Audio Precision has launched an advanced HDMI I/O option for their APx525 family of two and four channel audio analysers. The HDMI option had previously been available only for the eight-channel APx585. The new configuration is designed to match the needs of smartphone, tablet and set-top box manufacturers who require digital multichannel interfaces such as HDMI, but only have need for two channels of analogue audio. The APx525 family now supports HDMI, Bluetooth and the digital serial option, allowing comprehensive test of all inputs and outputs of modern audio devices. The APx HDMI option allows engineers to measure HDMI audio quality and audio format. All standard audio measurements are available or users can verify bit accuracy of bitstream mode, even for lossy codecs. The APx metadata recorder alerts the user when a source's EDID doesn't match the audio format being received by the analyzer. Conversely, users can arbitrarily edit APx's source EDID to test a sink's error-handling capability. In addition to generating linear / PCM audio streams, APx can stream lossless formats (such Dolby TrueHD or dts-HD Master Audio) and compressed formats (such as Dolby Digital and dts Digital Surround) from pre-encoded audio test files. HDMI is becoming standard on a new class of audio devices as consumers expect high-definition performance.
