Let There Be Light: The Engineering of Optical HDMI
1 min read
Summary
YouTuber Shahriar from The Signal Path has released a video showing a teardown of optical HDMI cables, which he claims are a cost-effective solution to extending HDMI 2.0 connections beyond the limitations of traditional copper links.
The video explores the challenges of converting from twisted-pair copper to optical lanes, and explains the uses of Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers (VCSELs) and PIN photodiodes, which transform electrical signals into optical ones and vice versa, enabling data transmission over longer distances without significant signal degradation.
The video also examines the optical modules in detail, highlighting free-space optics and optical confinement techniques with lasers and detectors, and captures the eye diagram of the received high-speed lane.
Shahriar’s analysis offers invaluable insights into the electronic architecture of optical HDMI cables, and would be of interest to those keen on understanding the intricacies of signal integrity and the innovative solutions employed to overcome them.
The video serves as both an insight into the components and design choices involved in optical HDMI technology, and an inspiration to enhance data transmission methods.
