Ahead of the Curve: 8K HDMI Cables have Landed

Not sure if you’ve heard, but we’re incredibly excited to start carrying 8K rated HDMI cables. The number of customers asking for 2.1 rated HDMI cables had increased enough to where it was a bit of a bummer to explain how our standard HDMI cables exceeded 2.0 ratings (supports 4K, HDR, and 3D), but didn’t fit the bill when it came to supporting the bandwidth necessary for 8K resolution.

At the start of this year, our new line of ECore Ultra High-Speed HDMI cables are locked and loaded to handle the bandwidth needed to send uncompressed 8K video at 60 frames per second, or uncompressed 4K at 120 frames per second. They’ve also got the juice to handle 48-bit deep color, 3D video, built-in ethernet, and a 90-degree bend radius (perfect for tight fits behind entertainment cabinets or mounted TVs).

That fancy new 8K television is only as good as the cabling. It is 100 percent necessary to have 2.1 rated HDMI cables to reap the full viewing benefits of owning an 8K television. With that said, I think it’s important to be realistic about what 8K means today and what it will mean tomorrow.

As it stands, there is virtually no content readily available in 8K. There are no major streaming services supporting it, there are no 8K programs (in the United States) on broadcast, cable, or satellite, and there is not currently a physical media means of watching 8K discs or any other tangible media.

It is a bit of a waiting game to allow these services and media a chance to catch up to the technology, but we’re not too far behind. Plus, an immediate advantage of using 2.1 rated HDMI cables is the upgraded refresh rate at 4K, which jumped from 4K/60 Hz to 4K/120 Hz.

In the meantime, it seems most of the 8K video will be “upscaled” from 4K or 1080p by the image processing on the televisions themselves. While this is a neat feature and arguably the best means of utilizing the 8K TVs on the market right now, it isn’t the same level of pristine resolution we’ll see once true 8K content is readily available.

Nonetheless, there is something to be said about staying ahead of the curve and being prepared for when 8K does finally take off as the next generation of picture quality.

If you have any questions about our ECore 8K Ultra High-Speed HDMI cables, give our team a call at 636-519-9505.