"Audio-Visual New Life" Review | bridgee HDMI 2.1 Fiber cable

      As 4K has become the "standard" for high-definition audio-visuals, 8K audio-visuals are already on the horizon. In addition to commercial movie and TV resources, some online streaming sites have already uploaded 8K resources. For avid enthusiasts, they have long been prepared for 8K audio-visuals. However, for readers who are currently reading this article, they may feel that 8K audio-visuals are still very far away, and changing hardware now will have a significant impact on the already mature system.

      In this case, "Audio-Visual New Life" provides a win-win solution for everyone - replace a HDMI cable that supports both 8K specifications and audiophile-level sound and picture quality. The bridgee   developed the world's first high-precision 8K fiber optic HDMI cable, the bridgee Mark series HDMI 2.1 fiber optic cable. On the one hand, it supports 8K 60hz signals, is compatible with ARC/eARC, and is backward compatible with HDMI2.0/1.4. It can be used on both old and new audio-visual devices as long as there is an HDMI port. On the other hand, it has been tested and optimized based on feedback from more than 100 audiophiles to meet the demanding requirements of audiophiles and provide users with better sound and picture quality.

      Important Characteristics

      Can transmit 8K 60Hz, maximum support 10K resolution picture quality

      Equipment Parameters

      With technical expertise and extensive cooperation with commercial customers (bridgee has already had deep cooperation with brands such as TCL and Sony), bridgee is not only improving its product line, but also developing cutting-edge products in advance for the future development of the video industry. Bridgee not only develops a series of mid-to-high-end HDMI cables to serve different levels of audio and video enthusiasts, but also pays attention to the fact that 8K audio and video has gradually entered the civilian entertainment field with the trend of streaming media. Bridgee has decided to create this bridgee Mark series HDMI 2.1 fiber optic cable according to specifications that exceed industry standards. Bridgee's product has also obtained Ultra High Speed certification, defined as Category 3 Cable in the HDMI 2.1 specification, and is sometimes called Cat3 or HDMI2.1 Cable. Compared with the previous Premium Cable, the bandwidth speed has been greatly increased from 18G to 48G, which can meet the signal transmission needs of 8K TV or 4K 120Hz esports screens.

      In bridgee's own factory, they have purchased various high-end professional instruments for research and development, production, and testing. Some new players may not understand why it is necessary to purchase professional instruments to produce HDMI cables? Yes, the bridgee Mark series HDMI 2.1 fiber optic cable we received this time is a flagship product and uses a fiber optic HDMI cable architecture. This architecture sends optical signals through the fiber optic core to the receiving end by a laser. The more complete the signal entering the fiber, the better the signal integrity, and vice versa.

      The person in charge of bridgee stated that the fiber optic and lens need to be perfectly coupled, a process they call coupling. Generally, four optical fibers of the fiber optic HDMI need to be coupled with four lasers. If there is a problem with one of the fiber optic couplings, this cable is defective. Even if this cable can still transmit signals, the quality will be greatly reduced, and more seriously, to ensure the cable works, the laser is forced to work at an extremely high load, which will produce image attenuation or inability to work directly after a period of time. All bridgee HDMI fiber optic cables, including the bridgee Mark series HDMI 2.1 fiber optic cable, will undergo special optical power testing to determine whether they meet standards. The Mark series is operated by the best workers using a value of 700,000 Kienzle amplification equipment to ensure that the fiber optic and convex mirror are perfectly aligned and to improve the precision of the entire cable.

      As the flagship bridgee Mark series HDMI 2.1 fiber optic cable, the connectors and chips are all custom-made high-precision products imported from Japan. They are assembled on the production line of bridgee's own factory after a series of pre-testing and pairing. The reason why the design team chose to purchase imported components at high cost is that bridgee has advanced technology and can produce mid-to-high-end cable products in large quantities. High-precision components will not falsely label parameters and will not be affected by other interference, and the design team will not choose a less stable public solution. Instead, they develop this HDMI cable with a customized solution based on the requirements of audiophile players.

      As one of the cores of the HDMI cable, the bridgee Mark series HDMI 2.1 fiber optic cable uses four-core OM3 fiber optic and silver-plated OFC copper mixed with 24K 30u thick gold-plated copper plugs. According to the person in charge of bridgee, most fiber optic HDMI cables currently use electro-optical hybrid cables, among which EDID handshake signals and HDCP are transmitted by the DDC channel. Since this is a bidirectional communication protocol, copper wire cores are used instead of fiber optics for transmission. In order to avoid signal attenuation caused by long-distance transmission, the Mark series uses silver-plated copper materials and special shielding technology to reduce signal integrity and avoid interference from other peripheral devices. We often find that after the cable is rolled up, the image flickers, or in a complex electromagnetic environment, the image blacks out and flashes. These are caused by inadequate cable materials and structural processes.

      Most of the HDMI cables on the market are produced by selecting one of a few module schemes, resulting in many similar situations, including interfaces, cables, chips, and performance. However, Bridgee's products have their own factories and R&D teams, which can optimize and stack materials on the basis of existing mature schemes. This is the biggest difference from other OEM products. What is worth discussing is the chip part. In the plug part of the fiber optic HDMI cable, there are actually many small devices and capacitors. Other brands will choose products from Taiwan or other regions when compressing costs, while Bridgee chooses imported components from Japan, which costs several times higher. However, it can be found in the measurement that the accuracy is higher and the service life is longer.Let's talk about the welding part. The plug and connector of this cable are all made of copper, and the plug is designed with gold plating. Compared with most iron plugs on the market, the stability of conduction has been improved a lot, and the welding part also uses a difficult silver-tin process. Another aspect is the shielding performance. The special shielding process package adopts a silver-plated design copper core. This approach can effectively solve the problems of flashing screen, black screen, or poor compatibility, and ensure the detection of EDID and HDCP.Designers also understand that there is loss in photoelectric conversion. In the process of electro-optical and photo-electric conversion, distortion has always existed. Therefore, to reduce these distortions and losses, a large number of instruments need to be continuously measured and corrected, and better components, shielding processes, and interface materials need to be replaced to reduce losses and ensure the color performance and sound quality of the image.

      In terms of other parameters, Bridgee Mark series HDMI 2.1 fiber optic cable is an 8K cable certified by HDMI Association, with a bandwidth of 48Gbps, supporting 8K 60Hz signal and compatible with ARC/eARC, in line with HDMI2.1 protocol specifications. It can support a maximum resolution of 10K and future 8K/60Hz and 4K120Hz applications. In addition, the HDMI cable supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, downward compatible with HDMI2.0/1.4, which means that any HDMI video equipment can use this HDMI cable. It is worth mentioning that the Bridgee Mark series HDMI 2.1 fiber optic cable supports variable refresh rate (VRR), which can reduce or eliminate video delay and tearing, and supports quick frame transmission (QFT), which can reduce the delay phenomenon of interactive virtual reality applications.

      In the "audio and video new life" listening room, the author first tried different contents with the Bridgee Mark series HDMI 2.1 fiber optic cable. Overall, this cable can significantly improve color and layering, especially in terms of details, such as close-ups of human faces and machinery in SF themes. In movies like "Tenet," "Dune," and "Blade Runner 2049" that have rich texture and focus on picture details, you can feel the visual impact after using this HDMI cable.

      Similarly, friends who usually watch foreign TV series such as American dramas can also see obvious improvement effects after using this cable. Especially in situations where the picture is relatively dark, such as in the UHD BD of "Blade Runner 2049," this cable can effectively improve these dark details and enhance the viewing experience. As for literary TV series that are not very concerned about picture details, this cable may not directly improve the picture, but if you use an AV amplifier and a high-quality speaker combination, you can focus on the sound quality. As long as the user prepares another standard HDMI cable for comparison, it can be found that the Bridgee Mark series HDMI 2.1 fiber optic cable can improve the mid-range texture, and the human voice structure will become more condensed and clear. Watching with the picture, it can be found that with this cable, the immersion effect when watching movies has also been enhanced, making it easier to enjoy the fun of movies. In addition, when playing "Joker" UHD BD, the color saturation is quite high, the protagonist's facial expressions and skin states are quite clear, and the subtle layers of makeup on the face are restored on the screen. In another section of the city street, there are many old buildings on both sides of the road, and the yellowish tone under the sun, and the pale blue sky in the distance are clearly arranged in layers. With the movement of the lens, it gives people a very sufficient sense of three-dimensionality and immersion.

      Conclusion

      With a Bridgee Mark series HDMI 2.1 fiber optic cable that supports 8K specifications, you can not only prepare for 8K audio and video but also improve the audio and video quality of your existing system. It is worth mentioning that, as mentioned in the article, Bridgee is a relatively unfamiliar brand for some players, but as long as you feel that the HDMI cable you are currently using is prone to flashing screens, black screens, and other adverse effects, just look for the Bridgee brand to purchase.