|
|
|
|
|
Ultra-thin HDMI Cable
The increases in picture quality (resolution, refresh rate) in the HDTV,
video, camera and computer arena have moved the technical performance
requirements of the cables you use to connect the picture source to the
display screen higher and higher. To make longer and longer cables that
work correctly to the HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) specifications
normally means that you have to use thicker and thicker wire, resulting
in stiff bulky cables.
The RedMere
company in Ireland has developed a different approach to this
requirement - they have developed tiny 'active' circuits which can fit
inside of the HDMI plugs to drive the signals over longer, thinner wires.
I recently recieved a sample cable from them to try out - and thought
for a moment that it was defective, until I realized that the 'active'
circuits in the cable required that the cable be plugged into my DVD player
with the active end there - and then I saw the label on the cable itself - one
end had "HDMI TV" printed on it, the other end just had "HDMI"!
Once plugged in correctly, the sample cable worked flawlessly. Of course,
I did not subject this cable to engineering tests, but the white cable, at almost twice
the length of the old black cable and about half the thickness (see the accompanying
picture), lets me lay the cable around tighter corners and put
it through smaller holes.
These cables should be of special interest to camcorder owners, because the standard cables
are so stiff that connecting a comcorder to a TV becomes awkward and subject
to the cable popping out of the sockets when you move a bit. The flexibility
and length of this new type works very well in that environment. RedMere does
not sell the cables directly, but their technology is being used by various
manufacturers; for instance Radio Shack currently has an AUVIO 10 foot
ultra-thin cable using this technology.
Reviewed by: Lou Katz - Dec/10
|
Unless otherwise indicated, games, movies, books or other products which are reviewed or mentioned on this site have been given to us by the respective authors, publishers, distributors or their public relations representitives. |
