QED Performance Active Optical LSZH HDMI Cable
QED has long set the benchmark for highperformance HDMI cables. But standing still inevitably means moving backwards, so QED’s engineers have been applying their unstinting excellence to developing an HDMI cable that exceeds today’s requirements and is ready to handle each and every upcoming HDMI standard. A cable that functions flawlessly even over unlikely lengths. A cable that can be installed and concealed with absolute confidence in its longevity and ongoing performance.
Cutting-edge technology, cutting-edge performance. Today, tomorrow and far into the future.
Longer cables require clever solutions
Our passive cables up to 5 m are more than able to fulfill our promise of meeting the top HDMI standard, however longer length cables require one or other of our proprietary technologies. For instance our Active Filter Technology™ sees each cable assembly individually monitored at the construction stage by built-in active electronics which self-adjusts its onboard emphasis filter to the specific cable assembly into which it is permanently installed. This technology gives a perfect performance up to 15 m, but what about instances where you need to go further?
Beyond 15 m
Our shorter length HDMI cables use a carefully designed impedance controlled data lane which is constructed from four, fully shielded, twisted pairs made from large gauge, 99.999% oxygen free copper conductors. These work really well up to a maximum of 15 m but eventually the inherent losses due to impedance mismatch and timing differences between pairs and within pairs (known as inter-pair and intra-pair skew) cause the HDMI signal to break down to the point where it can no longer be reliably decoded at the far end.
This is where new QED Active Optical Filter™ Technology comes in. Instead of using copper data lanes twelve of the nineteen cores are replaced by just four optical fibers. These have the advantage of being unaffected by loss (due to impedance mismatch) or timing variances (due to cross-talk). Although this medium does have its limitations, much longer HDMI cable runs can be usefully produced before these begin to have an adverse effect. In the oscilloscope trace (Figure 1) it can be seen that even at the speeds demanded by the HDMI 2.1 standard the 100 m cable still has a perfectly readable data stream, as evidenced by the open and clearly defined high and low levels described by the “eye diagram”.
Low Smoke Zero Halogen
QED recognize that because of the long lengths in question, the main users of the new cable will be professional installers or those wishing to conceal the cable within the structure of a building.
For this reason we have ensured that the cables have all been tested to EN 50575:2014 by a recognized product certification body and have been given a Reaction to Fire Class CCA designation. This means that the Low Smoke Zero Halogen jacket and the internal components are all fully compliant with the latest regulations covering cables for general applications in construction works subject to reaction to fire requirements which are now in force throughout the UK and EU area
With Active Optical Filter technology
The result of this application of engineering prowess is the ground-breaking and staggeringly capable HDMI Active Optical Cable. As the name suggests, this is a hybrid arrangement that combines copper core with optical fibre to create a cable that resists data degradation even over extremely long lengths - and doesn’t require an external power supply to do so. It’s a cable that’s able to handle all current and upcoming HDMI standards, including 48Gb/s 8K @ 60Hz, Dolby Atmos object-based audio, HDR and next-generation games console technologies too. It’s a cable that can be installed and concealed secure in the knowledge that its durability and compliance with rigorous UK and EU Reaction to Fire regulations mean it will be functioning perfectly years from now.
QED’s five decades of technological expertise, its profound understanding of the requirements and expectations of consumers and installers alike, and its complete commitment to developing the most future-proof HDMI cable possible, all combine to deliver HDMI Active Optical Cable. Able to deal with the extraordinarily complex demands made of HDMI cable today, and with more than enough headroom to handle those changing standards in the future, HDMI Active Optical Cable showcases QED’s brilliantly innovative engineering and unstinting dedication to detail - plus, of course, it completely redefines what consumer and installer alike can demand from their audio/video connectivity.
Focused thinking and painstaking development, leading to unrivalled signal integrity, leading to unsurpassed performance and longevity. This has been QED’s modus operandi for its entire existence - and HDMI Active Optical Cable is the latest demonstration of its peerless mastery of design and manufacture.
SPECIFICATIONS
- Compliance with 8K @ 60Hz 4:4:4 resolutions
- Compatible with HDMI 2.1 standard: CEC, HDCP 2.2, HDR, eARC etc
- Support for multi-channel audio, including Dolby Atmos and DTS:X
- Hybrid optical fibre/copper construction
- Zinc-alloy connectors
- OM3 fibre technology and triple shielding for optimal performance in any circumstances
- Compliance with Reaction to Fire Class Cca
- Available in lengths 20m - 50m and lenghts up to 100m by special order
