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Ethereal® Next Generation Gigabit Accelerator Now Shipping

Posted by Metra on April 5, 2019

Ethereal® Next Generation Gigabit Accelerator Now Shipping

Metra Home Theater Group® (MHTG) is now shipping its award-winning HDM-GA2 product. This next-generation Gigabit Accelerator features breakthrough and proprietary technology which can upgrade existing hard-wired passive HDMI® cables to 4K or even 8K resolutions by increasing their bandwidth. This product was introduced at CEDIA and won several industry awards, including the CE Pro BEST, TWICE VIP Product award, Residential Systems Best of Show and was a CEDIA Best New Hardware Product finalist in its category.

The HDM-GA2 transforms existing hard-wired passive HDMI cables by expanding their bandwidth capability to 24Gbps for up to 15+ meters, with support for every feature set under HDMI 2.0b, and up to 9+ meters for the 48 Gbps format (depending on cable quality). This low-profile product is designed to be used only with passive HDMI cables and is intended to be installed at the display side of the system. The result is an upgraded home theater system with a higher output resolution and bandwidth content for 4K, 8K and beyond, achievable with the simple installation of a device smaller than the palm of your hand.

An improvement from the first generation HDM-GA1, the HDM-GA2 has the flexibility of adjusting to different cables and gauges. The original HDM-GA1 can expand bandwidth to 24Gbps up to 15 meters but only for 24 gauge passive HDMI cables. “This is the best long-distance HDMI cable restorer available on the market today,” said Jessy Crabb, MHTG’s general manager. “When we introduced the HDM-GA1 three years ago it was revolutionary and award-winning. The GA2 doubles down on that capability by expanding bandwidth and flexibility,” she added. Both products are certified by the independent testing facility, DPL Labs.

The HDM-GA2 also has the latest in high-speed digital audio and video restoration to repair common incompatibility issues between HDMI enabled devices. This includes the new DDC data integrity circuitry to fix EDID Low-Speed Data. It also supports both ARC and eARC and has eight programmable equalization settings for distance equalization. Full output limiting prevents input saturation of the display and there is also a selectable input threshold control capability. The HDM-GA2 circuitry is fully self-contained, internally biased, independently powered, internally amplified, totally isolated from the HDMI bus, and from a system standpoint is completely quarantined between both the sink and source devices.

For the installer, this single product acts as both an HDMI repair tool and signal extender combined. Additionally, the flexibility of this product provides a tremendous value to custom integrators, as it adjusts to work with different passive HDMI cables and gauges. This product is available now.

Ethereal® HDM-GA2 Product Specifications

  • Extends 24Gbps capability up to 15.5 Meters (Depending on cable quality)
  • Extends 48Gbps capability up to 9 Meters (Depending on cable quality)
  • Supports eARC
  • Greater than 30 dB of Gain on the High Speed Video Channels
  • DDC (I2C) Bi-direction Acceleration and Recovery
  • Full Output Limiting to prevent Input Saturation of the display
  • Video Data Input Indicators
  • System Power Indicator
  • 8 Programmable Equalization Settings for distance Equalization
  • Selectable Input Threshold Control Capability
  • Supports all Current Feature sets of the new HDMI 2.0b specification
  • Supports all Current Feature sets of the new HDMI 2.1 specification
  • 5 Volt power supply and USB cable included

About Metra Home Theater Group®

Metra Home Theater Group® (MHTG), a pioneer in HDMI® cable technology, is a division of Metra Electronics® , the world leader and “The Installer’s Choice” ® for vehicle installation kits and car audio accessories for more than 70 years. Headquartered in Florida, MHTG’s brands include Ethereal Home Theater®, Helios® and Spyclops Surveillance Systems®. Metra’s strong commitment to research and investment into the development of cutting-edge solutions has a history of providing first-to-market solutions for HDMI cables and electronics. Its Velox Active HDMI 30 Meter Cable was recognized as the Top Long-run Copper HDMI Cable at the 2017 CEDIA Expo. Connect with Metra Home Theater Group on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn. For ordering information and pricing, visit MetraHomeTheater.com or call 866.839.9187.

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