Audioquest HDMI Forest 18

4K/8K Compatibility AudioQuest’s 18Gbps High-Speed HDMI cables provide the necessary bandwidth for video resolutions up to 8K/30 (8-bit, 4:2:0), equating to 7680 x 4320 resolution with over 33 million pixels, running at a maximum of 30 frames per second. The standard frame rates of 24 and 30 fps are suitable for the majority of movies and many TV shows.

18Gbps Bandwidth All of AudioQuest’s 18Gbps High-Speed HDMI cables are guaranteed to possess the 18Gbps bandwidth essential for supporting compelling features such as 8K/30 video, High Dynamic Range (HDR) imagery, and enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC).

eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) Previous HDMI hardware’s ARC capabilities were limited to transmitting lossy (compressed) 5.1-channel surround sound. All generations of AudioQuest HDMI cables labeled as “with Ethernet” support ARC. To ensure superior audio performance, the ARC-channel conductor pair is directionally controlled to run opposite to the four pairs that carry information to the TV. The latest HDMI 2.1 hardware introduces Enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC), significantly increasing bandwidth to accommodate uncompressed and lossless high-resolution multichannel audio, including formats like Dolby TrueHD, Atmos, DTS-HD Master Audio, and DTS: X.

High Dynamic Range (HDR) Support AudioQuest’s 18Gbps High-Speed HDMI cables fully support High Dynamic Range (HDR) content, enhancing image contrast for deeper blacks, brighter whites, and highlights, as well as providing richer color saturation and brightness. Dynamic HDR, exemplified by formats like HDR 10+ and Dolby Vision, allows frame-by-frame HDR optimization rather than having fixed HDR settings for the entire program.

Solid 0.5% Silver Conductors Solid conductors are utilized to minimize the adverse effects of electrical and magnetic interaction between strands. In the case of digital cables, where signals operate at high frequencies traveling mostly on the surface of the conductor, AudioQuest enhances its Long-Grain Copper (LGC) conductors by applying progressively thicker layers of silver plating. Placing the superior metal on the conductor’s exterior surface provides the greatest benefit to overall performance, offering a cost-effective way to maximize digital cable performance.

Hard-Cell Foam Insulation Hard-Cell Foam (HCF) insulation plays a crucial role in maintaining the precise geometry of signal pairs. Any solid material adjacent to a conductor forms an imperfect circuit as wire insulation and circuit board materials tend to absorb and release energy, leading to distortion. Hard-Cell Foam Insulation, similar to Foamed-PE used in more budget-friendly Bridges & Falls cables, contains nitrogen-injected air pockets. Nitrogen, like air, does not absorb energy, thus minimizing distortion. The material’s stiffness allows the cable’s conductors to maintain a stable relationship over the cable’s entire length, ensuring stable impedance characteristics and further reducing distortion.

HDMI Active AudioQuest’s Pearl, Forest, and Cinnamon HDMI cables utilize Active Frequency-Equalization, enabling them to deliver full 18Gbps/4K UltraHD performance even over distances ranging from 10 to 15 meters.

Directional Design for Optimal Performance All audio cables exhibit directionality, determined through listening assessments of the metal conductors in each batch of AudioQuest audio cables. In AudioQuest HDMI cables, all signal conductors are directionally controlled for optimal digital audio transmission. Special care is taken to run the conductors used in the Audio Return Channel in the opposite direction to ensure the best performance for that application. Connectors are clearly labeled with arrows to maintain superior sound quality.

High-Speed Data Capacity HDMI standards and capabilities have improved significantly since the transition from DVI to HDMI. All generations of HDMI cables are backward compatible. However, not all previous HDMI cables can transmit the full 18Gbps of data required to optimize today’s HDMI 2.0 equipment. Although there is currently no 4K/60 4:4:4 software that necessitates the full 18Gbps capability of HDMI, some sources, such as UHD Blu-ray players, can be set to “up-sample,” requiring 18Gbps capability. Decisions on up-sampling are best made in the TV rather than in a previous component. AudioQuest HDMI cables labeled as “Exceeds 18 Gbps” on the box front are guaranteed to surpass the requirements for all potential HDMI data streams.