Accell B086B-001B UltraAV DisplayPort/HDMI-A Adapter

When we were at CEDIA 2009 we spent quite a bit of time at the ACCELL booth.  This company manufactures high quality interconnects at affordable prices and we were particularly interested in their new AVGrip High Speed Locking HDMI cable.  In fact we voted it the "best in show."  The people at the ACCELL booth were demonstrating the locking HDMI male jack by inserting it into the female jack of this DisplayPort/HDMI-A Adapter and we were intrigued by this little device so we took a closer look.

As HDMI becomes the almost ubiquitous connector in the world of Home Theater there are still other connectors out there either vying for attention or at least present on a variety of equipment.  Among these are DisplayPort jacks which are found on some computers (such as certain Apple Computers and some Dell Computer models, among others).  While DisplayPort has it's place in some high definition applications (such as medical displays) it usually just complicates things for Home Theater buffs who are trying to standardize on a few basic connectors and connections.  The added features in terms of resolution of DisplayPort are generally lost on those interested in HD Home Theater applications.  What the ACCELL B086B-001B UltraAV DisplayPort/HDMI-A Adapter does - and does effectively - is to allow people with these Apple and Dell computers to seamlessly connect their output to an HDMI-equipped monitor or TV with a minimum of effort.  The adapter supports HDTV resolutions up to 1080p and 1920x1200 for computers.  It works with both DPCP (DisplayPort Content Protection) and HDCP (High Definition Content Protection) and therefore guarantees that all video content is transmitted.  A circuit built into the HDMI end of things converts the DisplayPort signal into the HDMI format.

One thing that I was not able to test is whether or not the adapter is able to pass through audio as well as video.  The DisplayPort standard calls for both video and audio transmission but not all computers implement the full DisplayPort functionality.  A quick review of the various boards seems to suggest that Apple, for example, does not fully implement DisplayPort and ignores the 8 channels of audio capability.  Therefore, be forewarned that the limitations of this device appear to be with the source and the display.  In most cases this is not an issue because Audio can still be transmitted via Toslink, USB and a variety of other connectors.  I would still prefer a single cable solution, just like fully functioning HDMI.  Update: I contacted the manufacturer to find out what audio compatibility the ACCELL adapter offered and was informed that it does support audio, up to eight channels uncompressed.  It was also confirmed that the only limitation on the adapter's features are subject to the capabilities of the computer, the display and the graphics solutions involved.  While I suspected that this would be the case it's always good to get verification from the source.  Based on this additional information I've adjusted my previous rating from 4½ to 5 stars.  It seems to be a product not only for today's applications but also poised to handle future needs as the equipment manufacturers get their connectivity acts together.

The ACCELL adapter is well made out of quality components and should stand up to rough treatment if exposed to it.  It is available at major outlets such as Amazon.com, usually slightly discounted from the $29.95 list price and is a nice solution if you have video connectivity issues.