NEWS: van den Hul announces Ultimate HDMI, and can't hold back The Tide

Cable company van den Hul has launched a cable that's not only described as its Ultimate HDMI - that's what it's called, too!

And the company has also introduced a new interconnect, aimed at the more affordable end of its range: The Tide is another of van den Hul's hybrid designs.

The Ultimate is available in lengths from 1m to 25m, with prices starting from £150. And the company says that up to 40m runs are possible using its repeater, which fits between two cables and boosts the signal.

The cable uses the thickest-possible conductors, made of silver-plated oxygen-free copper, and an overall double screen of silver/OFC braid.

The outer cover is made of the company's familiar Hulliflex material, and chemically sealed to protect the conductors and braid from external contaminants.

The cable is finished with high-quality metal-cased HDMI plugs using 24ct gold-plated pins, and is certified for full HDMI v1.3b compatibility including 1080p video up to 25m, or further with the repeater.

Also new from the Dutch company is this bright orange interconnect, The Tide Hybrid. Designed to be highly flexible, it costs from £130 for a 0.8m pair.

Unlike conventional interconnects, which are of a coaxial design, one conductor surrounding the other, The Tide uses two identical conductors, separated by an overall screening layer.

An outer double shield uses braided metal over Linear Structured Carbon - hence the Hybrid name. This is said to give it better rejection of external interference.

van den Hul cables are distributed in the UK by Henley Designs.

Technorati Tags: 1080p, HDMI, interconnect, HDMI 1.3, van den Hul

Andrew has written about audio and video products for the past 20+ years, and been a consumer journalist for more than 30 years, starting his career on camera magazines. Andrew has contributed to titles including What Hi-Fi?, GramophoneJazzwise and Hi-Fi CriticHi-Fi News & Record Review and Hi-Fi Choice. I’ve also written for a number of non-specialist and overseas magazines.