To begin with, we warn you that if your devices (both the transmitter or the source and the screen) are not compatible with the HDMI 2.0 / 2.1 standard, do not hesitate to consider purchasing an HDMI cable. fiber optic because it’s not worth it, with a “lifetime” HDMI cable you’ll have more than enough. That being said, we will explain everything in detail below.
What is a fiber optic HDMI cable?
They really should be called a “fiber optic HDMI cable”. Thanks to a top-of-the-range construction, the best quality of materials and, of course, the use of optical fiber instead of the usual copper, these cables allow us to obtain a high speed data transmissionsomething that is needed for high resolutions and refresh rates (e.g. 4K at 120Hz or higher, or 8K resolution), especially for longer distances as conventional cables start to break down and lose quality at go from 10 meters
Physically, these cables differ from conventional cables in two fundamental characteristics (apart from the fact that normally they usually put it on both the cable and the connector): first, because, as with USB 3.0 , they usually have the blue connector inside, although not all have it. What they all have are differentiated connectors, because these cables they only work one way.
So it doesn’t matter which connector you plug into which device: the end THE SOURCE (source) should be connected to the sending device (eg game console), while the end DISPLAY (screen) must be connected to your TV or monitor.
When do you need one of these cables?
In general, normal HDMI cables are more than enough to connect, for example, a console to a 4K TV at 120 Hz; The problem arises when, as we mentioned before, you need a fairly long cable, 10 meters or more, in which case it would be recommended to opt for an HDMI optical fiber to maximize the transmission quality, avoiding loss of quality and interference. .
These types of cables are also recommended for environments where you need to connect multiple displays. For example, if you want to use an HDMI splitter to display an image on multiple screens at the same time, it is recommended that you use one of these cables from source to splitter to maximize bandwidth, even if you then use normal cables from the splitter to the monitors.
Do you need to take precautions?
Optical fiber is much more delicate than copper, and therefore some extra precautions must be taken. For example, while these cables can be coiled without issue, it is recommended that the coke you make be large enough to do not bend the cable too much; make sure it is at least 10 centimeters in diameter.
In the same way, it is necessary to be a little more careful than usual when connecting it: never hold it by the cable or by the rubber projection, always hold it by the hard part of the connector to prevent it from bends over time to connect or disconnect.
Finally, something we’ve mentioned before: fiber optic HDMI cables only work one way, so you have to be careful and make sure you connect the end that says SOURCE to the source (the console, for example) and the end that says SOURCE to the source (the console, for example) where it says DISPLAY to the TV or monitor.
Recommended fiber optic HDMI cables?
If after reading this article you are convinced that you want to buy a fiber optic HDMI cable, we can of course recommend some of them which we are sure are of good quality.
For example, you have this HDMI 2.1 cable for 8K@60Hz / 4K@120Hz 20 meters which is also for sale on Amazon, but keep in mind that it is a “Chinese brand “, and that means that while it will work perfectly fine for what it was designed for, its build quality isn’t as good as other much more expensive cables. Think of this cable as the “cheap option”, although as you can see fiber optic HDMI cables aren’t exactly cheap.
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