Clearway HDMI AOC – Chord’s new Optical tech

Chord’s Clearway HDMI AOC is a next-generation HDMI interconnect, freshly launched into its multi-award-winning Clearway range, priced from just £120 (for a 3 m length) and backed by a lifetime warranty*.

The new AOC (Active Optical Cable) interconnect joins the existing copper Clearway HDMI (which offers high-res performance up to 3 m) and introduces a high-quality next-generation chipset at both ends of the cable for advanced performance over longer runs of up to 20 m.

The new 48GBps-bandwidth Clearway HDMI AOC cable benefits from the highest OM3 grade (over 10-Gigabit-bandwidth glass fibres), rather than the typical OM2 (1 GB).

Resolution is up to 10K (30 Hz) from the four-fibre/seven-wire configuration which is protected with foam/Polyethylene insulation, a dual aluminium foil shield and a PVC jacket.

Alongside full 4K/8K/10K HDR picture quality, the high-speed Clearway HDMI AOC benefits from improved audio performance and is heavily shielded against unwanted HF noise.

The cable supports: eARc (Enhanced Audio Return Channel ); ( SBTM (Source-based Tone Mapping); Variable Refresh Rate (VRR); Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM); Quick Frame Transport (QFT) and Quick Media Switching (QMS).

Further features include a gold-plated copper HDMI connector shell with 19 gold-plated copper connector pins, hand soldering and fabrication to the terminations, and protection from a zinc-alloy connector backshell. 

Despite the legendary affordability of Chord Company’s Clearway range, the Clearway HDMI AOC cable is sold with a lifetime warranty* against defective materials and workmanship.

Additional information: about Chord Company HDMI AOC

Following concerns that copper-only cable is being stretched to the limit of its capability, for several years, Chord Company has been exploring optical technology for carrying the ever-more demanding signals required by the latest (and future) players, processors and screens.

Unlike TOSLINK cables, where the entire signal is carried down optical fibres, HDMI AOC cable is a hybrid of seven copper cables and four optical fibres.

The advantage of optical fibre is that it doesn’t pick up HF noise; the same cannot be said for the copper cables. This potential weakness, coupled with the longer cable lengths involved, means that HF noise on the signal earth is inevitable.

Even though this is a digital ‘optical’ cable, Chord Company has ensured that the copper cables are fully protected from external HF noise pollution, hence the external PVC jacket with double aluminium foil shielding system.

*Full details of the warranty and any exclusions can be found at: chord.co.uk/product-warranty-general-user-guide/

Price and availability

Chord Company Clearway HDMI AOC is available now priced from £120 (3 m).

Available in 3 m, 5 m, 8 m, 10 m, 12.5 m, 15 m and 20 m lengths.

About Chord Company

Chord Company is the UK’s leading high-performance A/V cable manufacturer. The company has been painstakingly designing and hand-building superior audio cables in Britain, for discerning customers in over 50 countries, for almost 40 years (est. 1985).

Chord Company is driven by an uncompromising desire to make music ‘live’, regardless of source. The Chord team takes enormous pride in delivering this goal, resulting in class-leading cable products, whether standard or bespoke. In-house design and manufacturing provide complete control of the production process, guaranteeing consistency and creating a family of cable products that thousands of music lovers choose to enable their audio systems to perform at their very best.