An apparatus and method for extending high definition multimedia signals from a source to a display over long distances (e.g., up to 300 feet) using a single cable medium having a plurality of twisted pair conductors contained therein. The extender transparently supports HDMI and/or DVI signaling, which allows encrypted video content to be displayed at the remote display (or other sink device). Display data channel control (DDC) information is sampled and transferred in packet from the local unit to a remote unit to comply with high-bandwidth digital content protection (HDCP).