HDMI Fiber & Copper Cable Considerations

[gene]

<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><A href="http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/audioprinciples/interconnects/HDMICopperFiber.php"><IMG style="WIDTH: 125px; HEIGHT: 83px" alt=[hdmi12] hspace=10 src="http://www.audioholics.com/news/thumbs/hdmi12_th.jpg" align=left border=0></A>As digital displays become more popular, and more people understand that a DVI or HDMI "pure digital" connection delivers the best HD picture quality available today, the decision of which type of cable to use is challenging and requires thoughtful consideration. <?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O /></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp;</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">There are two choices when it comes to choosing the technology for your connection cable. Copper or Fiber Optic.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"></SPAN>This comparative guide, brought to you by PureLink, between these solutions documents the key considerations when&nbsp;selecting the right cabling solution for your digital video system.</SPAN></P>
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[jcPanny]

Fiber optic video

I understand the value of this technology for long cable runs of 100 feet or more, but $949 is pretty expensive for a 33 foot HDMI cable.
http://www.dtrovision.com/hdx.htm
Does it even support audio over HDMI?

While there are a lot of cheap cables that are probably not appropriate for 1080P, there are probably some more cost effective solutions for most HTs like high quality copper cables from Impact Acoustics or DVI Gear for distances up to 50 feet.

 

[ca_newbee]

When fiber optic hdmi is available it will be great for interconnects... my denon 2910 has a hdmi output and the denon avr has 2 hdmi inputs... its a pain to connect the two with a copper hdmi cable (in this case from DVI gear)

 

[HookedOnSound]

Because of the complexity/cost of testing/certifying fiber optic solutions, I doubt this technology will become mainstream in small HT setups, I think you might see it being more prevalent with professionnal installation setups.

What doesn't surprise is the fact that there is no mention of any certification tools for this connectivity solution. This is something I think is a necessity to develop in order to offer a successful product.

I'd like for you to pay attention to the following quote:

It is always important to test your cable before your installation. Make sure to check the return policy with the merchant before making a purchase. You don't want to run the cable under the floor or inside the wall and find out the cable is not working out for your system. Test your new cable for at least a few hours to ensure it works on all of your system’ supported formats.

Is this for real? in 2005? Call Fluke Corp. with the specs for HDMI and get them to build a tester.

 

[gene]

While there are a lot of cheap cables that are probably not appropriate for 1080P, there are probably some more cost effective solutions for most HTs like high quality copper cables from Impact Acoustics or DVI Gear for distances up to 50 feet.

Yes there are copper solutions for 50ft lengths and greater. However, when 1080p video is concered you need to use a quality booster to ensure no signal degradation. The two you mention happen to be some of the best out there for HDMI over copper, but there are some that will simply not cope with 1080p for lengths any greater than a few meters.

We will be gearing up on this in the near future to test HDMI cables and how they handle 1080p.

Fiber is certainly not the most cost effective solution but what audioholic/videoholic really cares about cost anyways

 

[mtrycrafts]

Yes there are copper solutions for 50ft lengths and greater. However, when 1080p video is concered you need to use a quality booster to ensure no signal degradation. The two you mention happen to be some of the best out there for HDMI over copper, but there are some that will simply not cope with 1080p for lengths any greater than a few meters.

We will be gearing up on this in the near future to test HDMI cables and how they handle 1080p.

Fiber is certainly not the most cost effective solution but what audioholic/videoholic really cares about cost anyways

Am I to understand that the conversion from electrical to light signal is in the plugs? Can the plug be added after the fiber is pulled through 1/2" hole?

 

[bob rapoport]

fiber optic question

From the factory to mtrycrafts:

We make two variations for DVI; the first is called OC, in which the connector is attached with the optical conversion electronics embedded into the actual DVI connector. This cable is not suitable for in-wall or conduits.

The other variation is called OBC, in which the optical conversion electronics are housed in small modules and the wire has a 1/2" radius which can be pulled through walls or conduit. Both of these models are HDCP compliant and can transmit up to 395 feet with no signal loss or noise.

Lastly, we make a model called OLC, also modular, but without HDCP compliance. It can go as far as 5000 feet without signal loss or degradation.

HDMI cables feature a connector that is so small, there is no room for the electronics. This design is always modular.

 

[mtrycrafts]

From the factory to mtrycrafts:

We make two variations for DVI; the first is called OC, in which the connector is attached with the optical conversion electronics embedded into the actual DVI connector. This cable is not suitable for in-wall or conduits.

The other variation is called OBC, in which the optical conversion electronics are housed in small modules and the wire has a 1/2" radius which can be pulled through walls or conduit. Both of these models are HDCP compliant and can transmit up to 395 feet with no signal loss or noise.

Lastly, we make a model called OLC, also modular, but without HDCP compliance. It can go as far as 5000 feet without signal loss or degradation.

HDMI cables feature a connector that is so small, there is no room for the electronics. This design is always modular.

What service, direct the the maker
Thanks for the info. If I understand you here, the OC type cable is preambled with the connector and cannot be taken apart in home then reassembled? such as an optical cable plugged into a component? That connector is rather small and would fish through 1/2" holes? Then this plug could plug into the conversion box?