Future Shop, Cable Specialists for Hi-Fi, Home Cinema, Audio and Video, including HDMI Cables, Scart Leads, DVI, Chord, QED, IXOS Gefen and Atlas Cables

As we move into the development and future of high-definition, the displays, components and cables are becoming more complex. HDMI™ (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is the latest connection type available between components and displays to transmit a true digital signal of both audio and video in a single cable. HDMI™ is considered a very high-speed digital signal transmission medium that is capable of transmitting signals up to 5Mbps (5,000,000 bits per second).

Please see below for different digital signal speeds for comparison:

The two major advantages of a digital signal over analogue are no signal compression and no digital-to-analogue signal conversion. When any one of these two take place, there is some degree of signal loss that is unavoidable. In short, the signal is never modified and all the information for colours and music are sent and received in their original size providing a substantially superior picture and sound quality over any other format.

There are many factors that pose a threat to a signal being transmitted through any cable, be it analogue or digital. However, due to the higher speed of a digital signal, it is even more delicate and easily affected than analogue. Since the core technology of HDMI™ relies on TMDS (Time Minimised Differential Signaling), impedance (resistance) plays a more significant role in the performance of the cable than ever. In order to produce a cable that will not alter the timing of the digital signals, IXOS® engineers its cables with

• PC-OFC (High-Grade Pure Crystal Oxygen Free Copper). This copper has fewer impurities than standard OFC (Oxygen Free Copper), thus creating less resistance.
• Heavy triple layer shielding minimises both radio frequency (RF) and electromagnetic (EM) interference for both internal and external forces.
• IXOS® also uses lower than industry standard percentages for allowable tolerances of engineering imperfections and manufacturing error.
• Many other cable manufacturers try to save costs at the price of performance by overlooking even the connector itself.
• IXOS® only use the connectors that are approved by Silicon Image (creator and founder of HDMI™ standards).
• With continuous research and development IXOS® is constantly engineering new technologies to improve the home theatre experience.

In the new era of HDTV, an extremely high bandwidth requirement has caused significant limitations to cable length. It is very difficult to achieve a 1080p signal over a length of 4m, simply because twice as much information needs to get through (which is why 1080p gives such a sharp, vibrant picture). Manufacturing a cable to pass 720p/1080i is quite simple. IXOS® HDMI™ cables will pass 720p/1080i up to 20m without any noticeable difference in the picture. Every IXOS® HDMI™ cable will pass 1080p up to 7.5m (24.6ft.). To verify that all IXOS® cables perform to this high standard, every cable is tested using the Eye Diagram Test with a Data Timing Generator and Time Reflectometer (TRD). This is why there are track marks on every IXOS® connector - it has been plugged into the female receptacle for testing. It is impossible to test an HDMI™ cable without it being plugged in. These steps certify that every IXOS® cable will perform to the highest industry standard possible, earning our stamp of approval for IXOS®’ very own Certified TRU-HD™.

Even though 720p/1080i is recognised as high-definition by the consumer electronic industry, it is not true high-definition. The reason is that movies are originally recorded in 1080p. At IXOS®, we will not settle for anything less. 1080p is a necessity in order to bring the full theatre experience right into the living room. At this point in time, few display and DVD manufacturers supply 1080p products, but at the beginning of 2006 and thereafter, there will be more 1080p DVD players and displays available at a reasonable price and will eventually be expected as the norm. IXOS® decided to take the time and knowledge to develop cables that can pass 1080p today rather than make a cable that will be outdated within a year, thus ‘future-proofing’ the cable.

Since IXOS® HDMI™ cables are engineered to pass 1080p, you do not have to have a 1080p display to see the difference. All video resolutions will benefit with rich and vibrant colours, and sharper, more defined images than any of our competitors’ cables. This is because the cable must be of substantially higher quality to transmit 1080p than to transmit 720p/1080i. This is achieved with the right combination of larger gauge conductors, High-Grade Pure Crystal Oxygen Free Copper (PC-OFC), triple layer shielding, IXOS®’ proprietary Nitrogen Gas-Injected Polyethylene dielectric and IXOS®’ Certified TRUHD ™ quality control measures.

After all the basics are taken care of, this is where IXOS® rises even further above its competitors with research and development for better performance by recognising potential problems. FEXT (Far End Cross Talk) is a common problem with the HDMI™ connector. Due to the connectors’ small size and multiple solder points exposing the contacts without insulation within a very small area, the impedance of the cables is altered at the point of contact. When the impedance of a cable changes, cross talk will occur between two or more wires of different impedances. This will significantly reduce the quality of the picture and sound. With the use of IXOS®’ patented PC board built inside the HDMI™ connector, we are able to minimize FEXT by stabilising the impedance at the solder points using the PC board. This is one of the technologies allowing IXOS® HDMI™ cables to transmit 1080p farther than any of our competitors.

Reproduced by courtesy of the Path Group Plc