MonoPrice RedMere Active HDMI Cables Preview

In the past the best way to combat signal loss in long HDMI cable runs was to use large gauge cable. These cables are unwieldy and result in a lot of problems due to insufficient strain relief and the inability they have to take corners or bend away from the ever-increasingly thin electronics they connect. Now, thanks to RedMere’s microchip active-HDMI technology the cable now operates off the power supplied by the sink device to provide more signal strength amplification than traditional in-line amplifiers. The active amplification provided by the RedMere chip, the full 10.2 Gbps HDMI data throughput can be maintained up to 20 meters (65 feet) and at 6.75 Gbps throughput, which is sufficient for 3D video, is possible up to 30 meters.

The end result is a line of thinner HDMI cables that are capable of producing full bandwidth and data throughput over greater distances - at least until HDMI Licensing decides to arbitrarily increase the data rates again and force everyone to go back to the drawing board. In any case, smaller gauges provide the added bonus of lighter, thinner cables that are more flexible and easier to manage. Of course, in typical Monoprice fashion, all this will be available at the lowest prices possible and will release in the first quarter of this year. Are you excited? We're excited.

We got an early sample and used a new MonoPrice 60' RedMere cable ($72) to wire up a projector for our annual Super Bowl party. Now, realize we were sending a 1080p signal from our primary Reference System 2 equipment closet, around the room, to a BenQ W7000 3D DLP projector mounted on a stand. Even after the 60 foot run, and with cable that was about half the diameter (and weight) of a comparable 1080p-rated cable, the signal was flawless and the Super Bowl gained an additional A/V zone with which to watch the game (we had 4 zones this year). There is no real sufficient way to describe our thankfulness that RedMere stepped up the game and is introducing reasonably-priced active cabling solutions to combat the extreme complexity that is the HDMI cable. Pricing for a 6 ft. long RedMere cable will be just $13.23 with various lengths all the way up to the 60 ft. cable costing $72. That means that these long-length active RedMere cables go for less than what the local big box store will try to con you into paying for the passive big name brands.