Extron says fiber optic cables have emerged as the “new standard for AV designers and integrators concerned with future-proofing their systems and can be used for a complete AV cabling infrastructure or to augment a twisted pair or coaxial cabling installation.” As video technologies and standards continue to evolve, AV system designers and integrators are continuously challenged with providing a cable infrastructure to support high-resolution video, audio and control signals commonly used today and anticipating the needs of tomorrow. Today’s digital video standards require multi-gigabit data rates to deliver high-resolution video from the source to the display. For the moderate to long distances found in modern AV systems, fiber optic cables offer several advantages over coaxial and twisted pair cables. Leading AV designers and integrators have also learned that fiber optic cabling ensures their AV systems support the high-resolution digital video signals of today and provide a path to higher resolutions in the future.

Extron says the ability to design and install systems that function on fiber optic networks is becoming a competitive advantage for successful AV integrators. The company has developed a line of fiber optic extenders, distribution amplifiers, switchers and matrix switchers to help its customers benefit from the advantages of fiber optic technology. Extron manufactures fiber optic products to support modern digital standards, including DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI and 3G-SDI, as well as legacy analog video formats, such as RGB, HD component and standard definition video.

Extron also says the use of fiber optics in the AV industry offers the important advantage of sending multiple AV signals over extreme distances with zero signal degradation and complete immunity from outside interference. Signals sent through fiber are also “inherently secure, making fiber-based transmission the preferred choice in government, military, and medical applications. These advantages, together with the trend to include excess “dark” fiber in the design of modern facilities, make fiber optic products ideal for AV use in government buildings, military installations, airports, stadiums, and university or corporate campuses.”

Extron’s latest Fiber Optic Design Guide is free — you can download it here.