News

Smart-e adds Dolby 5.1 digital audio distribution (13/11/2007)

AV distribution and switching company Smart-e has developed a unique 'one cable' AV solution that automatically delivers digital audio sound to speakers in each room.

The Dolby 5.1 digital audio signal is transmitted via the same CAT 5* cable as the power, VGA (Video Graphics Array) and stereo audio control, to speakers in every room, extending cinematic sound quality beyond the home cinema. As Jon Lane, Smart-e's managing director said "Automatically distributing digital audio from a single source to multiple outputs is unique. We know of no other company that is able to provide professional AV solutions which distribute digital audio to every room through a single cable".

The digital audio signal associates with each source within the system, and when a channel is selected is automatically transmitted, via a decoder, to all the speakers at the selected output. Jon Lane added "By combining the Dolby 5.1 digital audio transmission within the same cable as the power, video and stereo, there is no need to re-wire a property, as the existing CAT5* cabling can be utilised."

The design addition has been added to Smart-e's equipment aimed at entertainment systems in residential and marine environments. The new feature has become an immediate hit with installers and clients as it saves installation time, money and of course cuts disruption during install.

Smart-e matrices which are available from 4 outputs/4 inputs to 256 outputs/256 inputs, all have the unique capability to transmit 5.1 Dolby digital audio via a single cable.

* CAT 5 refers to Category 5, 5e, 6, 7 and 8 structured cabling.

www.smart-e.co.uk