Black Box Corporation has introduced MediaCento, a new line of solutions designed to reduce the cost of distributing media to digital signage in large buildings.

The plug-and-play hardware solutions include:

•   The MediaCento IP, which uses video-over-IP technology to distribute HD video and audio over an existing LAN. A single transmitter can deliver 1080p media, including Flash, DVD, and HDMI video content, at Gigabit speeds over Cat-5e or Cat-6 to an unlimited number of digital displays. By leveraging existing TCP/IP network connections to distribute multimedia content, businesses and organizations can avoid running expensive dedicated links from a back room to digital signage in lobbies or other public areas.

•   The MediaCento RF, which uses low-cost coax cabling to broadcast video and audio to one or more HDTV screens. Supporting both VGA and Component video source input, it encodes and modulates signals for single-channel RF transmission over existing coax wiring. The HDTV’s QAM tuner enables the reception of  the MediaCento channel, so no set-top box or other piece of hardware is required at the digital signage screen. The channel can even be combined with 133 other HDTV channels for broadcast to rooms throughout a hotel, hospital, or other building. The new MediaCento products complement Black Box’s popular line of HD View products for affordable point-to-point multimedia distribution. HD View transmitters and receivers distribute video and audio over dedicated copper wiring—the ordinary, inexpensive CATx cabling already in many buildings—extending VGA video as far as 1000 feet and digital HDMI video up to 230 feet. The VGA versions also support bidirectional RS-232 control, making them ideal for interactive kiosk screens.