Frequently Asked Questions

• Are Tributaries HDMI cables certified by HDMI LLC?
• What is the difference between a wire and a cable?
• What do all these color codings mean on the connectors?
• Can an audio cable be used for a video cable?
• What are the differences between the Series 5, 7, and 9 Video Cables?
• How do Tributaries 1piece RCA compression connectors compare to other in-the-field terminations?
• Are Tributaries HDMI cable UL rated?
• Can the HC100 convert HDMI to component?
• Can component carry a 1080p signal?
• Are Tributaries HDMI cables certified by a third party ?
• What is RoHS?
• How long can I run HDMI?
• How can I Make HDMI Travel Further?
• Is there a difference between RGB and Component?
• Why is a silver-plated, copper center conductor better than a copper center conductor?
• What is the difference between RG6 Copper Clad Steel and RG6 Copper?
• When should I use RG59 vs. RG6?
• Are there any differences between DVI and HDMI?

All cables in each Series up to 4 meters are tested to pass 1080p. 

A Wire is a conductor, usually copper or aluminum, which allows a signal to flow from one point to another. Wire is usually covered with an insulator or jacket, and comes in various gauges.

 

A Cable is two or more wires bound together in a common jacket.  The individual wires inside the jacket may be bare, covered, or insulated.

 

 

When looking at RCA and BNC connectors, you will find a variety of colors.  Each color represents a certain video or audio format or signal.  These colors correspond to the back of your electronics.  Please note: Video cables can be used as audio cables.  Audio cables cannot substitute for a video cable.

Video

Yellow                                    Composite Video

Red, Green, Blue                  Component or RGB Video

Audio

Red, White                            Right and Left Audio

Brown or Purple                  Subwoofer

Orange                                   Digital Audio Coax

 

 

No.  When dealing with video, a cable has to be 75 ohm impedance to achieve its maximum performance.  All TRIBUTARIES® video cables are 75 ohm. The reason is that an analog audio cable is not a 75 ohm cable, therefore it will not meet the 75 ohm impedance requirement for video equipment. To prevent signal from being reflected back to the signal source, the video system’s inputs and outputs must be designed for 75 ohm impedance cables. These reflections can cause video issues, such as "ghosting", where the image will appear as a weak and displaced image (typically to the right of the primary image).

 

We have designed our interconnects with three distinct levels of performance - Good, Better and Best.  Our “Good” level interconnects, Series 5, have features that correspond to most competitor’s “better” level cables. The immediate standout feature of the Series 5 cable is the use of machined brass, gold-plated RCA connectors. Most competitors don’t offer metal, hand-soldered connectors at this price point.  And none of them test their cables for continuity before shipment as in the case with Series 5 cables. In fact, TRIBUTARIES tests every interconnect we sell for continuity before shipment, regardless of the price point. Series 5 cables contain two different types of shielding, a copper braid to block radio frequency (RF) incursion below 50 Megahertz (MHz), and a foil layer to block RF above 59 MHz. The copper braid is of particular importance, because all audio and video signals are below 50 MHz. Although RF interference above 50 MHz isn’t likely to cause problems with AV equipment, it’s still possible so we added a foil layer just to be sure.

Our “Better” interconnects have more shielding and larger conductors than the Series 5.  We use a 1.25% silver-plating to improve the conductivity of the cables (silver is a 10% better conductor than copper). The Series 7 has features not found in Series 5 cables or anywhere else for that matter. We use two soldering methods not found anywhere else. Surround Solder is a much better mechanical and electrical connection than the typical method used to solder a shield on interconnects. We also take an extra step to ensure reliability with “bridge solder.” Soldering the RCA connector bridge improves the reliability of the ground within the RCA connector. The Series 7 video cables have a 95% coverage copper braid shields for better rejection of RF interference (in addition to a foil shield).

Our Series 9, which is our “Best” interconnects, improves upon the performance offered by the Series 7..  In the case of our Series 9 video cables, we use true 75 ohm RCA connectors (virtually no other manufacturer uses true 75 ohm RCA connectors).  Series 9 video cables have two 95% coverage copper braid shields for better rejection of RF interference (in addition to a copper foil shield). Although one 95% coverage copper braid would seem to be enough, it’s still 5% porous (the machines that weave the braid can’t make a 100% coverage braid).   One more difference between the Series 7 and Series 9 cables is the dielectric.  The Series 9 dielectric is constructed with a dielectric skin, a nitrogen-injected foam and a second dielectric skin. This construction greatly improves the dielectric, maintaining a near-perfect 75ohm impedance.

 

Tributaries 1-piece RCA connectors have a 360 degree lateral/radial compression which does not change the dielectric, this is the only termination system that is AT&T approved and meets both SCTE and Bellcore standards.

The 1-piece RCA connector has a new “visible” entry to make certain there is a connection 100% of the time.

The 1-piece connector is water tight and requires 75lbs of pull pressure to remove it from the wire, giving it a more permanent, reliable connection.

Yes.  All Series 3 and 5 HDMI cables are CL3 rated.  The Series 7 and Series 9 HDMI cables of 6 meters and longer are CL3 Rated. Shorter lengths of Series 7 and 9 are available in CL3 rating upon request.

THE HC100 is designed to convert component and optical to a HDMI signal.  This is perfect for those who have a new display with older electronics. 

 

HDMI LLC and HDCP organizations will not allow digital HDMI signals to be copied or converted to analog signals. Since component video does not carry The HDCP link, this act is considered “HDCP Ripping” by the authorities mentioned.

 

Yes. All component cables have more than enough bandwidth to carry 1080p. However, if you do not include the gaming and Media Server world, there are NO sources that will output 1080p over Component. In ongoing attempts to prevent high-definition from being copied, the CEA has sided with Hollywood, and will continue to support HDMI and its current version 1.3. As of November 2007, this means that CEA will not be defining 1080p analog.

 

All cables in each Series up to 4 meters are certified by Simplay. Simplay Labs is the leader in HD solutions delivering HD performance standards, testing services, development tools, technologies, and consulting services for manufacturers of CE and PC products.

 

RoHS (pronounced "Ro-Hoss") stands for the "Restriction of Hazardous Substances" which is directly aimed at companies who build electronic equipment and even wire and cable. To help the global environment, RoHS came into existence in 2006. The European Union (EU) industry manufacturers are required to limit the levels of lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyl (PBB), and the flame retardant polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE). Not only have these six substances been linked to global change, they have all been linked to multiple medical conditions in humans. For example, PBDE has been found as an endocrine disruptor that can be linked to obesity.

All of Tributaries products are RoHS compliant.

The desired length of an HDMI cable is dependent on three factors:

1. The quality of the transmitter and receiver inside the electronics being used

2. The resolution, bit rate, and refresh rate being sent to the display unit

3. The material in which the cable is built, and the gauge of the conductors

 

Given the transmitter and receiver of the electronics are fully compatible:

Not all HDMI cables will pass 1080p resolutions.  Use the following chart to determine the best TRIBUTARIES HDMI Cable for a certain application.

 

Series 3 HDMI - 30AWG conductors.  Available up to 4 meters

Series 5 HDMI - 28 AWG conductors.  Available up to 6 meters

Series 7 HDMI - 26AWG conductors.  Available up to 10 meters

Series 9 HDMI - 24 AWG conductors.  Available up to 15 meters

Series 9 HDMI - 23 AWG conductors.  Available in 20 meters

 

 

All cables in each Series are tested to pass 1080p.  HDMI LLC only certifies HDMI cables as long as 4 meters.

 

Using TRIBUTARIES HX101 will allow HDMI 1.3 at 1080p resolution to pass through all HDMI Cable lengths at least 25 meters.  Lengths are dependent on cable construction, bit rate, and other electronics. See “How Can I Make HDMI Travel Further” for more information. 

 

 

To allow an HDMI signal to travel further than the specification of the cable, the Tributaries HX101, a HDMI extender can be used.  Depending on the resolution, this HDMI extender can extend an HDMI signal at least 25 meters.  The HDMI extender re-syncs an incoming signal back to HDMI specifications.  The HX101 is compliant with HDCP and HDMI standards.  Powered by a transformer, this small electronic device is placed at the end of the run near the display.  The HDMI extender will restore a 1080p signal, even though the signal is being transmitted over a cable that is specified to pass less than 1080p.  

 

Yes.  Because RGB and Component have the same amount of coax cables (3) and the color-coding is the same, many people assume that these are the same signals.  RGB also comes in other configurations:  RGB and RGBHV.  The difference between RGB and Component is how the signal is broken up:

Component

Red Cable=  R-Y=Red signal minus Luminance

Green Cable=  Y=Luminance (black and white)

Blue Cable=  B-Y=Blue signal minus Luminance

RGB

Red Cable=Red Signal

Green Cable=Green Signal, Luminance (black and white), and Sync

Blue Cable=Blue Signal

 

RGB carries more bandwidth than component

These two configurations are not compatible with each other.  RGB, though, is compatible with VGA.

 

 

Since silver is a lower resistance metal than copper, a signal is capable of traveling further.  Also, frequencies such as High Definition tend to flow closer to the surface.  Since silver has a 10% gain in conductance, the data transfer is superior to that of copper.

 

 

Before discussing the advantages and disadvantages of solid copper center conductors versus copper clad steel, let’s define them. Copper-clad refers to a center conductor that is manufactured from steel and coated with a very thin layer of copper. Solid copper construction is as the name implies, a conductor manufactured from solid copper.  This construction of copper-clad steel coax came into being for a few reasons. For one, copper clad steel takes advantage of a phenomenon called “skin effect”, the tendency for a signal to travel on the surface of a conductor at a given frequency. Simply put, as frequencies increase, the signal migrates to the "skin" of the conductor. Another factor is cost reduction, because steel is less expensive than copper. Lastly, steel has more tensile strength than copper. Although it isn’t as flexible, steel can withstand a higher load before failure.

 

Solid copper center conductors offer some advantages over copper-clad steel. All copper is more flexible than copper clad steel, reducing installation time and hassles. Another advantage of copper is better conductance.  Because satellite sends a voltage over the coax, copper clad steel may have a difficulty passing this voltage. 

 

RG6 Dual or Quad Shield should not be used for base band applications such as video projectors, plasma TV’s, component video, etc. Although it sounds like an ideal solution given all the layers of shielding, RG6 Dual and Quad Shield (RG6DSC and RG6QSC) do not have the correct type of shielding for the applications described above. It is constructed using braided aluminum shields and foil shields. The construction differs between models.  The foil shields have an effective range of operation above 50 MHz, making them ideal for rejection of RFI (radio frequency interference) that would affect cable or satellite installations. However, at frequencies below 50 MHz they are completely ineffective. The RG6 Dual and Quad shield’s braiding  does not have enough coverage to work well with baseband applications.

 

High Definition frequencies are typically around 37 MHz. For those lower frequencies, TRIBUTARIES offers an RG59 with an all-copper 95% copper shield (RG59SSC) that is designed to block RFI incursion at base band frequencies.  RG59’s “big brother” is an RG6 Single Shield (RG6SSC), which has the same construction as RG59 but uses a thicker center conductor for longer runs and less signal loss.  Because of the lack of foil shielding, RG59 should not be used for cable and satellite feeds.

 

 

DVI and HDMI have similarities and differences.

• DVI and HDMI both carry an uncompressed digital video signal. These signals are compatible.
• DVI and HDMI cables are not capable of transferring signals over long distances.
• Both DVI and HDMI are HDCP (high definition copyright protection) compliant. HDCP ensures that any high definition content through a digital signal cannot be recorded.

HDMI is an improved adaptation from DVI.

• HDMI carries uncompressed digital video and uncompressed 5.1 audio along with control
• HDMI connectors are smaller than DVI
• HDMI carries more bandwidth than DVI