands-ons

Hands-on: Sony shows off prototype 400-disc Blu-ray Mega Changer
Hands-on with LG's BD300 Netflix / Blu-ray deck
Hands-on with the THX-certified QuietHome door
Hands-on with Niveus Media's Denali, Rainier and Cargo media wares
Hands-on with Sony's SXRD BRAVIA VPL-VW70 and VPL-HW10 projectors
Hands-on with Hitachi's 1.5-inch thick plasma prototype
Hands-on / a look within Pioneer's Elite BDP-09FD Blu-ray player
Hands-on with Toshiba's SRT REGZA HDTVs (and other old crap)
Eyes-on with Sony's BDP-S5000ES Blu-ray player

Forget 130-feet -- how's about 100 meters? The new long-range solution from Tributaries (dubbed HXMini5) extends Full HD video (with audio) just over 300-feet with no loss of quality or reliability. The box can sling 1080p/60Hz HDMI signals up to 100-meters and 1080p/120Hz up to 55-meters, and of course, it's fully HDCP compliant. Being compatible with HDMI v1.3 also gives it the ability to understand Dolby Digital / DTS audio transmissions, and the self-calibrating active amplification and equalization enables it to "automatically adapt to cable length and signal rate." Get your HDMI signals to go further for $450.

These are primarily for the pros, so we'll keep it short and sheet. RTI is getting set to unveil a trio of new products at CEDIA, the first of which routes eight analog audio and eight composite video sources to eight individual zones. Needless to say, that's the A8 Audio Distribution Matrix Switcher we're referring to. The V6 Video Distribution Matrix Switcher can switch six component and composite video sources between six varying zones, while the CP-1680 Multi-Channel Audio Amplifier provides audio through 16 channels at 80-watts each. Pricing has yet to be divulged, but feel free to venture on past the break for the whole release.

Looking for a video scaler? No, we mean a real video scaler? Enter Atlona Technologies' AT-LINE-EX, a 10-input scaler that's compatible with any input resolution including PC, SDTV, and HDTV. Essentially, it enables users to connect practically any device -- be a legacy unit or otherwise -- and have that content upscaled to 1080p via the integrated Analog Devices scaling chip. Granted, we're not so certain you'd even want that 1983 Independence Day bash blown up to 1,920 x 1,080, but at least the option is there, right? Expect it to begin shipping on August 28th for $429.