Knowledge base

• Compatibility - Inside the connectors, there is a chipset inside.  Some inferior VCSEL laser dies after short period of time.  The chipset is responsible to make sure the TV (Display side) and DVD ( Source side ) EDID reading successful, then image can show on the Display.  If the Chipset is not designed properly to match most Display and Source on the market, there will be compatibility issue.  There is no fix in this situation.  A lot of factory to pursue low cost and used low quality chipset.  These chipset can only work with limited Display and Source, so often have compatibility issues.  If the cable is not working after installation, it is much more expensive in labor to replace the cable.

• Broken Optical Fiber - since this inside cable is fiber optic, it is very very fragile.  Therefore, the filler material inside the cable is very important in protecting your cable.  The right material is kevlar, but many cheap cables uses cotton or nylon.  Cable installation is a rough process pulling cables through conduits. Inferior filler material CANNOT protect your fiber during installation.  If the cable is broken during installation, it is much more expensive in labor to replace the cable

• Broken Connection - since this inside cable is fiber optic, and connected to the connector module.  This is very precision assembly technique.  Slight misalignment on the fiber/module connection can result in a non-working cable.  Therefore, not only the fiber/module connection needs to be done right, it also needs to be protected properly.  Cable installation is a rough process pulling cables through conduits. Poor fiber connection CAN BREAK during installation.  If the cable is broken during installation, it is much more expensive in labor to replace the cable.

• Missing ARC support - In an HDMI AOC cable, there are copper wires for communication protocols: one for power supply, one for CEC, two for audio return (ARC), and one for DDC signals.  A lot of factory pursue low cost and remove the 2 copper wires for ARC.

• Durability and life expectancy - Inside the connectors, there are VCSEL lasers that emits optical signals into the fiber.  Some inferior VCSEL laser dies after short period of time.  If one of the VCSEL fails, the cable do not work at any device.  There is no fix in this situation.  A lot of factory pursue low cost and used low quality VCSEL, these are high risk defective.  If the cable is broken after installation, it is much more expensive in labor to replace the cable.

AWM (Appliance Wiring Material)

This type of wire is defined by UL 758, and is meant to be used with consumer products in basic connectivity applications, such as connecting a computer to a monitor, or routing a USB cable from a motherboard to the outside of the computer case. AWM wire is not meant to be used in building installations, unless it is within the scope of the installation instructions for a particular product (5). However, there is some overlap in test scenarios between UL 758 and UL 13 (which covers CL2, CL2X, and CL3).

VW-1 (Vertical Wire 1) - ANSI / UL 1581

A measured section of the wire is suspended vertically and a flame source is placed near one end. A paper flag is attached to the other end of the wire. Beneath the wire sample and the flag is a small amount of cotton. The flame is ignited and the wire is burned for 5 cycles, each cycle 15s, with break of 15s-60s. The flames must not travel up the wire in such a way as to burn a significant portion of the paper flag, and none of the paper flag is allowed to drop and ignite the cotton below.  

 The code before the slash designates the shielding for the cable itself, while the code after the slash determines the shielding for the individual pairs:

U – unshielded

F – foil shielding

S – screened shielding (outer layer only)

TP – twisted pair

TQ – twisted pair, individual shielding in quads

*reference from Wikipedia