Robinson's Highly Belatedbut Highly IntriguingBrutus Awards for 2008 by David W. RobinsonFurutech HDMI-xv1.3 cable
Furutech HDMI-xv1.3 high-bandwidth HDMI cables; image courtesy of Furutech.
I freely confess to being a long-time video junkie. Since VHS first arrived, I've invested in a long sequence of home theater format and gear: VHS, Laserdisc (still got most all of my LDs, too), DVD, DVHS, HD broadcast (Portland was one of the initial test sites for HD over the air), HD over cable (Comcast), and now Blu Ray. (I guessed right on that last one, and went with Blu Ray instead of HD-DVD, which I considered to be an inferior format.) I shifted to HDMI for video only when I purchased my Panasonic BD-10 Blu Ray player; it was video only since my Linn Kisto didn't support HDMI. Since then, I've added the exceptional Teac Esoteric DV-60 universal player (universal player but no Blu Ray), the Sony PS3 (Blu Ray and DVD) and the Oppo DV-983H (universal player but no Blu Ray) with their HDMI interfaces.
I
the HDMI interface for home theater quite a lot. It has buckets o' bandwidth, provides high resolution 1080p video, and integrates surround sound
all on a single, easy-connect cable. What's not to
? I have talked with some industry sources that have concerns about the quality of SACD surround sound transmitted via HDMI, that the single feed allows for the introduction of interference and errors that affect the quality of SACD surround sound. I can't respond to that concern. To date, I haven't had a surround processor that would allow me to assess the audibility of the problem, though I expect to correct that problem by March, 2009. Then I may be able to assess what can be heard.
Meanwhile, I do know that better HDMI cables make for a perceptibly better video display. Whether on my 24" Dell WFP2408 HD or my Panasonic TH-65PX600U 65" HD plasma, quality HDMI cables have rousted the competition. For 2008, Furutech's HDMI-xv1.3 showed itself to be the new "top o' the heap" for me in this category. Combining great detail and resolution, plus color fidelity (particularly in the tough noise zone of low reds), and a silky presentation of black and white video, the HDMI-xv1.3 impressed me with its all-around excellence. This has been especially true with Blu Ray, where the HDMI-xv1.3's presentation with superior sources is spookily three dimensional.
For example on the black and white side of the ledger, the Criterion Collection's Blu Ray of The Third Man is a real treat via Furutech's HDMI cable. Long tonal scales and razor-like resolution of edges are a visual treat for the discriminating videophile. I had a similar impression with 20th Century Fox's Blu Ray reissue of The Day the Earth Stood Still
a spot-on, film-like presentation of gray scale. And as to color renditionwell, let me count the ways. Every color Blu Ray that I've watched via the HDMI-xv1.3 (that would be a long list) was presented with saturation that I would consider to be top-notch: clean, silky, and precise.
This one is easy: A Brutus for Furutech's HDMI-xv1.3 in 2008.
