FOR LONG DISTANCES: GO FOR OPTICAL HDMI 2.1 CABLES

When buying HDMI cables, you can choose not only from different versions but also from optical and copper variants. But if you need a really long cable, one of the two options is clearly the best choice. Read on to learn more.

Short HDMI cables are perfect for most needs, especially since devices are typically close to each other – whether for connecting your computer’s graphics card to a monitor or a video game console to a TV. But what if you have a projector mounted on the ceiling? What about large meeting rooms in offices or even lecture halls at universities, where computers and screens or projectors are located at the opposite end of the room?

Fibre optic cables: Flexible and durable

You may find yourself needing an HDMI cable that’s 10, 20, or 30 metres or more. In such cases, a typical copper cable won’t cut it – only a fibre-optic cable will do. Aside from its length, this kind of cable is also incredibly flexible: At 20 millimetres, it has a tighter bend radius than a copper cable, making it easier to lay around the corners of a room. On top of that, a durable Kevlar sheathing prevents the cable from breaking.

Lossless signal transmission, even over long distances

An optical HDMI 2.1 cable offers unparalleled video and audio transmission quality. No matter how long it is, signals are always transmitted without any loss whatsoever – all thanks to fibre optic technology. This is how it works: Video and audio are converted into light signals at the input socket, then converted back into electrical signals at the output socket. This makes the cable immune to external interference.

Thanks to HDMI 2.1, not only 4K but also 8K is supported – and at a refresh rate of 60Hz. Even at this ultra-high resolution, the cable delivers very smooth video quality. In the case of 4K and Full HD, even 120 or 240fps are possible thanks to a whopping 48Gbit/s of bandwidth. On top of that, this cutting-edge cable is backward compatible with HDMI 2.0 and 1.4 standards, so you can even connect it to older devices.

Officially certified as your guarantee of quality

Whether copper or fibre optic – if an HDMI 2.1 cable is officially certified, this is your guarantee that it is designed to deliver the best performance. Only HDMI-certified cables give you certainty that you’re getting a genuine “Ultra High Speed” cable based on the HDMI 2.1 standard and which is ready to handle high-performance tasks such as carrying an 8K signal at 60Hz.