On Workplace 3.X: HDBaseT Alliance

Tzahi Madgar, President at HDBaseT Alliance
(Image credit: Future)

AVT Question: Please share insight and best practices for ensuring meeting equity for all employees and how to deliver the best collaboration experience regardless of location.

Thought Leader: Tzahi Madgar, President at HDBaseT Alliance

Not surprisingly, a recent study conducted by Alliance Contributing member, Crestron Electronics, showed that nearly 85 percent of employee meetings involve at least one remote participant. 

However, along with this shift to a completely normalized work-from-anywhere paradigm comes the expectation and vision of better, more realistic user experiences for all those in attendance, whether in person or virtually. The earliest manifestation of this change came in the transfer of influence from the hardware already in the room to the software platforms facilitating these meetings. Now, with the growing demand for all new features they can support has come a massive influx of cameras, displays, and other peripherals into the mix—usually requiring USB interface connectivity and specifically with a USB Type-C connection for BYOD purposes. 

Simply adding more equipment to an installation doesn’t necessarily translate into a better installation, and is something that requires the right space planning, technology flexibility, and user-friendliness." —Tzahi Madgar, President at HDBaseT Alliance

Unfortunately, however, simply adding more equipment to an installation doesn’t necessarily translate into a better installation, and is something that requires the right space planning, technology flexibility, and user-friendliness. 

One effective way to check all these boxes is through an installation built on HDBaseT. Much like a USB Type-C connector, HDBaseT carries the same signals: 4K@60 4:4:4 video, high-fidelity audio, USB 2.0, 1Gbps Ethernet, controls, and power. Better yet, it not only carries these signals but also allows for the extension of them over a standard field-terminated Category cable for distances of up to 328 feet (100m). This, along with its vast and easily leverageable, backward-compatible existing install base makes it the natural choice for addressing the industry’s ongoing need for a professional-grade USB extension solution, especially in corporate meeting spaces and other UC&C environments.

Cindy Davis
Brand and content director of AV Technology

Cindy Davis is the brand and content director of AV Technology. Davis enjoys exploring the ethos of experiential spaces as well as diving deep into the complex topics that shape the AV/IT industry. In 2012, the TechDecisions brand of content sites she developed for EH Publishing was named one of “10 Great Business Media Websites” by B2B Media Business magazine. For more than 20 years, Davis has developed and delivered multiplatform content for AV/IT B2B and consumer electronics B2C publications, associations, and companies. From 2000 to 2008, Davis was the publisher and editor-in-chief of Electronic House. From 2009 to present, as the principal of CustomMedia.Co, Davis developed content plans and delivered content for associations such as IEEE Standards Association and AVIXA, content marketing for Future Plc, and numerous AV/IT companies. Davis was a critical member of the AVT editorial team when the title won the “Best Media Brand” laurel in the 2018 SIIA Jesse H. Neal Awards. A lifelong New Englander, Davis makes time for coastal hikes with her husband, Gary, and their Vizsla rescue, Dixie, sailing on one of Gloucester’s great schooners, and sampling local IPAs.