Home :: Learn :: Monster

Monster for HDMI

Intro | White Paper | Eye Test | Connectors | Family

Eye-Pattern Test for Guaranteed Performance

Today, many cable manufacturers claim their HDMI cables pass a high-definition "eye pattern test." This, however, doesn't mean that all HDMI cables are created equal. For one, not all HDMI cables are eye-pattern tested for guaranteed compliance with the HDMI 1.3 specification. Many manufacturers also only test up to 720p/1080i resolution. Monster cables pass a rigorous 1080p eye pattern test at speeds above 165 MHz. twice the bandwidth necessary for 720/1080i.

Many "tested" cables also do not pass without errors. The culprit: inferior materials and construction. Cable and connector durability is critical to HDMI compliance and 1080p video reproduction since the slightest imperfections reduce cable performance. See the Eye Pattern Test illustrations below. Notice the number of errors or "mask hits" in the "Generic HDMI" test.

Inferior construction and manufacturing matters outside the lab in demanding high-performance home theaters. Under less than ideal circumstances, poorly constructed cables can introduce artifacts into your picture, which are often wrongly attributed to the display. Bit error often appears as color blocking, dropped pixels, flashing pixels, streaks, and other visual aberrations.

It's also important to note that roper testing for HDMI performance can be a very difficult task. Each manufacturer must use specific test equipment and follow specific test methodologies set up by Silicon Image, one of the founders of HDMI.

The equipment is extremely expensive ($250,000 minimum up to $600,000). The test standards themselves are very new, and very few labs are capable of accurately testing. Those who claim to have tested cables typically do so with casual visual testing, and not with the proper test equipment and processes. Monster has always used state-of-art measurements. We have found that the difference in cables varies widely, with many cables being sold that do not meet HDMI cable specifications. Monster tests 100% of its HDMI cables for quality so you know the cable will always work the first time and every time you use it.