Trending towards higher-bandwidth Category cable
At ICE Cable Systems, one of the biggest industry trends we are seeing is the shift toward the use of ultra-high bandwidth Category cables. This is in response to the increased demands imposed by today’s electronics.
The Emergence of Cat 6 and Cat 7 Cables
4K UHD video has taken the AV world by storm and has been a driving factor in the evolving world of high-performance cable. While 4K video dazzles your clients with its beautiful picture quality, the signal required is quite challenging and is very similar to a 10 Gigabit data network. The newer generation of Cat 6A and Cat 7 are specifically designed to meet or exceed this new challenge, and because of this we have seen this product category really take-off.
Bye-Bye Cat 5E?
When we look at the bandwidth requirements for 4K, Cat 6A has really become the minimum standard. The reason for this is that its combination of a higher twist rate and improved insulation geometry means it can achieve the 10-Gig speeds required for proper UHD content. With 4K’s increased bandwidth requirements we are actually seeing that a lot of integrators have stopped pulling Cat 5E altogether. (In fact it’s been a couple of years now that Cat 5E unit sales have dipped below Cat 6.)
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But what happens as the 4K of today continues to improve? Future upgrades in 3D, color depth, and refresh rate promise to push the demands of Category cable even further. That is why we are suggesting that integrators “future-proof” by pulling Cat 7. To eliminate interference from both high-voltage sources (such as lighting), as well as other high-frequency interference, Cat 7 cable is dual-shielded. Cat 7 will also give you the additional headroom your client will need going forward.
HDBaseT
To ensure your integrators clients receive the highest possible performance from the HDBaseT-certified equipment installed, ICE went the extra mile to have its Cat 6A and Cat 7 independently-tested and certified. So the moral of the story is don’t skimp on buying cheap, un-certified cables when using HDBaseT. If you do, you are sure to encounter problems in the near-future.
Down the Road
As we look to the future we will no doubt continue to “push the envelope” of what twisted-pair technology can do. While it’s important to keep up on cable technology, it’s also important to keep an eye on connector technology. The standard 8P8C RJ45 connector we have all grown to love can only handle up to 600MHz and will need to be updated at some point. The future is unclear with multiple options such as GG45, TERA, and ARJ45 connectors all promising performance up to 1,000MHz. ICE will continue to monitor the latest shifts in our industry to ensure integrators always have the high-performance cable they need to get the job done right.
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