2013 Update to Rollerblades and Red Bull

Excited to start 2013 with a travel bang!

To all our friends down under - we are coming in 45 days! (Feb 8-19, 2013)

Flying into Melbourne, renting a car and driving through Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane to Cairns - then flying over to Auckland, New Zealand. Our Christmas gift to each other.

100 Country Rollerblade and Red Bull backstory is here: http://jaymcbain.blogspot.com/2010/11/100-country-rollerblades-and-red-bull.html

and here: http://jaymcbain.blogspot.com/2012/01/update-on-rollerblades-red-bull-tour.html

(List of countries below)

Updated map:  On target for 100 countries:

Plan to 100 (not including repeats):


1972
Canada

1980
USA
Mexico

1996
Britain
France

2002
Portugal
Spain

2003
Bahamas

2004
Cuba

2008
Greece
Germany
Netherlands
Belgium
Luxembourg
Switzerland
Italy
Slovenia
Slovakia
Austria
Hungary
Poland
Czech Republic

2009
Vatican City
China
Hong Kong
Macau

2010
Argentina
Uruguay
Brazil
Haiti
Jamaica
Cayman Islands
South Africa
Lesotho
Namibia
Botswana
Mozambique
Swaziland

2011
Iceland
Denmark
Sweden
Norway
Finland
Vietnam
Indonesia
Malaysia
Cambodia
Thailand
Philippines
Singapore

2012
Russia
Ukraine
Estonia
Latvia
Lithuania
Belarus

2013
Australia (planned)
New Zealand (planned)
India (planned)
Pakistan (planned)
Bhutan (planned)
Nepal (planned)
Bangladesh (planned)
Burma (planned)

** 64 countries by end of 2013 **


As of Feb 2013 will have seen... 

33% of world countries (60/195)
49% of world population (3.4/6.9B)

60% of world land mass (80/135M sq.KM)

Detailed Spreadsheet:

58	30%		48.80%		59.57%
# of Countries	of world visited		Population		Land Mass
		World (land only, excl. Antarctica)	6,936,289,500		134,940,000
Visited		Russia	141,927,297		17,098,242
Visited		Canada	33,740,000		9,984,670
Visited		United States	311,950,000		9,826,675
Visited		China	1,345,610,000		9,640,821
Visited		Brazil	195,112,055		8,514,877
Visited		Australia	22,828,648		7,682,300
Visited		Argentina	40,091,359		2,780,400
Visited		Mexico	107,550,697		1,958,201
Visited		Indonesia	237,556,363		1,904,569
Visited		South Africa	50,586,757		1,221,037
Visited		Namibia	2,171,000		824,292
Visited		Mozambique	22,894,000		801,590
Visited		Ukraine	46,936,000		603,700
Visited		Botswana	1,950,000		581,730
Visited		France (Metropolitan)	62,793,432		551,500
Visited		Thailand	64,232,760		513,115
Visited		Spain	46,087,170		506,030
Visited		Sweden	9,366,092		449,964
Visited		Norway	4,936,900		385,155
Visited		Germany	81,757,600		357,022
Visited		Finland	5,389,683		338,145
Visited		Vietnam	85,789,573		331,689
Visited		Malaysia	28,306,700		329,847
Visited		Poland	38,163,895		312,685
Visited		Italy	60,200,060		301,318
Visited		Philippines	92,226,600		300,076
Visited		New Zealand	4,315,800		270,534
Visited		United Kingdom	62,041,708		243,610
Visited		Belarus	9,755,106		207,600
Visited		Cambodia	14,805,000		181,035
Visited		Uruguay	3,463,197		175,016
Visited		Greece	11,306,183		131,957
Visited		Cuba	11,306,183		109,886
Visited		Iceland	318,452		103,000
Visited		Hungary	10,013,628		93,032
Visited		Portugal	10,636,888		92,391
Visited		Austria	8,372,930		83,858
Visited		Czech Republic	10,532,770		78,866
Visited		Lithuania	3,053,800		65,300
Visited		Latvia	2,248,961		64,600
Visited		Slovakia	5,424,057		49,033
Visited		Estonia	1,340,021		45,100
Visited		Denmark	5,532,531		43,094
Visited		Netherlands	16,690,000		41,526
Visited		Switzerland	7,761,800		41,284
Visited		Belgium	10,827,519		30,528
Visited		Lesotho	2,067,000		30,355
Visited		Haiti	10,033,000		27,750
Visited		Slovenia	2,079,344		20,256
Visited		Swaziland	1,185,000		17,364
Visited		The Bahamas	342,000		13,878
Visited		Jamaica	2,719,000		10,991
Visited		Puerto Rico (US)	3,982,000		8,875
Visited		Luxembourg	502,207		2,586
Visited		Hong Kong (China)	7,003,700		1,104
Visited		Singapore	5,076,700		710.2
Visited		Macau (China)	541,200		29.2
Visited		Vatican City	826		0.44
		India	1,210,193,422		3,287,240
		Kazakhstan	15,776,492		2,724,900
		Algeria	34,895,000		2,381,741
		Democratic Republic of the Congo	68,692,542		2,344,858
		Greenland (Denmark)	57,000		2,175,600
		Saudi Arabia	28,146,658		2,149,690
		Sudan	31,894,000		1,886,068
		Libya	6,420,000		1,759,540
		Iran	74,196,000		1,648,195
		Mongolia	2,671,000		1,564,116
		Peru	29,461,933		1,285,216
		Chad	11,274,106		1,284,000
		Niger	15,290,000		1,267,000
		Angola	18,498,000		1,246,700
		Mali	14,517,176		1,240,192
		Colombia	46,083,384		1,138,914
		Ethiopia	79,221,000		1,104,300
		Bolivia	9,879,000		1,098,581
		Mauritania	3,291,000		1,025,520
		Egypt	80,143,443		1,001,449
		Tanzania	43,739,000		945,087
		Nigeria	154,729,000		923,768
		Venezuela	29,328,309		916,445
		Pakistan	176,870,000		803,940
		Turkey	77,804,122		783,562
		Chile	17,277,793		756,096
		Zambia	12,935,000		752,618
		Myanmar (Burma)	50,020,000		676,578
		Afghanistan	29,863,010		652,090
		Somalia	9,133,000		637,657
		Central African Republic	4,422,000		622,984
		South Sudan	8,260,490		619,745
		Madagascar	20,653,556		587,041
		Kenya	39,802,000		580,367
		Yemen	23,580,000		527,968
		Turkmenistan	5,110,000		488,100
		Cameroon	19,522,000		475,442
		Papua New Guinea	6,732,000		462,840
		Uzbekistan	27,488,000		447,400
		Morocco	32,223,787		446,550
		Iraq	30,747,000		438,317
		Paraguay	6,349,000		406,752
		Zimbabwe	13,009,530		390,757
		Japan	127,387,000		377,873
		Republic of the Congo	3,998,904		342,000
		Côte d'Ivoire	21,075,000		322,463
		Oman	2,845,000		309,500
		Ecuador	14,725,658		283,561
		Burkina Faso	15,757,000		274,000
		Gabon	1,475,000		267,668
		Western Sahara (status disputed)	513,000		266,000
		Guinea	10,069,000		245,857
		Uganda	32,710,000		241,038
		Ghana	23,837,000		238,533
		Romania	21,466,174		238,391
		Laos	6,320,000		236,800
		Guyana	762,000		214,969
		Kyrgyzstan	5,482,000		199,900
		Senegal	12,534,000		196,722
		Syria	21,906,000		185,180
		Suriname	520,000		163,820
		Tunisia	10,327,800		163,610
		Nepal	29,331,000		147,181
		Bangladesh	142,319,000		143,998
		Tajikistan	6,952,000		143,100
		Somaliland (Somalia; claims independence)	3,500,000		137,600
		Nicaragua	5,743,000		130,000
		North Korea	24,051,706		120,538
		Malawi	15,263,000		118,484
		Eritrea	5,073,000		117,600
		Benin	8,935,000		112,622
		Honduras	7,466,000		112,492
		Liberia	3,476,608		111,369
		Bulgaria	7,351,234		110,912
		Guatemala	14,027,000		108,889
		South Korea	48,456,369		99,538
		French Guiana (France)	187,056		90,000
		Jordan	6,316,000		89,342
		Azerbaijan	9,165,000		86,600
		United Arab Emirates	4,599,000		83,600
		Serbia (excluding Kosovo)	7,800,000		77,474
		Panama	3,454,000		75,517
		Sierra Leone	5,696,000		71,740
		Ireland	4,581,269		70,273
		Georgia	4,465,000		69,700
		Sri Lanka	20,238,000		65,610
		Togo	6,619,000		56,785
		Croatia	4,443,000		56,538
		Bosnia and Herzegovina	3,843,126		51,129
		Costa Rica	4,579,000		51,100
		Dominican Republic	10,090,000		48,671
		Bhutan	2,162,546		47,000
		Guinea-Bissau	1,611,000		36,125
		Taiwan	23,069,345		35,980
		Moldova	3,567,500		33,844
		Armenia	3,230,100		29,800
		Solomon Islands	523,000		28,896
		Albania	3,195,000		28,748
		Equatorial Guinea	676,000		28,051
		Burundi	8,303,000		27,834
		Rwanda	9,998,000		26,338
		Republic of Macedonia	2,114,550		25,713
		Djibouti	864,000		23,200
		Belize	322,100		23,000
		El Salvador	6,163,000		21,041
		Israel	7,697,600		20,770
		New Caledonia (France)	244,410		18,575
		Fiji	849,000		18,274
		Kuwait	2,985,000		17,818
		East Timor	1,134,000		14,874
		Montenegro	630,548		14,026
		Vanuatu	240,000		12,189
		Falkland Islands (United Kingdom)	3,140		12,173
		The Gambia	1,705,000		11,295
		Qatar	1,409,000		11,000
		Lebanon	4,224,000		10,452
		Cyprus	801,851		9,251
		Abkhazia (Georgia; claims independence)	200,000		7,138
		Palestinian territories	4,100,000		6,020
		Brunei	400,000		5,765
		Trinidad and Tobago	1,339,000		5,130
		Transnistria (Moldova)	555,347		4,163
		Cape Verde	506,807		4,033
		French Polynesia (France)	256,603		4,000
		South Ossetia (Georgia; claims independence)	70,000		3,900
		Northern Cyprus (status disputed)	287,856		3,355
		Samoa	184,984		2,831
		Réunion (France)	785,139		2,510
		Comoros	676,000		2,235
		Mauritius	1,288,000		2,040
		Guadeloupe (France)	405,000		1,628
		Faroe Islands (Denmark)	49,006		1,399
		Martinique (France)	402,000		1,128
		Sao Tome and Principe	163,000		964
		Dominica	78,940		751
		Tonga	104,000		747
		Kiribati	99,350		726
		Bahrain	791,000		720
		Federated States of Micronesia	111,000		702
		Isle of Man	80,000		572
		Guam (US)	178,000		549
		Saint Lucia	172,000		539
		Andorra	86,000		468
		Northern Mariana Islands (US)	87,000		464
		Palau	20,000		459
		Seychelles	84,000		455
		Curaçao (Netherlands)	142,180		444
		Antigua and Barbuda	88,000		442
		Barbados	256,000		430
		Turks and Caicos Islands (UK)	33,000		417
		Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	109,000		388
		Mayotte (France)	186,452		374
		United States Virgin Islands (US)	110,000		347
		Grenada	104,000		344
		Malta	416,333		316
		Maldives	309,000		298
		Cayman Islands (UK)	56,000		264
		Saint Kitts and Nevis	52,000		261
		Niue (New Zealand)	2,000		260
		Saint-Pierre and Miquelon (France)	6,125		242
		Cook Islands (New Zealand)	20,000		236
		Wallis and Futuna (France)	15,480		200
		American Samoa (US)	67,000		199
		Aruba (Netherlands)	107,000		193
		Marshall Islands	62,000		181
		Liechtenstein	35,981		160
		British Virgin Islands (UK)	23,000		151
		Saint Helena (UK)	4,918		122
		Jersey	92,500		116
		Montserrat (UK)	5,900		102
		Anguilla (UK)	15,000		91
		Guernsey	65,726		78
		San Marino	30,800		61
		Saint-Martin (France)	35,263		53.2
		Bermuda (UK)	65,000		53
		Sint Maarten (Netherlands)	37,429		34
		Tuvalu	10,441		26
		Nauru	10,000		21
		Saint-Barthélemy (France)	8,450		21
		Tokelau (New Zealand)	1,378		12
		Gibraltar (UK)	31,000		6.8
		Pitcairn Islands (UK)	67		5
		Monaco	33,000		1.95

Future is about context not content

The future is about "context" not content - think sensors, wearable computing, big databases, social network behavior, motion and as the real-estate industry would say, location-location-location.

Get a sneak peak into the near future by the very people that are creating it:

http://scobleizer.com/2012/12/17/the-contextual-and-exponential-future-of-facebook/

Infographic: Managed Services

Replacing Drywall with Knowledge

The latest innovation in healthcare involves the use of walls and surfaces as computing devices.  It is a natural extension to a digital signage solution and improves communication while contributing to safer patient outcomes.  Located in a number of different healthcare facilities including hospital operating rooms, education centers and research labs.

Walls of Knowledge provide Integrators excellent opportunity around the consulting, design, hardware sales and installation, software integration as well as ongoing maintenance and professional services.  These are unique and highly customized solutions that automatically gather critical information from diverse systems, synchronize it with people and processes, and present it on rich displays.

The integrated displays have a measurable impact on the work of operating room teams and medical education professionals.  Pilots are currently underway across the world with numerous case studies available from the likes of Columbia University Medical Center, Weill Cornell Medical Center and Saint Luke’s Healthcare in Kansas City.

A major benefit to a Wall of Knowledge is Telementoring.  Medical specialists are sharing knowledge with one another across the world through virtual tools. With advanced audio, video and IT capabilities, the operating room has become a virtual classroom.  Additionally, with permission and web access, viewers not only see and hear a surgeon at work, but also observe the operation in context.

Remote viewers see all information on the patient and procedure as it appears on a dashboard during surgery. Other information, such as PACS, pathology specimens, and lab reports, are also on display for the remote viewer.

How to sell a Wall of Knowledge

The solution drives better outcomes by integrating information from critical clinical processes in the operating room, enhancing overall workflow, while focusing on patient-centered care.  It provides the surgical team with a complete picture of what’s going on in the operating room precisely as its happening.  Among the innovations involved, it automates the “safe surgery checklists” prescribed by the World Health Organization, the Joint Commission, and other groups.

Most software solutions are structured in a dashboard format, helping to reduce surgical errors and complications by helping team members to document compliance with protocols, and confirming the correct patient, procedure and site prior to surgery.  The Wall of Knowledge will ensure pre-procedure verifications are documented and the Time Out checklist is completed.

Other benefits of this solution include improving awareness and communication in the operating room, increasing the safety of medications, and reducing the risk of infections.  By facilitating teamwork among caregivers, it ensures that information is managed in real-time, properly handed off and staff is accounted for as they enter and leave the environment.

Designing the Solution

The technology must be central to the action, accessible, but not intrusive to the high-paced environment.   The user experience must be focused on ease of use, while acknowledging that healthcare professionals using the system will range from early adopters to laggards.  The audio visual system will need to support modern healthcare facilities and be compliant for this ecosystem.  Operating rooms vary considerably from facility to facility.  An Integrator will be able to assess the environment and recommend the best solution.

Quality of the AV hardware is very important for displaying surgical and endoscopic video, pathology specimen, PACS, and other images as well as providing telecommunication links between the operating room and other areas.  The Wall of Knowledge should support one-touch control for managing monitors, lighting, cameras, temperature, and other environmental settings as well.

Increasing the efficiency of your healthcare customer will yield more profitable reimbursements and lead to higher patient and staff satisfaction. 

Walls of Knowledge are a true win-win for the Integrator and healthcare decision maker.  The complexity of the solution, combined with the level of design, consulting and integration will drive projects that are longer term, revenue intensive and highly profitable.

iPhone 5 vs. Samsung Galaxy S III

I have had 4 smartphones in the past 52 days - not by choice - here is a summary of my personal experience:

I started with an iPhone 4 with AT&T and ordered the iPhone 5 which was activated on Sept 21.  Like many people, my expectations were sky high on the new phone and it didn't quite live up to the hype.

For example, I was hoping for a longer AND wider screen.  I was hoping for NFC for payments and digital wallet. I was hoping for something that could chop veggies, blend smoothies and write blogs for me automatically.  

I will be interested in how Apple handles the next big announce.  It is not unlike a Presidential debate - lower expectations as far as you can and then meet or exceed them.

One funny story (at least afterward) was the maps.  I arrived in Atlanta and decided to walk from the center of downtown to the Sheraton.  The maps took me for a 1 mile walk in the wrong direction and landed me in the middle of a college campus.  

I used Google maps inside a browser to get me back on track and ended up getting hit by a car.  First time in my life - I was thrown 30 feet down the road!  Anyway, all is well - no injuries or lasting effects - but a lifelong memory about iOS 6 all the same.

Next business trip was to Las Vegas where my room was broken into as I slept.  They stole about $80 in cash and my shiny new iPhone 5.  Again, no injury or lasting effects, but now I was in need of a new phone.

The shortage of iPhone's (no doubt causing a stock price drop for Apple right now) caused me to linger - perhaps for too long - in the AT&T store.  I started looking at the Samsung Galaxy S III and getting excited about the launch of the Galaxy Note 2.

My choices were simple - wait 3 weeks for an iPhone 5 (while using a 90's era flip phone during that time) or get the Samsung Galaxy S III with a 30 day money-back guarantee.

My initial perceptions of the Samsung were:

- big, bold, beautiful screen

- replaceable battery

- memory expansion - I quickly bought a 64GB SD card from Amazon.com

- cool cover that snaps on back and protects the screen

- ability to control Android much better than the homogeneous Apple environment

After about a month, my initial excitement wore off and certain realities set in.  A couple of them would end of being deal breakers:

- battery life was dismal - I was getting 6-7 hours with minimal usage.  3-4 hours with heavier usage.  I figured that all of my apps were polling the network at different times so it really never slept.  Apple seems to have better integration.

- the unit ran warm/hot - I figured because it was always working it kept my pocket noticeably warm.

- button placement - having power and volume at same spot on either side - meant I was always either turning it off or muting it when I didn't want to.  To push a button you need to put leverage on the opposite side, which didn't work - especially on this larger device.

- Messaging, phone and voicemail are not integrated - I was forced to run the AT&T app for voicemail which doesn't have a good notification engine.  Text messages were not shown on the screen and I ended up missing calls and texts.  Unacceptable for business.

- Android lacks unity and integration.  I felt I was using a PC from the 90's with a bunch of shareware loaded.  Taking a picture, then switching apps to look at it and then switching again to do something with the picture didn't make sense.

- Camera, while the specs are the same, isn't on par with Apple.  The quality of the pictures was lower and the panorama didn't work as well.  It was faster however.

- Typing and type-ahead was frustrating.  Apple is frustrating at times as well, but the Android keyboard was worse in terms of spelling, suggestions and corrections.

- I got a sense that app developers were going Apple first with new features and ease of use.  I got a sense most of my apps were n-1.

- Widgets were nice - getting real-time weather, sports, news, music, etc. was a nice touch without having to go into app.  I bet Apple will have this in iOS 7.

With 3 days left on my 30 day guarantee I was left with 2 choices:

1.  Go back to iPhone 5 (now in stock)

2.  Upgrade to Galaxy Note 2

I chose to go back to iPhone 5 because of the issues above.  While the Galaxy Note 2 with a huge 5.5 inch screen and stylus would have been perfect for me - none of the above issues from the Galaxy S III were properly addressed.

Upgrading from Android Ice Cream Sandwich to Jelly Bean is mostly a cosmetic one and doesn't fix some of the core integration issues that I had.

So, that is my story.  4 phones in 52 days and I have made a final decision - Apple.  Of course, I will be looking to upgrade next year when Apple announces the iPhone 5w.  That will be a wide version with a 4.8" screen similar to the Galaxy S III.  

It could have a quad core processor, NFC and more memory - but the main thing will be to fill in the iPhone narrow, iPhone wide, iPad mini to iPad regular product line.  

(Pure speculation of course, I don't know anything more than you do!)

2 Year Anniversary

My fiance, Michelle Ragusa, is the most amazing person I have ever met!

On our 2 year anniversary yesterday she made this amazing video of our last 12 months:

A free digital slideshow by Smilebox

And here is the first 12 months our awesome journey:

Another photo slideshow by Smilebox

Birthday Celebrations!

My youngest daughter becomes a teenager today and my youngest Chameleon turns 1 - Sept 30 is a great day!

http://blog.channeleyes.com/2012/09/birthday-alert-channeleyes-turns-1-today.html

Facebook Statistics

Do you like Facebook and are a fan of statistics?  A company called Wolfram has taken profile analysis to the next level.  

Here is the tool:

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=facebook

Check out a 9 page infographic of my Facebook usage since 2006:

Why Mobility Could One Day Save Your Life (and Business)

By: Jay McBain

One of the most exciting areas in healthcare is the emergence of new telemedicine technologies.  The use of long-distance video and data hookups linking remote community hospitals with specialists in large centers is saving lives.  In fact, recent studies have shown that telemedicine can provide the same level of care as having everyone in the same room.

New technologies are being introduced that are significantly improving the quantity and quality of patient outcomes.  Adding to this, a new level of specialization is emerging, allowing a much broader application of these technologies:

Telecardiology                                  Telepsychiatry                                Teleradiology

Telepathology                                   Teledermatology                             Teledentistry

Telesurgery                                       Teletrauma                                     Telerehabilitation

Telepharmacy                                   Telenursing                                     Telestroke

Here are some key trends driving new possibilities and challenges in remote healthcare:

Mobility – We are currently experiencing the first phase of pervasive computing, where billions of people will be leveraging trillions of devices and sensors.  The surge of smartphones and tablets, combined with the saturation of laptops, is driving a global phenomenon where society is connected all the time, regardless of location.  Thousands of new mobility products are emerging such as the connected automobile, refrigerators, glass surfaces right down to WiFi enabled toothbrushes.  Hundreds of WiFi enabled medical device categories have also emerged from simple weight scales, blood pressure monitors to more complex remote diagnostic equipment.

Ubiquitous Connectivity – One of the main limitations of early telemedicine solutions was the cost/complexity of obtaining quality bandwidth.  According to the World Bank, over 75% of the world’s population now has access to cell phones with over 6 billion devices now in use.  These cell networks are steadily improving and the majority of them now support seamless video across broadband level speeds.

Cloud Computing – The transition of key healthcare applications into the cloud has been growing steadily over the past few years.  It got a relatively slow start due to factors such as country specific regulations, fears of patient record security as well as industry demographics.  Applications are becoming smarter as more critical information is shared and more accessible as mobility and connectivity are driving more use cases.

Demographics – Doctors entering the system now, the so-called “millennials”, were born into the PC generation and have likely carried a mobile phone for over half their lives.  In fact, a recent study reported 70% of younger doctors report they use their smartphone clinically.  Healthcare will continue the virtual trend as baby boomer doctors retire and new generations of technology inclined doctors take their place. 

Consumerization – With the growth of consumer devices for self-diagnosis and treatment, combined with the proliferation of personal social networks, a number of potential pitfalls could arise in delivering telemedicine.  Imagine diagnosing a patient in 140 characters over Twitter or an impromptu Skype session dealing with sensitive medical issues.  While this may seem insecure and ineffective, consumer behavior may demand the health industry explore these mediums.

At the speed these new technologies are driving telemedicine, there remains significant barriers to adoption in emergency and critical care units. One major barrier is the regulatory challenges related to the difficulty and cost of obtaining licensure across multiple states, malpractice protection and privileges at multiple facilities. 

Another barrier is the lack of acceptance and reimbursement by government payers and some commercial insurance carriers creating a major financial barrier, which places the investment burden squarely upon the hospital or healthcare system.  Finally, cultural barriers exist driving a lack of desire of some doctors to adapt clinical paradigms for telemedicine applications.

How do Technology Providers take advantage of these trends?

The future of healthcare will be very personal and in real-time.  Facilities will need to be connected with the latest video, audio and networking technologies to enable specialists to connect with their patients immediately and deliver the quality necessary to improve outcomes. 

Health professionals will need to be armed with these tools regardless of their location.  Telemedicine will evolve from point to point connections across facilities to person to person across pervasive devices.  The doctor may be in his car while the patient could be out in the middle of a farm field – with other specialists and local emergency response teams all listening in.

The opportunities around consulting, integration, technology deployment, remote management, industry compliance management and service will grow significantly over the next 5 years.  Understanding industry and technology trends and being able to deliver the services, hardware and software to enable specialized solutions will be the key.

Will HDBaseT Replace HDMI in Healthcare?

HDBaseT is poised to replace HDMI as the new A/V/control standard in clinics, hospitals and other healthcare environments.

HDBaseT technology runs over standard Cat5e/6 cable and implements something it calls 5Play, a feature-set that converges full uncompressed HD video, audio, 100BaseT Ethernet, and various control signals. Perhaps the most compelling difference is that it transmits up to 100W of power - enough to drive a 37-inch TV. The inclusion of power within the feature set is particularly applicable to the healthcare market where installers are often burdened by the requirement for proximity to an outlet.

Another benefit is that it can extend up to 100 meters passively. HDBaseT has the bandwidth to support the highest video resolutions such as full HD 1080p as well as 3D and 2Kx4K formats. It is promising to be the first to provide all-in-one connectivity, making it possible for a single-connector TV to receive power, video/audio, internet, and control signals from the same cable.

Without jumping into too much of a technical discussion, HDBaseT is able to send much more information than HDMI over a set of 8 wires within a standard Cat5e or Cat6 cable because it uses much lower frequency modulated packets. These are not IP packets like you find in Ethernet and are not subjected to typical electromagnetic interference. Thus, the cables can run alongside medical devices and other infrastructure and not suffer signal degradation.

5Play – The future of networking in healthcare?

HDBaseT's protocol allows you to network your displays and other sources, similar to a home data network. The HDBaseT Alliance organization calls this 5Play and they demonstrated healthcare specific applications at the HIMSS (Healthcare Information & Management Systems) conference in February.  Future capabilities include diagnostic and testing machines, creating a new method of testing patients where the technician doesn't have to be in the same room.  This could be a breakthrough in healthcare and increase the efficiency and safety of medical professionals.

HDBaseT healthcare use cases could include display installations in patient rooms, lobbies, triage, waiting areas and more. HDBaseT can also link medical imaging devices such as CT and X-ray scanners to remote monitors, reducing technicians’ exposure to radiation.

The AV industry has become weary of new standards, many of them never hitting the market. HDBaseT took special precautions by founding the group with heavyweights like LG, Samsung, Valens Semiconductor and Sony Pictures and waited to announce and promote the new standard until after the HDBaseT 1.0 specification was finished. Work is already underway on 2.0, but 1.0 is announced and available with products supporting it out of the gate.

HDBaseT does bring a true standard - a unified and simplified protocol - to the market, not just a new cable.

What's Next?

Today, there is a growing abundance of content in the healthcare facility, including video, images and data. As HDTVs and other devices proliferate throughout the industry, the amount of content, and the ability to move it around the facility, becomes more complicated for integrators. The next stage in networking is the ability to control and distribute this content securely and be able to manage it effectively.

HDBaseT does have some weaknesses and needs to planned and managed carefully. Since HDBaseT is IP-based and carries a lot of data intensive information, it can easily overrun network traffic. It is important to isolate the data stream from the video stream which may mean running a local network for AV signals with a bridge to a data network for control and management. Expect commercial level products to come to market that have separate ports for signal transport and data/control transport.  Length of cable is still important for image quality and some legacy clinics and hospitals have challenging cabling environments.

Given the pros and cons, HDBaseT technology is well-positioned to offer a simple solution to meet the healthcare industry’s growing needs and will likely be an important consideration in the years to come.

40 Years in 20 Seconds

I remember when these morphing tools were popular in the early 90's.

Here is almost 40 years in 20 seconds:

Jay McBain....through the years