But that quest puts unprecedented demands on today's leading connection, HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface). It must deliver only the highest possible resolution video in the digital format but also the highest quality audio content that 9 cables to do only a year ago.

Today's HDMI cable technology is only the beginning of the technology race to transfer even better, more lifelike video content with components and displays in the near future. The standards are evolving quickly as Monster and other manufacturers keep up with advanced HDMI cable development.

There are significant advances in HDMI cable since the original HDMI 1.0 in 2002. There have been 5 updates to what HDMI can do since then. For example today's new standard, HDMI 1.3 Category 2 lays the groundwork for technologies in components yet to come, such as deep color beyond what is available today, higher refresh rates for smooth video, higher resolution to 1080p and beyond, and greater pixel density as will be available from multimedia PCs in home theater.

In fact, many of the cables manufactured in 2002 are not to specification and may not hold up with future applications. Monster has always endeavored to keep our customers ahead of the curve, by providing the best possible cable performance that current technology allows, and always working to exceed specifications. It's really an exciting time for video and audio, and specifically in cables as the race for higher and higher data rates heats up.

Monster has been a leader in HDMI cable technology since the beginning. The latest generation of Monster for HDMI supports higher resolution, deeper color with higher color contrast and deeper blacks, higher quality audio, and higher refresh rates that provide smoother motion, especially for fast action video games. Monster is also a leader for HDMI in Custom Installation. Monster HDMI for CI features high performance at some of the longest lengths on the market, as well as extra-durable connectors, protective jackets, and CL-3 fire rating certification that allows in-wall installation.

It's the purpose of this paper to give some insight to the challenges of making high performance HDMI cables, as well as to educate on some of the differences in HDMI cables, to educate on some of the problems that have been encountered in the field with poor performing cables, and to establish the Monster goal of bringing the highest possible HDMI cable performance to our customers.

WHAT EXACTLY IS HDMI?
HDMI stands for "High Definition Multimedia Interface." It provides an all-digital connection solution in one cable, with the potential for the most incredible video picture ever seen, combined with full, uncompressed digital audio sound.

High definition as we know it today is advancing rapidly, but will pale in comparison with the video of tomorrow. The latest version of HDMI provides for a superhighway of data for products that will come in the near future.. Soon, you will hear new buzz words like "deep color," higher refresh rates for smooth motion, and higher resolution displays, especially for larger screens. High definition, as we know it today, is delivered at a 2.2 Gbps throughput rate. Although high compared to standard DVD at .81 Gbps, it is miniscule compared to the throughput requirements that will achieve the best performance from high definition in the near future, which will require 10.2 Gbps and more. Previous generation HDMI cables developed to meet the original 2.2 Gbps standard are not certified for the new standard, and may not pass the full bandwidth required to provide the best performance from these new products

Evolving technologies in video displays (1080p, 1440p and beyond), new sources such as Blu-ray, HD DVD and Playstation 3, and content (such as the latest in HD movies in 1080p, and 10bit/12bit and greater color depth) all need more advanced cable technologies.

Monster commits to providing the widest range of HDMI cables at various price points, from entry level standard speed cables, to ultra high speed cables for the most advanced video home theaters, some of which are yet to come. HDMI: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
HDMI: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
HDMI offers a connection that provides the most incredible audio and video experience that the Consumer Electronics industry has ever known. With every advance, HDMI delivers ever sharper, more vivid images, with brighter and deeper colors, and with the highest-quality surround sound available. The "one-cable" solution that makes it easier for consumers to hook up their products- that's the "Beauty." The "Beast" is that HDMI engenders more confusion than any other connector type with many different cable and component standards, interoperability problems, and false information about the quality and performance of HDMI cables.

For example, the most recent HDMI standard HDMI 1.3 category 2 specification lays the groundwork for technologies in components yet to come, such as deep color beyond what is available today, higher refresh rates for smooth video, higher resolution to 1080p and beyond, and greater pixel density as displays get larger. Poor picture quality can range from dropped pixels, to snow, streaks across the screen, to total picture drop out

Moreover, many electronics and cables do not perform to the standard, so many combinations of cables and components don't work. Additionally, cable performance, especially over long runs, have degraded picture quality.

THE MISUNDERSTOOD HDMI CABLE
It's all just 1's and 0's, right? There's a popular misconception that all HDMI cables are the same and that the only difference is price. Nothing could be further from the truth. Just as not all levels of high definition are the same, not all high-definition digital cables are the same.

Consumers have experienced cables that work at one time, and then not other times. One could have a cable that works fine with a 1080i source and a 1080p display, then watch a movie that outputs 1080p and the picture will look worse than it did with 1080i because the cable would not pass the signal correctly. Pushing the envelope on higher resolution displays, sharpness, color depth, and high-quality digital audio has put heavy demands on HDMI cable design, construction, shielding, durability, and quality control standards over the previous generation of video and audio cables.

Since the debut of HDMI in 2002, new cable specifications have been introduced each year. It's like software revisions. First there was HDMI 1.0, then HDMI 1.1, 1.2, 1.2a, and now HDMI 1.3 with Category 1 and Category 2. Each revision requires a higher quality cable to take advantage of the increases in display and source technologies, providing the consumer with more performance and features. While an HDMI 1.3 category 2 cable will do everything that an HDMI 1.0 cable will do, it doesn't work the other way around. Early HDMI cables will not perform all of the technologies of color, sharpness, resolution, and audio performance that are available from the best of today's video sources and TV displays.

• There are many levels of high definition digital video, and different standards for HDMI-enabled components. Hence, there are different levels of HDMI cables to connect them.
• High definition (720p/1080i), as we know it today, is delivered at a 2.2 Gbps (giga-bits per second) throughput rate. Although high compared to standard DVD at .81 Gbps, it is miniscule
  compared to the throughput requirements that will achieve the best performance from high definition in the near future, which will require 10.2 Gbps and more. Previous generation HDMI cables developed to meet the original 2.2 Gbps standard are not certified for the new standard and may not pass the full bandwidth required to provide the best performance from these new products.
• HDMI marks the first time that a cable connection standard has created a "superhighway" for digital content, with components yet to come. Even some of the original HDMI 1.0 cable from 2002, may not work with the latest sources and displays and sources of today (1080p, 12 bit color), and will surely strain to deliver the quality picture and sound content of tomorrow.
• Unlike computer data, which is tolerant of data transmission losses, video data is not. Accurate transmission is essential. Most HDMI-compliant cables can transfer older versions of high definition (720p/1080i) data rate over short lengths, but have problems maintaining the same performance over longer lengths as well as higher data rates required of 1080p.
• HDMI cables are very sensitive to construction variances. With HDMI's super-high data rate and microscopically tight tolerances, mishandling of cables during an install can significantly affect performance. Look for better shielded connectors, mesh jackets for durability, special winding techniques, nitrogen gas dielectrics to minimize loss, and CL 3 jacket ratings, to ensure maximum performance with every installation. These features all provide high practical use value.
• A number of manufacturing factors such as cable construction, precision cable twisting, low loss dielectrics contribute to better performance in digital.
• A new term has come to HDMI cables. With all of the confusing numbers of Megahertz, 60 hz refresh rates, as well as Gigabytes per second to rate cables, Silicon Image, co-founders of HDMI, has determined that speed is good way to combine all of the parameters above. Standard Speed and high speed are the two groups of cable designations, but there is a wide spread of speeds that these cover.

CABLES -- TODAY AND TOMORROW
CABLES THAT WORK TODAY MAY NOT BE SUITABLE TOMORROW
The goal of HDTV is to approximate the same color depth, smoothness of motion, sharpness, and detail that the eye can see. We are far from that, even with tomorrow's technology, but the race is on!

Technology continues to advance at a rapid rate. High definition as we know it today (720p/1080i) is relatively low bandwidth. With new displays that increase sharpness and resolution from 1080i from 1080p, we double the scan lines—and therefore the data that has to be transferred to the screen every second from 2.2 Gbps to 4.46 Gbps. This is double the previous data rate per second. Cables that worked for 1080i, may not work for 1080p, especially over longer lengths as one might need to install a flatscreen on the wall.

To get even better color, the technology is coming to provide "deep color". Today's standard is 8-bit color, but Blu-ray and HD DVD will feature 12- and 16-bit color, increasing the data rate again to 6.6 Gbps and 8.8 Gbps!

In order to provide "smoother video" which becomes important for fast action and videogames, we will see displays with higher refresh rates. These are already available for computers today (check our your video display settings on your computer). The refresh rates of displays will go up this year from 60 times a second (60Hz) to 90Hz and 120Hz, increasing the data rate again to 12.2 Gbps. These cables are still under development and are expected to be available later 2007.

To make matters even more demanding, future TVs will have even more pixels than 1080p, to 1440 and greater, as consumers demand ever-bigger, brighter, sharper pictures. The data rate increases as the pixel count increases. These displays are already available for computers and professional grade projectors.

HDMI AND THE QUEST FOR PERFECTION
The Quest for Perfection: A moving target of HDMI performance. The ultimate goal is to reproduce all of the colors, depth, sharpness and smooth movement that the eye can see.

Sorry to tell you, we are far away from that ultimate goal. The good news: high-definition displays and sources have advanced tremendously in the past two years, a trend that will only accelerate as digital processing becomes more powerful and cheaper to implement.

So that you understand just how far we've come and where we're going, here is a brief history of cable and data transmission demands. For continuity, all of the numbers expressed here are at an 8-bit color depth and 60Hz scan rate. Both numbers will dramatically increase in the near future, but for now, here is where we stand.

1. From Standard Video to High Definition
   a) Available via Component Video connections, Progressive Scan introduced a data rate of .81 Gigabits per second at 60Hz scan rate with an 8-bit color depth.
2. From Standard definition progressive scan to today's "High definition."
   a) Known as 720p (progressive) or 1080i (interlace), both are considered High Definition. Data rate increases from 0.81 Gbps to high definition at 2.23 Gbps, almost three times the amount of data per second.
   b) Enter the single digital connection, HDMI 1.0 with standard quality audio
3. From High Definition to "Higher Definition" " 1080p and Beyond
   a) Many manufacturers have their own saying for this: True HD, Full HD, and more.
   b) The data rate doubles to 4.46 Gbps. Many cables do not make the grade, especially at longer lengths.
   c) Enter a new HDMI specification of 1.2 and 1.2a, which also introduces the capability of high-quality SACD and DVD- Audio at 192kHz/24-bit times eight channels. Certainly, that's an incredible amount of data to travel down the same cable.
   d) Monster's original HDMI cables easily meet this new standard. If one purchased a 50ft. length of Monster HDMI in the old days, it would perform at 1080i or full 1080p.
4. From Higher Definition to "Ultra High Definition."
   a) To goal is to approach all the gradients of contrast and color that eye can see. This requires incredible amounts of data. The current displays are 8 bit color with 256 shades of gray, displaying up to 16.7 million possible colors.
   b) Advanced displays feature 10bit and 12 bit color, expanding the gray levels to 1,024 and 4,096. With 10-bit color, the number of possible colors increase to 1.1 billion, while 12-bit colors increase to 68.7 billion, —providing more true-to-life colors, improved contrast ratios, and reduced color banding. This is known as "Deep Color," and will require high levels of cable manufacturing technology, especially over long lengths.
   c) Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD players and PlayStation 3 offer this advanced color capability, but it demands even more data through the same cable, now increasing again from 4.46Gbps to 6.68Gbps!
   d) If your cable can't deliver this bandwidth, you'll still get a picture, but with obvious picture artifacts (flaws).
   e) To transmit all the new advances in color technology, a new specification is created called HDMI 1.3. To make matters even more confusing, there are TWO versions of HDMI 1.3, Category 1 and Category 2. Category 2 has much greater bandwidth requirements to transmit all of the available feature sets. Just because a cable claims HDMI 1.3 doesn't mean that you will get the performance promises of HDMI 1.3 Category 2. That cable could simply be HDMI 1.3 Category 1, which has no greater data transmission capability than the previous HDMI specification.
5. Beyond Ultra High Definition to Better than Ultra High Definition
   a) In addition to the depth of color, we want the "digital artifacts' of fast movement to be minimized. To achieve this, higher display refresh rates are coming: The 60Hz frame rate of today will not be adequate tomorrow. It will jump to 90Hz and 120Hz in the next year, which means double again the same amount of data in the same one second.
   b) Audio improves once again with Dolby True HD and DTS HD Master Audio sound quality
   . c) Bad news, the cable requires bandwidth that is more than twice that of the latest 6.68 Gbps standard. It now goes to 10.2 Gbps, all down the same cable!

DATA RATE REQUIREMENTS FOR HDMI
The graph below shows some of the data rate requirements of HDMI cable as the technology improves.

BIGGER IS BETTER: DISPLAYS THAT IS
There's no limit to the public's thirst for a bigger picture. It was only two years ago that a 40-inch flatscreen display was considered large. Today, 60- and 70-inch screens are commonplace. Even more amazing, today's 100-inch screens are now the same price as yesterday's 60-inch displays. And, of course, the almighty projector with 9ft. and greater screens try to satisfy the consumer appetite for "super size."

Unfortunately, large high-definition displays with larger pixels make imperfections all the more obvious. Deterioration of data from lesser HDMI cables can be seen more easily on larger displays. Artifacts such as color banding and contouring become more visible on larger displays. The motion artifacts at the slower refresh rate of 60Hz are more visible, as are the smooth motion improvements in faster-refreshing 90Hz and 120Hz displays.

Even as 1080p just begins to take hold, there is already talk of even greater, computer display-level pixel density, thereby putting even greater demands on HDMI cables to move more data.

Monster's goal is to push the envelope on new innovations in HDMI cable technology, including increased bandwidth and durability, providing our customers cables that will fulfill the promise of full HDMI picture quality.

HANG IT ON THE WALL! THE NEED FOR HIGHER PERFORMANCE OVER LONG RUNS
High performance is critical in maintaining HDMI performance over longer cable lengths. Consumers' desire to hang their great-looking "thin" panels on the wall and to locate components out of sight, places high demands on HDMI cable performance. Gone are the TV stands where the AV receiver and cable/satellite boxes sat conveniently below the TV. Today, consumers don't want to see "the gear," so it's not uncommon to find video components located 25, 50, and 75 feet away from the TV. This means that data-intensive high definition video and audio must be transmitted over long lengths.

Unfortunately, HDMI cables were never designed for this purpose and performance over long lengths is not specified in HDMI. Highly advanced cable designs are required to meet the performance specifications of HDMI Category 2 and beyond.

PROPERLY TESTING HDMI CABLES
PROPERLY TESTING HDMI CABLES
Many people have written reports of "testing" HDMI cables. Proper testing for HDMI performance can be a very difficult endeavor. It is not just visual. There are specific testing components and test methodologies set up by Silicon Image, one of the founders of HDMI. The equipment is extremely expensive ($250,000 to $600,000).

The test standards themselves are new, and very few labs have the equipment to accurately test cables. Reviewers who have done casual visual testing, without the proper test equipment and processes, may not have reported all of the differences in cables.

Monster tests 100% of its HDMI cables for quality so you know the cable works when you get it. In addition, we do durability testing, twisting and pulling on the connectors, as an installer would to make sure signal integrity is maintained.

WHAT DO POOR PERFORMING CABLES LOOK AND SOUND LIKE?
Cable-induced video artifacts can be as small as color banding (loss of color gradations), pixel dropouts, colored pixels popping intermittently on the screen, decrease in color quality, and "solarization," where the gradients of color are not accurately produced.

In severe cases there will be "noise" and "snow" and streaks that occasionally blast across the screen. In the most severe cases, the picture will block out altogether. Customers have reported many instances where picture quality was poor and replacing their generic cable with a Monster Cable solved their problems. In high performance audio where one can have eight channels of 192Hz/24-bit audio quality can deteriorate due to jitter.

Monster has always designed and engineered advanced audio and video cables, assuring consumers that they get maximum enjoyment from their home theater investment. Cables are the least expensive component in a home theater system so if possible, it pays to get the best.

For those who don't require maximum performance, but still want Monster Cable quality, we offer cables at every performance level with price points ranging from $79.95 for the Monster Flatscreen HDMI to $200 for the ultimate performance M Series HDMI 1000.