Comparison Test; HDMI Copper vs Fiber Optic

Take the Dare to Compare Challenge; Which Picture is Better?

 A lot has been written about why fiber optic HDMI cables are better than copper HDMI cables, but sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.  We recently set up a side by side comparison test using identical displays, each with a Sony PS 4 console, one connected by HDMI v2.0b fiber optic cable by FīBBR (pronounced fiber) Ultra Pro on the left and a highly respected brand of copper cable on the right, both at a distance of 5 ft.  In our blind AB tests, 10 out of every 10 consumers chose the TV on the left as the superior picture. It’s easy to see the difference without a test pattern.

The image on the right reveals what happens with copper, its natural impedance is causing enough data loss to wash out the solid blue background of the Play Station logo and the grey boxes on the side, losing the white streak at the bottom. On the left you see what the image actually is supposed to look like, with rich uniform color depth and the swoosh detail fully visible. This is how the original signal looks, with perfect fidelity. For those of you who spend money on a good 4K TV, you want the best picture you can get and fiber optic is the only way to get it.

ISF Certified, Best of CEDIA 2017, HDMI v2.0a Fiber Optic Cable, 5 ft. $139.95

This is what happens at 5 ft; you can only imagine how the data loss gets worse with distance; at 10 ft. the data loss is 50% and at 20 ft. the picture is gone completely.  We are living through the transition of resolution standards from 1080p to 4K.  The amount of data being transmitted is 3 times greater than the 1080p era, with the data transfer rate up from 10.2 Gbps to 18 Gbps.  The new data-rich native 4K content with HDR or Dolby Vision meta-data for high dynamic range, WCG, and native hi res audio soundtrack is the highest amount of data ever. The resistance of the copper cable is too high for this amount of data to make it from the source to the display without loss. With fiber, there is no loss because light waves over glass fiber have no resistance.

Another way fiber is better than copper is its immunity to electromagnetic interference better known as EMI / RFI.  With all the wireless devices in our homes now, a copper cable becomes an antenna that lets that interference invade the picture, causing graininess and loss of fine detail. Fiber is immune to it.

Make an informed decision about which type of HDMI 4K cables to use.  Fiber will cost more yes, but its the only right way to do this now. FīBBR is made to last, with plug and play simplicity, from lengths of 5 ft starting at $139.99 up to 165 ft. at $629.99.  FīBBR Ultra Pro Series is the only ISF Certified HDMI v2.0b cable for 4K use, a prestigious honor.  Its also the winner of the Best of CEDIA 2017 Award from AVSForums. Its affordable enough to enable you to connect your sources and your display by fiber optics for the best 4K performance in AV history. 

FīBBR Ultra Pro HDMI v2.ob Fiber Optic Cables are sold by Essence For Hi Res Audio, interested parties can reach CEO Bob Rapoport at [email protected] for more information.