Celerity demonstrated their optical HDMI cable at CEDIA 2012. The design of this product allows it to have longer cable runs and avoid many problems that plague your typical long (30+ ft) HDMI cable run. It can be upgraded to future standards by changing out the detachable HDMI connectors on the ends of the optical cable that are connected with something like a mini USB connector. These cables are available in lengths up to 1000 ft for the current 1.4a specification with audio return.
The Celerity Detachable Fiber Optic cables are the first in the world to support Audio Return Channel over fiber optics. Professional installers can easily integrate the TV audio channel seamlessly into the distributed audio feed via the system’s AV receiver or control processor. Celerity meets HDMI High Speed certification with full support for 1080p, 3D, 4K and 36-bit Deep Color so the full picture quality, detail and color characteristics are visible. HDMI data support for HDCP, EDID and CEC functionality round out the product specifications.
Power is supplied at the source end of the cable by the HDMI output and a USB adapter at the display end of the cable. The USB adapter can be powered with a USB plug on the display or using an AC USB power supply. LED indicators are provided at both ends to show cable functionality. Because the fiber optic cables are preassembled no fiber optic terminations are required.
This technology will eliminate the problems with ground loops, EMI, RFI and distance limitations with conventional copper HDMI cable runs. The small size of the cable without the HDMI ends also makes it a much easier cable pull than a standard HDMI cable. The cable itself is very thin and supports up to a 60 lb cable pull. The light weight of the cable will also eliminate potential damage to components and cables from the stress of heavy gauge wire cables.
My concern with this product is what is the life of the light emitting device in this product because it is part of the optical cable. An application note I found for a similar device indicates the MTBF for that device is 61 to 6 years depending on the temperature of the case (25 to 85 deg C). Therefore if the transmitter or receiver portion of this device is exposed to higher than normal temperatures their life will likely be reduced. A projected 60 year life for this application would be expected for this application if it is mounted in a relatively cool location. A hot location in a hush box for example could result in a life around 20 years if these devices are similar in construction.
More information can be found here.
Hi, I’m Laura. I saw that you wrote about Celerity’s HDMI over Fiber product in the past and thought you might be interested in our new Light Link. The Light-Link uses fiber to send full 4K60 content farther than you ever could over copper.
The removable head makes it easy to pass through pipes, walls, and small openings, but the biggest benefit of detachable heads comes when it’s time to upgrade – the base fiber supports speeds that we won’t be able to push for decades, so you can just pop the old heads off and put new ones on when 8K or whatever spec is on the horizon comes around.
https://sewelldirect.com/light-link-pro-300
If you’re interested I’m happy to send over a sample.