Kramer announced today the release of the WP-5VH2 ultra HD HDBaseT active wall plate auto switcher, the first of its kind to offer 4K resolution (at the 2K price point) with EDID management, HDMI, VGA, unbalanced stereo audio, HDMI audio embedding and de-embedding, and stretching.

“We believe the WP-5VH2 is the best 4K auto switcher and range extender in the wall plate category,” said Aviv Ron, VP Business Development and Strategy at Kramer Electronics. “The product takes full advantage of HDBaseT technology and delivers the full feature set of audio and video switching that is the trademark of Kramer,” he added.  “It is very easy to configure through a web page and provides a convenient solution for any AV system in any size room.”

In spaces where power sources are difficult to reach, the unit can be powered remotely via HDBaseT using a Power over Ethernet injector (e.g., Kramer PSE-1).

“Power over Ethernet is a huge advantage in university lecture halls or even hotel rooms,” said Ron. “You don’t have to worry where the power supply is.”

The Kramer WP-5VH2 can transmit data to a compatible receiver (e.g., the Kramer TP-588D or Kramer TP-580RXR) up to 100 meters with 4K and up to 180 meters with 1080p60 via a CAT6a twisted pair cable.

Many competing HDBaseT solutions cannot support newer video sources that now offer faster Display Data Channel (DDC) rates. The WP-5VH2 overcomes this problem with an integrated solution that enables any source to be connected regardless of its DDC rate.