Gefen, a manufacturer of computer interface products for video applications, recently announced its HDTV Extender, which uses ubiquitous Cat-5 computer network cable to allow HD viewing at a distance of up to 150 feet from the source. The HDTV Extender uses transmit and receive units that can be connected to a single power supply at either end. For greater distances, Gefen developed the DVI-1000, which uses fiber-optic cable to extend an HD display up to 1,640 feet from the source.

Both systems accommodate DVI- and HDMI-equipped components and can support video resolutions up to 1080i. DVI uses a 24-pin, video-only connector, while HDMI uses a smaller connector that can provide both HD video and multichannel audio in one cable.