Review | Bridgee Mark Series HDMI 2.1 Cable
As home theater projectors and AV amplifiers undergo upgrades and iterations, system performance has improved significantly, and the experience of watching high-resolution videos with large screens such as 4K/120Hz and 8K/60Hz is within reach, making the development of a new stage for home theater systems inevitable. However, to truly achieve a smooth and stable upgrade of the entire system, one key step is to replace the HDMI cable responsible for audio and video signal transmission. The high-speed HDMI cable with a bandwidth of only 18Gbps and HDMI 2.0 specifications used in the past can no longer meet the demands of new systems. It is urgent to upgrade to a super high-speed HDMI cable with a transmission bandwidth of up to 48Gbps and HDMI 2.1 specifications. Of course, for discerning audiophiles, simply meeting the basic technical specifications is not enough to satisfy their appetite. Excellent picture quality and sound performance are also required. The newly-emerging brand, Bridgee, brings us the Mark series of reference-level HDMI 2.1 fiber optic cables, which are without a doubt the representative work of high-end HDMI cables, particularly customized high-precision audiophile-grade HDMI cables tailored to the requirements of audiophiles.
The Bridgee Mark series of HDMI 2.1 fiber optic cables fully incorporates the manufacturing concept of customized audiophile-grade audio and video cables, using fully imported component solutions, particularly optimized for the efficiency of photoelectric conversion, reducing unnecessary losses and fully enhancing the operating precision of the photoelectric conversion engine. In addition, it improves compatibility by improving the cable material and modifying the structure.
Bridgee has strong technical research and development capabilities.
For Bridgee's series of HDMI fiber optic cables, I believe that most audio and video enthusiasts and audiophiles have seen them at various domestic and international audio and video-related exhibitions or events, and they are also popular among high-end users. Currently, Bridgee has a complete product line in HDMI cables, including the KAI2.1 series, Q8K series, H48 series, Mark series of HDMI fiber optic cables, XIN series, TRA series of HDMI copper wires, and a series of audio and video cable products such as DP cables, USB cables, signal cables, and speaker cables. It can be said that Bridgee has strong technical strength from research and development, design to production.
Reference-level customized high-precision 8K HDMI fiber optic cable
Among Bridgee's HDMI cable series, the Mark series, as a flagship series, is positioned for high-end audiophile users and has the highest Ultra High Speed HDMI Certified certification from the HDMI Association, fully supporting HDMI 2.1 technical specifications, with a signal transmission bandwidth of up to 48Gbps, supporting 4K/120Hz and 8K/60Hz high-resolution signal transmission, VRR variable refresh rate, QFT fast frame transmission, etc. It is sufficient to meet the needs of 8K video and game use. What sets Bridgee Mark series apart technically is that it fully incorporates the manufacturing concept of customized audiophile-grade audio and video cables, emphasizing the importance of material selection and manufacturing processes.
In principle, HDMI fiber optic cables send optical signals from the optical fiber core to the receiving end by laser. The more sufficient the signal entering the optical fiber, the better the signal integrity, and vice versa, it will cause loss, directly affecting picture and sound quality. As shown in the following figure, the optical fiber and lens need to be perfectly coupled.
(Aligned fiber) (Unaligned fiber)
However, typically, four optical fibers inside an HDMI fiber optic cable need to be coupled with four lasers, and in actuality, this part of the technology is not easy to achieve. Once a set of fiber optic coupling fails, the cable becomes defective. Although it can still communicate signals with a high probability, the quality will be greatly reduced, and it may even force the laser to work at an ultra-high load to ensure normal operation, which often results in image attenuation or even direct failure after a period of use.
Bridgee's HDMI fiber optic cable products will go through a special optical power testing process to determine whether the coupling meets the standards, and the Mark series is operated by technically proficient engineers using a Keinshi professional instrument valued at 700,000 yuan to ensure perfect alignment of the optical fiber and convex mirror, improving the precision of the photoelectric conversion efficiency of the entire HDMI fiber optic cable, which can effectively enhance the photoelectric conversion efficiency. This is the secret key to the Mark series' customized high-precision.
Currently, the cables of the vast majority of HDMI fiber optic cables belong to the hybrid optical-electric cable type, where EDID handshake signals and HDCP are transmitted through the DDC channel. Since this is a bidirectional communication protocol channel that needs to use a copper wire core instead of an optical fiber to transmit signals. To avoid signal attenuation caused by long-distance transmission, the Mark series specifically uses silver-plated copper material and special shielding technology, achieving 30-meter long-distance lossless signal transmission and avoiding interference from surrounding environments and equipment.
In addition, Mark series values each component and does not simply use a public version of the solution. The Mark series uses fully imported components, and even the most inconspicuous basic components such as resistors and capacitors have been specially selected. The joint part uses a thick metal shell and a high-specification 24K 30u thickened gold-plated copper connector for better conductivity with the HDMI interface on the device. For the cable body, the Mark series uses a wear-resistant nylon braided structure, which not only has better protection but also effectively prevents knotting, making it easy to hide and store.
In terms of picture quality, the advantage lies in the fine details and brightness performance of the picture.
How does it actually perform in terms of picture and sound? This time, Bridgee brought us a 2-meter short cable and a 15-meter long cable from the Mark series. Therefore, we conducted comprehensive tests on movies, games, and music for multiple HDMI fiber optic cables with the same Ultra High Speed HDMI Certified certification and HDMI 2.1 specifications. In the 4K and 8K picture tests, these HDMI cables can all pass the test smoothly. The main difference lies in the picture restoration. We found that the Bridgee Mark series has better depiction ability in the black and dark detail presentation, with a cleaner picture and stronger transparency. It can also fully demonstrate the advantages of top-level HDMI fiber optic cables in terms of picture energy and sunshine feeling, making the picture more vivid.
In terms of sound, the advantage of Mark series lies in the purity and fullness of energy.
HDMI cables are not only responsible for transmitting video signals but also need to consider the transmission of audio signals. They are the key to affecting the sound quality of the entire surround sound system. An important advantage of the Bridgee Mark series in sound is the tranquility of the background, allowing us to clearly distinguish various subtle sound details, including footsteps, environmental sound, and even subtle echoes in space, achieving a high degree of realism. In addition, the full and rich energy is also impressive.
Conclusion
Currently, we have more and more choices for HDMI 2.1 specification HDMI fiber optic cable products, which makes it dazzling when choosing, but in fact, there are not many brands that truly do well in making HDMI fiber optic cables, and even fewer brands that design, research and develop, and manufacture them as Hi-End high-end audio and video cables. Bridgee's Mark series of reference-level HDMI 2.1 fiber optic cables is undoubtedly the result of Bridgee's painstaking effort and accumulated years of research and development experience, bringing us an absolutely Hi-End-level top-level customized audio and video cable, which is a blessing for discerning audio and video enthusiasts and audiophiles.
Technical parameters
● Cable certification: Ultra High Speed HDMI Certified
● HDMI protocol specification: HDMI 2.1
● Cable type: HDMI fiber optic cable
● Transmission bandwidth: 48Gbps
● Supported video specifications: 4K/120Hz, 8K/60Hz, 10K