Leviton Introduces Breakthrough in Audio/Video Networking Using Cat 5 Cabling

Major advantages of Leviton's Decora Media System include higher performance, lower cost, easy installation and reliability

Indianapolis, IN-September 6, 2001. The growth in digital entertainment options includes DVD changers, CD jukeboxes, internet-based music services , MP-3's from PC's and MP-3 players, and a host of "new digital DNA" hybrid home music server devices. But the digital onslaught comes with a challenge: How can consumers distribute all this digital entertainment throughout their home affordably and effectively?

Leviton believes it has the answer in its award-wining Decora Media System (DMS), which offers consumers a new option for multi-room, multi-source audio/video distribution. Instead of installing expensive and interference-prone shielded cabling and speaker wiring in the home, the DMS uses proprietary active electronics to permit stereo audio and baseband video signals to run over Cat 5 cabling that typically sells for one tenth the cost.

The result: The same type of Cat 5 cabling used for networking PC's and peripherals can now deliver high quality A/V signals over distances of up to 300 meters (1000 feet) with no audible distortion or noticeable video artifacts.

Unlike typical stereo-signal distribution, which, because it relies on a central system and extension speakers and volume controls, is essentially the same as it was in the 1970's, Leviton's DMS concept is closer to the PC networking model, with data distribution delivered to various sub-systems.

The DMS is much more compatible with the entertainment and leisure trends of today, where minisystems, high-end radios and even personal electronic devices are rapidly replacing two-channel component stereos. With the Decora Media System, a consumer can distribute all their audio/video sources to any of these "satellite" systems to all parts of their home. The DMS is an ideal solution for distributing content downloaded from the Internet, such as MP3 files, MPEG video and Internet radio, directly to all the home's stereos, mini-systems and televisions. It also distributes content from DVD's, CD jukeboxes and audio servers to those same types of equipment.

A DMS distribution hub is typically installed in Leviton's Structured Media™ Center enclosure as part of a home's entertainment distribution system. Active DMS wallplates are located in bedrooms, kitchens, family rooms, offices, or anywhere else a satellite system might reside.

The DMS has advantages for system integrators and custom installers. They no longer have to anticipate future needs with dedicated and costly A/V or speaker cabling runs. Instead, they can simply install an extra run of inexpensive Cat 5 cabling to those locations in the home where a homeowner may want audio and video distributed in the future. Because Category 5 cabling is much easier to install and sells for a fraction of the cost of "designer" audio/video cables, the savings can be significant. This innovative technology is yet another example of the total future-ready methodology supported by Leviton and the Leviton Integrated Networks home system.

Decora Media System Fact Sheet

How the Decora Media System works
The DMS can take any composite RCA-based output, such as a computer's stereo audio and baseband video signals, and electronically match it to Category 5 Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) cable. To do this, the DMS uses proprietary active electronics in place of typical balancing/unbalancing (or "balun") passive components, and adds advanced active equalization circuitry to compensate for cable length runs.

The DMS consists of three components: a Send Unit for transmitting line-level audio/video signals from a source component (such as a PC, whole-house music server, CD-jukebox or DVD changer); a Receive unit(s) for receiving those signals (both Send and Receive units fit standard wallboxes and use Decora wallplates); and a Media hub for distributing those signals to Receive units located behind satellite entertainment systems (minisystems, high-end radios, personal electronics, etc.) throughout the house. All three units run on 12Volts DC and can be powered independently or through the Media Hub.

Both Send and Receive units are equipped with RJ-45 jacks and 110 punch-down blocks for maximum installation flexibility. In a typical application, a Send unit relays audio/video content to the Media Hub, which distributes this content to up to six Receive units throughout the home. As with PC hubs, multiple DMS hubs can be "linked" to expand the system to dozens of locations-in fact, the main distinguishing characteristic for Leviton's Decora Media concept is that it emulates PC system topology instead of 1970's-style stereo wiring. The Media Hub also incorporates an RJ-45 input for security video and other special applications.

DMS Advantages

• Low-cost solution for whole-house audio/video distribution: eliminates the need for expensive and hard to install dedicated A/V cable types (Cat 5 cabling typically sells for 1/10th the cost of designer cables and, depending on the AV connector to which it is compared, terminates many times faster).
• Contemporary, sleek product design using Decora® wallplates: blends with any decor.
• Better performance over much greater distances than "designer" A/V cables can achieve.
• The same type of wiring for a home office can be used for computer-based distributed audio/video files or home theater applications.
• Any structure that is correctly cabled with multiple runs of Category 5 cabling or higher is ready for any present or future audio/video technologies.

DMS Applications

• Whole-house distribution of line-level composite AV signals from DVD players, CD jukeboxes, audio servers, PC-based files, and any other audio/video source.
• Whole-house distribution of entertainment from PC-based or "entertainment server"-based broadband Internet connections including MP3, MPEG video and Internet radio.
• Can be used with other video sources in specialized applications (such as video camera systems and related components as part of a home security system).