BetterCables.com has just announced the release of their new Digital Magic and Display Magic cables incorporating HDMI technology. The Digital Magic cable incorporates HDMI technology, while the Display Magic cables provide bi-directional compatibility between DVI and HDMI technologies. The cables are available now and may be purchased directly from BetterCables.com or via an Authorized BetterCables dealer.

Accell Corporation, a provider of computer, audio/video and digital imaging connectivity products has just announced its UltraAudio™ and UltraVideo™ series of products for use in audio and video applications. The Ultra series optimizes sound and video clarity while providing durability and sleek design. The Ultra series cables are now available starting at only $12.99. UltraVideo products consist of Composite, Component, S-Video, and F-Pin cables. They feature 24K gold-plated connectors and contacts, high purity copper conductors, UltraFlex high quality jackets, precision shielding and gas injected low-loss dielectrics. In addition, Accell is announcing its Gold and Premium Series Digital Visual Interface (DVI) cables for use with HDTV’s, digital flat panel displays, projectors and other DVI enabled display devices. UltraAudio products includes Analog Audio cables, Subwoofer cables, Digital Audio coaxial cables, Fiber Optical TosLink, cables and Oxygen Free Copper (OFC) Speaker cables terminated with gold-plated pin connectors. The speaker cable is also available in bulk spools. Accell cables are made of high quality ...

Ultralink, a divisions of Ultralink/XLO Products, Inc., is now shipping their Videophile Pro DVI-D dual-link digital video interface cable. The 24-pin male to 24-pin male cable includes a proprietary connector and cable solution for pure digital video transfers. Ultralink's DVI-D solutions are now shipping in pre-terminated lengths from 1 to 10 meters with suggested retail prices from $80 to $220 respectively. A special Ultralink-designed injection-molded connector and termination method was developed for this difficult-to-manufacture interface. The connector can support ATSC resolutions up to 1920 x 1080 and 24-bit color. Proprietary micro-welding technology is used for the incredibly fine conductors with no foreign metal usage to improve both performance and reliability. Contacts are 24K gold-plated directly to the conductor and are provided on all 24 pins of the dual-link interface for guaranteed and reliable signal transfers.

One of the biggest hurdles in the development of DVD-Audio was overcome in September, when the DVD Forum adopted FireWire as the digital transmission method for the DVD-Audio format. Gone, in principle, is the need for the six analog outputs from a DVD-Audio player and/or the need for six analog inputs on your AV preamp when connecting a DVD-Audio player.

There are plenty of complexities involved when setting up a home theater system, but for most of us the really annoying bit is hooking up the different sources and getting everything to successfully talk to each other. Luckily, with some new developments poised to appear in the home entertainment marketplace, all that’s about to change.