18 Gbps is the going rate for Ultra HD Premium content, the new 4K/60 specification for resolution, high dynamic range (HDR), peak luminance, black levels and wide color gamut.
And now, Tributaries has introduced the first HDMI cable certified by DPL Labs to achieve 18 Gbps data rates with 10-bit color over distances up to 30 meters (98 feet).
The company’s new Aurora line employs active fiber-optic cable with some copper thrown in.
Glass transports the video, audio, clock and control signals, while copper carries the Digital Display Channel (DDC) for two-way EDID and HDCP communications.
The components required for the electrical/optical/electrical conversions are contained in the connector head shells. Power is provided via USB.
Here’s how Tributaries describes its 18Gbps technology:
The brain of the cable, originally designed for military applications, is an optical microchip encased in the HDMI source-connector. Imbedded in the microchip are 4 vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers, VCSELs, semiconductor-based laser diodes that emit a highly efficient optical beam vertically from its top surface. Each TMDS modulated beam is reflected off a mirror and into a multi-mode fiber optic glass material producing 4 TMDS optic channels. The channels are surrounded by highly reflective OM3 (10G) cladding. The sink-end connector houses the photo diode receptors that decode the TMDS modulated light beams and convert them back to an electrical HDMI signal.
UHD Premium content is coming, and if you want to enjoy all of its 4K/60, 10-bit-color, HDR glory, you’ll need a cable that can carry 18Gbps. And if you want something to go the distance, then Tributaries’ Aurora is the only cable currently DPL-certified for the job.
That’s not to say it’s the only cable that can do the job. It’s just the only one certified by a particular testing service.
We’ve got 4K Blu-ray players and discs, as well as 4K/60 with HDR/10-bit content from the Kaleidescape store. So now is the time to look for Ultra HD Premium-cables.
Aurora cables are available now in limited quantities at lengths of 10m, 15m, 20m, 25m and 30m. All are certified by DPL Labs to 18Gbps.
Related: Fred Harding, Brent McCall: Tips, Tools and the Current State of 4K Ultra HD
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