HDMI Gets a Boost

Tributaries Cable, the no-nonsense (and even less hype) cable and accessories company, is bringing out a new gadget that aims to maintain the full performance of high-definition video over HDMI cable runs as long as 50 meters (165 feet).

The new HX100 HDMI Restorer (the name sounds like it could be a facial cream from some upscale cosmetics company) is "little bigger than a bar of soap", but Tributaries says the small box contains advanced video engineering and a sub-miniature circuit design that automatically analyzes the incoming digital signal and applies custom-tailored equalization-contouring to ensure optimum performance at the cable's tail end. Tributaries claims the HX100 does its magic regardless of the connected cable's length, the quality of the cable, or the video format.

The clever device's continuous dynamic and self-monitoring correction is designed to ensure complete data restoration (hence the name) of the incoming signal to HDMI specifications. It minimizes data loss by the receiving component and enables full-quality transfer of high-bandwidth signals - including 1080p. Tributaries distinguishes its HX100 from "conventional" HDMI repeater devices by noting that the HX100 is engineered to lock on to weak HDMI data-streams and restore them to full-bandwidth integrity.

The HX100 HDMI Restorer includes an all-metal chassis, an external power supply (for long cable runs), and a chassis-mounted green LED that illuminates when power has been applied either from the external module or from the HDMI bus. The circuitry is direct-coupled from input to output with fully balanced-line signaling and self-diagnostic monitoring.

It's a great bargain for $299 (MSRP), and it's available now if you have HDMI cabling problems you need to solve.

Earlier this month, Tributaries introduced a series of high-end Silver Series AC Power Cables that are said to combine very high current carrying capability with extreme shielding to protect the power cable from "virtually all external noise sources."

The company says the new power cables use an aluminum/Mylar shielding wrap and a 95-percent braided shield of ultra-low-resistance, oxygen-free high-conductivity (OFHC) copper that's designed to provide "virtually total rejection of both high-frequency RFI and lower-frequency EMI noise sources. AC is carried by three stranded 10-gauge (AWG) twisted conductors of OFHC copper. The gold-plated 3-prong male plug is hospital grade and UL-listed. Both the 3-prong male and three-connector female terminators are molded-in for added strength and strain relief.

Although you probably won't see it once you've hooked up your gear and tucked all the wires behind the cabinet, the new cables have a flexible PVC jacketing and a cool-looking cover made from black-and-gold-striped woven nylon.

Prices begin at $105 for a 1.5-foot cable and run up to $210 for a 12-foot long version.

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