What are Active Optical Cables?

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The
proliferation of bandwidth-hungry applications such as 4K/8K/10K video, as well
as augmented and virtual reality, are all fueling the need for reliable, faster
data transmission between sources and displays. At lengths of 5 m and beyond,
copper cables are simply no longer able to keep up with this insatiable
bandwidth demand at the speeds required. Fiber optics is the answer.

 

Active
Optical Cables (AOCs) convert electrical signals into optical
for the transmission of video and data communications, over short or long
distances, between sources and displays. Compared with direct attach copper
cable for video and/or data transmission, AOCs provide many advantages, such as
lighter weight, faster speeds, lower power consumption, lower interconnection
loss, and increased flexibility. Because AOCs are thin and flexible, they can
be routed through walls much easier than a copper cable.

 

AOCs
are ordered by connector type and length, plus some optional features if
needed. They are available in many different connector types – including HDMI,
DisplayPort, USB, QSFP, and SFP. Desired length is in meters. Jacket type can
also be specified: shielded, plenum, Euro market, etc.

 

When
using AOCs, it is important to make sure that the source end of the cable is
connected to the device that generates the video signal.