Audio Video News

What's the point of high definition if your cabling makes it a bit fuzzy around the edges? Ultralink Products Inc. has a new line of cables to answer that question for you.

Toronto, Canada-based Ultralink has introduced a full line of HDTV products said to offer "significant improvements to existing connectors and cables . . . and to insure that HDTV’s audio and video signals are handled per ATSC specifications." Among the new products are a 75-ohm RCA connector for coaxial digital applications in DTS and Dolby Digital sound tracks. Ultra-low capacitance Teflon dielectric insulation guarantees 75ohm impedance, and the Vacuum Spring-Lock RCA connector offers a heavy-duty ground shell and evenly distributed airtight pressure.

Like the cable industry's discussion of the broadband problem being "the last mile," in home theater systems, the problem is often the last few feet. Is your RGB input a little less impressive than it should be? Ultralink says a common cause of this is "ghosting" due to improper 50-ohm impedances in the cables. Ultralink’s 75ohm RCAs are said to "ensure the lowest amount of electronic reflection of high frequency HDTV video signals."

Ultralink has also improved the venerable BNC connector, with 24k mil-spec contacts and low-capacitance Teflon dielectric to deliver 75ohm impedance for videophile performance. Ultralink BNCs are offered in three-cable HD component video and 5-pin RGBHV cable terminations. For those who prefer optical digital transmission, Ultralink has a new "Strain-relief Light-Lock® Toslink," claimed to offer much greater resistance to dislodging than typical Toslink connectors. Signal transfer is better, with lower levels of reflections in the cable, thanks to hand-polished cable ends and a special lens inserted for light system focus.

The company has also introduced a new Ultra XGA 15-pin dSub connector, for computer graphics and HD video applications. New UXGA cables have less than a 5.0 dB signal loss at a high frequency of 400 MHz, compared to the 8.5dB loss at 100mHZ at 110' typical of industry-standard broadcast-grade cables. Ultralink’s non-magnetic brass connector uses a high-grade low-loss dielectric; the connector’s pins are made from 6N OFC (99.99998% pure laboratory-grade oxygen-free copper) and finished with military-spec 24k gold plating. "Our UXGA cables have been optimized for the lowest possible signal loss of HDTV’s high frequencies," says Ultralink sales and marketing v.p. Bruce Ball. "Ultralink’s Platinum line of HDTV interconnects have been designed to accept and pass through these signals to ATSC specifications. To do this we’ve found innovative ways to improve existing connectors and cables to meet these new standards."

All Ultralink Platinum Series HD video cables are UL/CSA listed, CL-3/FT-4 rated for custom installations. Utilizing double- or triple-video shielding, the cables virtually eliminate electromagnetic (EMI) and radio frequency (RFI) interference. As with all Ultralink cables, 6N (99.99998% pure laboratory-grade) OFC oxygen-free copper conductors are utilized for maximum signal transfer. All Ultralink cable systems can be ordered in spools for field termination or custom-ordered through specialist retailers and CEDIA installers for length, connector type and signal directivity.