The world of entertainment media is going digital
at an amazing pace. One major element of that
rapidly-evolving scene is the advent of home theater,
an exciting entertainment option that provides
consumers with a total-immersion viewing and
listening experience.

But home theater devices must be capable
of sending and receiving a wide range of video and
audio signal types. That means the selection of
cables to support that signal traffic will be critical
– no one wants to bury new cables behind dry-wall
today only to find out tomorrow they degrade
image and sound. The use of HDMI-compliant
cable from Belden will help ensure that you enjoy
superior, uncompressed digital video and audio
quality in your new home theater as your
installation expands and evolves.
　

More audio-video professionals use Belden than
any other cable brand. In fact, more radio and
television broadcasters use Belden than all other
brands combined. As these broadcasters have
migrated to digital transmission technology, Belden
has remained the brand they prefer. Now, the #1
choice of professionals can be your choice, too.
Belden offers a complete line of cables and related
products for use by the home theater installer,
including 26 AWG shielded twisted pair HDMI
cables in lengths of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7 meters.
　

What is an HDMI Cable?
The acronym “HDMI” stand for High Definition
Multimedia Interface. It’s the first (and to-date only)
industry-supported interface for uncompressed,
all-digital audio/video. This standard was created
by a consortium of media-industry giants for high
performance digital connections. There have
already been five versions of HDMI since it was
first released in 2002. Each has provided the
consumer more features and performance, but
also specified more speed and bandwidth.
　

An HDMI cable gives you a reliable interface
between any audio/video source and any audio
and/or video monitor in your home theater setup,
as well as providing support for standard, enhanced,
or high-definition video and multi-channel digital
audio – all on a single assembly!
　

To cite just a few application examples, Belden
HDMI digital video/audio cables might be used to
connect HDMI sources like broadband/cable set-top
boxes, digital video recorders, DVD players, HD-DVD
and Blu-ray players to displays like plasma screens,
digital light projection (DLP) projectors, liquid-crystal
displays (LCDs) and liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS)
or digital image light amplification (D-ILA)
devices, among others.

Belden® for Quality
Digital computer data is relatively tolerant of
transmission losses, but video data is not. If you
want a sharp, clear picture on your displays, accurate
transmission of data bits is essential. That means it’s
important to purchase a high quality HDMI cable.
Unfortunately, quite a few inferior cables, not
tested or certified to exacting specifications as
are Belden products, are being marketed today.
　

What you’ll see on your displays when you use
inferior cables depends on your system sources
and the capabilities of your TV, but might include
problems like pixel loss, colors not as deep as
they should be, an increase of image graininess,
the presence of artifacts – and, possibly even
a total loss of picture.
　

Currently, 1080p (Category 2, version 1.3b) is the
highest resolution format used for broadcasting
and consumer distribution of video content.
In the term "1080p" the number 1080 represents
1080 lines of vertical display resolution, and the
letter p stands for a progressive (non-interlaced)
scan. Belden’s HDMI cables are performance tested
to verify their capability to handle transmissions
in advanced high definition applications based
on 1080p. Our digital video/ audio cables are also
UL-rated for residential and commercial
installations (including in-wall use).
　

Belden verifies HDMI cable performance, among
other methods, with a technique known as an
"Eye-Pattern" test. Other critical electrical parameters
tested by Belden include Impedance, Attentuation,
Crosstalk, and Skew.
　

In eye pattern testing, the digital data signal
traveling along the cable is repetitively sampled
and applied to the vertical input of an oscilloscope,
while the data rate is used to trigger the horizontal
sweep. The result seen on the scope is a series
of lines that might be thought of as signal
traces. In the very middle of the eye diagram
is a flattened hexagon called the "eye mask."
If signal traces cross into the region of the eye
mask, the cable fails the test (see the pattern
on left in the Figure). On the other hand, an
acceptably-performing cable (or other HDMI
component) will yield a wide “eye” area.
　

In general, if a source – a device generating an
HDMI signal – produces a good signal and if the
HDMI cable delivers that signal at least well
enough to pass the eye pattern test, the display
in your home theater setup should be able to
reconstitute the digital signal without errors.
(See Belden’s Eye Pattern test results.)
　

Ready for the Future
The Digital Revolution is just beginning. In the
not too distant future, you'll see exciting new
digital applications and devices and new ways to
enjoy music and movies in home theaters, as well
as more advanced technology enabling you to
receive the critical data you need in your business,
and vital news to keep you informed.
New cabling solutions from Belden will help
take you into that exciting future world of home
entertainment. Meanwhile, the Belden HDMI
cable you choose today will be the safest product
on the market to ensure your home theater
investment will be future-proof.