Tag: HDR

Why Buy A Fiber Optic HDMI Cable

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Aren’t HDMI cables the best home theater cables money can buy – yes, they are.

If that’s true, you might be wondering what a fiber optic HDMI cable is. When we hear ‘fiber optics’, a lot of think that it’s a better option. When Bell Canada went to fiber op cables, the country swooned!

A fiber optic HDMI cable is not needed by most households but in some cases, it can be a wonderful upgrade. Here is everything you need to know about fiber optics are and how applicable they are to what we tend to use HDMI connections for.

Fiber Optic HDMI Cables Are High-Speed

Fiber optic HDMI cables are high-speed cables. Then again, so are HDMI 2.0 cables and 2.1 cables.

Where the true difference lay is in the type of material used inside an HDMI cable. Regular HDMI cables are made from copper. They use multiple lines of copper. This is all you need for the average home theater system. It’s fast and reliable. An alternative though is fiber optic HDMI which uses fiber optics.

Fiber optics are the use of lasers to transmit signals as opposed to electricity. Lasers are faster than electricity and also do not suffer from electromagnetic interference or radio-frequency interference. They have less signal loss as well.

When Is It Better to Use Fiber Optic HDMI Cables

Where copper HDMI cables run into problems is with distance. After about 65 feet, an HDMI signal’s dead in the water and can’t go any further. This creates a myriad of issues in terms of quality and connection.

A high-speed HDMI cable made with fiber optic technology however can go for up to 200 feet with maximum quality every inch of the way. It far surpasses the distance limit of copper. This is when you want to choose a fiber optic HDMI cable over a copper cable. That is, when long distances have to be covered.

When you don’t want to use fiber-optic HDMI is where you’re simply connecting a device to a screen and you’re within a few feet. For cases like these, fiber optics aren’t really required. The market for short fiber optic HDMI cables is very small for this reason. They’re really only used in extended distances.

The major disadvantage – if one can call it that – is that fiber optic HDMI cables do not have a reversible design. They are directional, meaning one side is for the ‘source’ and the other is for ‘receiver’. Install it backwards and you simply won’t get a signal.

Shop HDMI 2.0 cables, HDMI 2.1 cables, and fiber optic HDMI cables this season at PrimeCables.ca.

Why Upgrading to HDMI 2.1 Cables For Your PC, TV, And Devices is Important in 2021

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For a long time, HDMI 2.0 4K cables were the best available for any flat-screen, home theater system, and PC.

Then, here came HDMI 2.1 8K cables. An even better HDMI cable. A faster cable. Though a lot of content wasn’t yet available to justify the purchase of an 8K HDMI cable, things are quickly changing in the world of TVs.

Every year, new tech comes out in every imaginable category. The more demands on your bandwidth, the higher quality cable you need.

Comparing HDMI 2.1 to HDMI 2.0

HDMI 2.0 was released in 2013 but waited a few years before it was really taken on.

The main benefit of HDMI 2.0 was its ability to support 4K60, aka 4K video playback at 60 fps. This was a massive jump in quality over the 1080p and 30 fps of HDMI 1.4.

HDMI 2.1 is more than just an 8K HDMI cable. It was built for the next decade of video tech development in mind.

HDMI 2.1 supports up to 10K in resolution, even though no PC or TV has the capacity to offer it currently. For the time being, however, HDMI 2.1 boasts 4K120, aka 4K video playback at 120 fps. Developers are just getting to triple-digit refresh rates in gaming consoles and PCs. This HDMI standard is perhaps the first one that really gives DisplayPort a run for its money in PC gaming.

Assuming you don’t game and are still wondering about what HDMI 2.1 offers, from a home theater perspective, it supports 8K content at 60 fps.

Though we are likely 3-4 years away from having 8K TVs widely available in-store, you can be ready. Just as we lean into a new phase of flat-screen video quality, the HDMI 2.1 cable will be needed to make it possible.

Should I Be Using HDMI 2.1 Cables?

HDMI 2.1 cables are supported by new gaming consoles from Microsoft and Sony, computer graphics cards including those from Nvidia and AMD, and the latest iteration of flat-screen TVs.

Although HDMI 2.0 cables will still work, if you’re buying new devices in this scope, HDMI 2.1 standard is where to focus your attention if you want to maximize the functionality of these devices.

Is HDMI 2.1 Better Than DisplayPort?

The battle between HDMI and DisplayPort rages on. Both offer cutting-edge functionality in the transfer of audio and video across a single cable. DisplayPort reigns supreme in PC monitors. HDMI’s for home theater systems. This is the rule.

HDMI 2.1 cables have progressed to the point where not only will it lock down consumer electronics at home but it’s starting to make waves in the PC gaming side of things. That says something about the quality of cable.

Find HDMI 2.0 cables and HDMI 2.1 cables in Canada from PrimeCables.ca. Order high-quality cables ready to help you stream audio-video content at your leisure.