Well, Icron Technologies, providers of ExtremeUSB USB extension products, has launched its new ExtremeLink family of KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) extenders that combine high quality HD video and USB 2.0 peripheral support for remote desktop applications within the office, factory floor, hospital or retail/commercial environment.

The company shipped me its ExtremeLink 3500 model from its Burnaby, BC, headquarters to test for Canadian Electronics readers, just to see what I thought. Talk about a set-up no-brainer!
First of all, there is no software to install. I borrowed 50 m of Cat 5 cable (it’s not included out-of-the-box) from my IT department to complete the test, although Icron boasts the 3500 KVM unit can operate up to 500 m away.

I took everything home to test, thinking I could use one of my widescreen LCD TV monitors. Unfortunately, my units all have VGA inputs, while the KVM works with DVI connections.

Luckily, my home computer monitor (had to kick the kids off of YouTube for half and hour) supports both VGA and DVI, so I was able to complete the 3500 KVM product test in a manner of minutes. Talk about plug-and-play!

At 50 m in distance, there was no apparently latency watching 720p video content, mouse clicks or keyboard commands, as well as clear audio. So while my home media room is no industrial production line as a hostile environment, I can definitely see the advantage of Icron’s KVM technology in rugged settings.

So what “magic” technology does Icron bring to the table? According to Brian Donnelly, Icron VP of Marketing and Business Development, “The ExtremeLink product line offers a strong value proposition by delivering high quality video over long distances via Cat 5 and true USB 2.0 support over LAN.

“The core of the platform is Icron’s new video processing engine that produces consistent high resolution, superior picture quality, and low latency over distance, providing our customers long distance support previously only achievable via expensive fibre optic products.”

Icron notes that its KVM extenders allow computers to be located remotely from the user resulting in installation ease, reduced space requirements, increased security, simplified system administration, and reduced heat/noise generation. While the products aren’t intended for consumers, markets that do benefit from KVM extenders include industrial automation, medical imaging/diagnostics, Small Medium Business (SMB), digital signage, pro-audio/visual, broadcast, government, and movie post production where the KVM extender offers full PC computing power and peripheral support with all the benefits of having a remote PC.

The ExtremeLink series consists of the ExtremeLink 3500 which features the reach of fibre, up to 500 m, over a single standard inexpensive Cat 5 cable for connectivity, and the ExtremeLink 4500 (due 2010 Q4) that supports Local Area Network (LAN) connectivity. Both models deliver DVI graphics up to 1680 x 1050 (WSXGA) resolution. Each ExtremeLink product incorporates Icron’s patented ExtremeUSB technology which supports the billions of USB 1.1 and 2.0 devices in the market.

There is an optional rack mount kit available and support for additional USB hubs and devices including keyboard, mouse, webcam, flash drive, speakers, microphones, touchscreen, game controllers, and other USB 1.1 and 2.0 devices.

http://www.icron.com/products/usb_new/extremelink-3500-dvi-audio-and-usb20-cat5-extender.php.
http://www.icron.com