What Is HDBaseT?

HDBaseT is a connectivity standard that carries uncompressed high-definition video and audio, along with Ethernet, USB, control signals and power, over a single category cable for up to 100 m. It was developed by Valens Semiconductor, and the HDBaseT Alliance, founded in 2010 by Samsung, LG, Sony Pictures and Valens, now maintains it and certifies products.

A link has two ends. A transmitter takes the HDMI signal from a player or PC and converts it into HDBaseT; a receiver at the far end turns it back into HDMI for the display or projector. Many displays, projectors and matrix switchers have the receiver built in, so the cable plugs straight into an HDBaseT port.

The cable and RJ45 connectors are the same as Ethernet’s, but the signal is not. HDBaseT uses its own modulation across all four pairs, so a link runs point to point between a transmitter and a receiver and cannot pass through a network switch. Because the video is not compressed, the delay is tiny: the specification allows less than 100 µs over a full 100 m run.

The HDBaseT Alliance calls its combined feature set 5Play. Which features a product supports depends on the version and the maker, so check both ends of the link.

Each version is backwards compatible, and two devices run at the highest version they share. Reach depends on resolution and cable grade.

Cat5e is the minimum for older versions, Cat6 is the usual choice and HDBaseT 3.0 calls for Cat6A, ideally shielded. Our guide to Cat6 vs Cat6A cable explains the difference. Use solid-core cable for the permanent run, keep patch panels and couplers to a minimum, and route it away from mains cables. Some lower-cost extenders use a cut-down HDBaseT Lite chipset with shorter reach, typically around 70 m at 1080p and less at 4K, so check the datasheet figure rather than the logo.

HDBaseT is a fixed point-to-point link: one source to one display, or into a matrix switcher that routes several. AV over IP sends video as network packets through Ethernet switches, so any source can reach any display and adding a screen means adding a decoder, not a new cable run.

The trade-off is compression and bandwidth. H.264 and H.265 encoders compress heavily and add latency, NDI uses light compression on a Gigabit network, and SDVoE carries near-uncompressed video but needs 10 Gigabit switching. HDBaseT needs no network design at all, which is why it remains the default for one display at a distance. For larger estates, our AV over IP encoders and decoders cover SDVoE, NDI and H.264 or H.265 streaming, and our video extenders include HDMI 2.0 extenders over Cat6A and SDI fibre extenders for longer runs.

HDBaseT is common wherever the source and the screen have to be in different places.

We specify the player, the extension path and the display as one system, and fit and test the full signal chain before it ships as standard. Tell us the cable run, resolution and what the far end needs, and we will recommend the link to match.