What’s A Plugfest?
March 12, 2010 |
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Along with my Apple TV, I had to purchase a HDMI to DVI cable. I have an older TV without an HDMI connection so this is the cable I thought would get me the best picture. I easily connected it to the television and was able to use every function except for watching a movie (purchased or rented). A message would pop up that blocked the movie due to Digital Content Protection.
After sulking at the thought of buying more cables to use for this device to work with my old TV, I realized, “Hey, this is exactly what CEA’s PlugFest is for!” In that moment I realized just how much CEA’s Technology and Standards department, where I work, is instrumental in furthering technology for consumers. Think of how many cables we would have to buy if there was not a standard cable for connecting devices to our TVs? Which brand, what type and how many? Standards make life a lot easier for technology consumers. Even a friend of mine’s five year-old knows that connecting his Nintendo Wii means matching the Ketchup, Mustard and Mayonnaise wires!
This April will mark my three year anniversary working for CEA and I have now staffed six of the CEA HDMI/Digital Content Protection PlugFests. These bi-annual events bring out engineers from Consumer Electronics companies that test HDMI transmitters and receivers. The data collected from these tests is reviewed and discussed on CEA’s R4.8 DTV Interface Subcommittee. The results collected contribute to the content of the CEA Standard CEA-861-E: A DTV Profile for Uncompressed High Speed Digital Interfaces. Seamless interoperability among the devices that rely upon this standard ensures a positive consumer experience and reduces product returns.
So when you connect your source (i.e. a gaming device or set-top box) to a receiver (your television) via HDMI cable, and it works as expected, that is the result that these engineers are aiming for. They spend a week at the PlugFest , typically held in a hotel, ironing out the kinks in these products and their connections before they hit the market. Sources carry their roaming devices from room to room to test with receivers, the stationary devices, to verify that the components communicate the way that they should.
Without PlugFests, engineers would have to travel to and from each of the various companies to test their devices. So PlugFests help to reduce the carbon footprint of CE companies by reducing flights and freight shipping, and instead, gathering companies to test their devices in one location. It brings together engineers working on similar products tackling similar problems allowing them to work together for the ideal solution.
Photos of the March 2010 PlugFest held at the CEA offices in Arlington, VA courtesy of John Lindsey.
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