Before you plug in your new HDTV, remember that you need a super-high-bandwidth path between the TV and the DVD player or set-top box to get that lifelike resolution. While HDMI cables are common, they’re expensive and have a limited length for maintaining bandwidth. Wireless solutions are just becoming available as well. And now, TV enthusiasts can take advantage of fiber optics, which is an option so appropriate, you wonder why no one thought of it before.
The Omron Electronic Components SX51 fiber-optic cable assembly includes a transmitter and receiver module on each end of the cable, making it bidirectional. It’s designed to address the data-transfer challenges inherent in the uncompressed bandwidth-intensive applications associated with HDMI rev. 1.3-compliant HD video and HDCP Video extender markets.
The SX51 uses a six-wavelength coarse wavelength division multiplex (CWDM) technique that allows direct mapping of the transition minimized differential signaling (TMDS) bit streams over a single fiber without manipulation of the copyright protection or the video signal. The bidirectional nature of the cable assembly makes communications between input and output easier.
A single fiber carries all control information as well as the high-speed data. No intermediate decoding or recoding or other signal processing is needed. The video stream isn’t altered in any way. The SX51 also makes upgrading equipment to HDMI 1.3, Display Port, and HD protocol significantly easier than before.
The SX51 can use any multimode fiber terminated with standard connectors, including off-the-shelf fiber ranging from very thin, bare fiber to ruggedized patch fiber that can be pulled through conduits. The module includes a heatsink, electrostatic-discharge (ESD) protection circuits, and a microcontroller with firmware to run the HDCP signals on a single fiber.
Omron Electronic Components LLC