I first reviewed Australian company ZILR‘s Pro HDMI cables way back in 2019. The cables support DCI 4Kp60, and they feature a hyper-thin cable with a low profile and support for a locking Type-A connector to ensure that accidental removal doesn’t happen.
Since that time, they have released numerous different lengths and versions, and now they have a new HDMI Cable Kit.
As someone who is always looking for better HDMI cables (and cables in general), I thought I would have a look at this latest offering to see what it was like.
Key features
- Support for one device up to 4096-by-2160 resolution at 60Hz
- Full HD 1920-by-1080p resolution up to 60Hz
- HDR Video for supported devices
- Type-A male to Type-A male
- Type-A male to Type-C male
- Type-A male to Type-D male
- Secure locking Type-A 24K gold-plated connectors
- Supports HDMI 2.0 ports
- Up to 18Gbps bandwidth
- HDMI Ethernet channel
- HDCP 2.2 to play protected content
What do you get?
The ZILR HDMI Cable Kit comes in a clear case.
In that case, you get the following:
- 2x HDMI Cable 50cm / 19.7″
- 2x HDMI Right Angle Cable 50cm / 19.7″
- 2x HDMI Cable 1m / 3.3ft
- 2x HDMI Micro Cable 50cm / 19.7″
- 2x HDMI Mini Cable 50cm / 19.7″
- 2x Mini/Micro adaptor
This is a good collection of different cables to cover you for a variety of different needs.
While the case makes it easy to see and identify the individual cables, it is pretty big, and arguably something smaller probably would have made more sense. In saying that, cables can get tangled up pretty easily, so having them all individually detached does away with that pain.
A cable is just a cable, right?
Surely there can’t be that many differences between HDMI cables? Well, yes, and no. There are various HDMI standards that have to be met for a cable to meet certain classifications. Not all HDMI cables are created equally.
To meet the requirements for Premium High Speed HDMI Cable and Premium High Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet special certification designation, a cable needs to meet the following requirements:
High Speed HDMI Cables have to be designed and certified for ultra-reliable performance for 4K/UltraHD, including advanced features such as 4K60, HDR, expanded color spaces including BT.2020, and 4:4:4 chroma sampling. They have low EMI and are identified by the HDMI Licensing Administrator’s Premium HDMI Cable Certification Label for authentication verification.
Along with meeting technical specifications, where HDMI cables also differ quite dramatically is build quality, connection strength, and size and weight. I can never quite understand why someone would buy the cheapest possible HDMI cable available to go between their camera and an external recorder. It’s like buying a sports car and putting on the cheapest set of tires you can find. A product is only as good as its weakest link, and in the case of external HDMI recorders, that is always going to be the cable.
The love-hate relationship
Anybody who works with HDMI cables has a love-hate relationship with them. While HDMI cables are relatively inexpensive and easy to source, they are primarily designed for consumers and not professional filmmakers.
Not only are they flimsy and easy to accidentally dislodge, but they can also end up damaging the HDMI input on your equipment. I have personally had instances where a cable ended up damaging the HDMI input on cameras I have owned. While the cost of replacing the cable is small, the cost of repairing a damaged HDMI input connector can be prohibitory high.
Strong Hold
The last thing you want is an HDMI cable coming out when you are in the middle of a shoot. If you are recording externally to a camera that doesn’t support internal recording at the same time, you can end up with a situation where a valuable shot is missed, or worse yet, the whole file gets compromised, and you lose irreplaceable footage.
Anecdotally, I have heard some pretty surprising numbers for external recorders being sent back for repair due to them being dropped. If you use a strong cable at the other end, then potentially you have a bit of a backup to stop your external recorder/display from hitting the ground if your mount fails you.
ZILR claims that their HDMI cables have an ultra-secure connection that) ensures that the signal will always be maintained without loss. For professionals, this means that you can trust this connection throughout the production.
In fact, the company claims that its cables will hold up to 8Kg (17.6lb). I decided to test that claim to see if it was true, so I plugged in an Atomos Ninja V and held it upside down via the HDMI cable (PLEASE DON’T DO THIS AT HOME!).
The ZILR cable easily handled this weight test, and the connection didn’t move or loosen at all. In most cases, it is probably more likely that the HDMI input on the device gets damaged as opposed to the cable in a scenario like this.
I also found that the cables give you a very solid locking connection. There is almost no wobble (the wobble actually comes from the HDMI port on a device, not the connector on the cable), and the cable won’t come out unless you really want it to.
I compared the ZILR cables against the Atomos coiled HDMI cable, as well as a collection of other HDMI cables I have from various manufacturers. such as Apple, Kumo, and Elecom.
The ZILR cables had by far the best locking connection of any of the other brands I tested. Cheap HDMI cables tend to be like cheap lens adapters; they wobble around and don’t lock correctly.
Thin?
I personally dislike large, thick, and bulky HDMI cables. They just end up getting in the way when you are trying to shoot.
The ZILR HDMI cables are claimed to be “hyper thin” and they have a thickness of 3.5mm (0.13″) and the actual HDMI connector itself has a length of 24mm (0.94″) for Type A, 20mm (0.78″) for Type C, and 18mm (0.70″) for Type D.
The cable is nice and thin, and unlike a lot of other HDMI cables, the cable itself is quite flexible, which makes it easy to tuck out of the way on a camera rig.
According to ZILR, the thickness of 3.5mm is the smallest diameter an HDMI 2.0 cable can physically be that can support 4K DCI 60p.
HDMI 2.0b Support
The cables have support for HDMI 2.0b, which has almost the same features as HDMI 2.1, less the bandwidth and 4K 120hz support.
ZILR also told me that they could have made HDMI 2.1 cables; however, the cable thickness is too large at the moment, but that’s something that is currently being worked on.
Why not make the cable flat?
I asked ZILR why they don’t make their cables flat, and they told me:
“All the non-braided cables that are flat tend to be quite wide, we looked into that but decided on a thinner round cable. We personally hate thick cables when we shoot, but it turns out that resonates with a lot of shooters. And also flat cables wind strangely around a camera rig. We find flat cables are better for TVs and Computers etc. when the cable is meant to just sit there.”
ZILR
The ZILR cables are so thin that I don’t personally don’t see any problem with them not being flat. There are pros and cons to using a flat cable, and you could argue either way that a flat cable or a round cable is better.
Why not make a coiled cable?
According to ZILR, coiled cables, after a while, don’t go back into shape, so you end up with this weird coil that gets tangled up because it doesn’t flex back into position.
I have to agree with ZILR. I’m not the biggest fan of coiled cables. In theory, they sound great, but they are considerably thicker and heavier than regular round or flat cables.
Length
The HDMI cables in the kit are either 50cm / 19.68″, or 1m / 3.3′ in length. I was curious as to what the reason was for making a cable 50cm, so I asked ZILR. They told me “we chose 50cm because it’s a sweet spot for camera rigs, it’s a pain having to tie up longer cables if your rig doesn’t require an extension”.
I don’t think there is any one length of HDMI cable that is going to meet everyone’s needs. Everyone’s rigs are different, and often it is a case of the cable either being too long or too short.
I personally think that 50 cm is probably the sweet spot for an HDMI cable that is going to be used between a camera and a recorder, monitor, EVF, or wireless video transmitter. I found that the length enabled me to attach an external recorder or monitor to a mirrorless camera, and I could position that external recorder anywhere on the rig comfortably.
My only concern with a 50cm cable length is if you were using an EVF on a digital cinema camera. It is highly unlikely, given the placement of some HDMI inputs on cameras, that a 50cm long cable would reach from the back to where you would want to position an EVF. That’s where you would use the 1m version instead.
Real-world performance
The cables performed as advertised. They are able to handle a DCI 4K 60P signal, and they are easy to use.
They lock in tightly (although this will depend on the quality of the HDMI input on your device), and they are strong enough that in the event of an accident, your external monitor or recorder is unlikely to go crashing to the floor.
I like that the cables are nice and thin, as you can easily pass them through gaps in your camera cage. The cable itself is also nice and flexible, and easy to manipulate.
Having a wide array of different HDMI cables in the kit covers you for different builds and scenarios. It is always very frustrating when you are looking for a particular cable and can’t find it. Having a set that is easily identifiable certainly helps with that!
Price & Availability
The ZILR HDMI Cable Kit retails for $149.99 USD. This represents pretty good value considering you are getting 12 individual items and the case.
ZILR HDMI cables come with a 1-year limited warranty. The warranty covers defects in the material and craftsmanship only.
Conclusion
Cables are not something that we often spend a lot of time researching or testing, and I was quite surprised at the differences there are with HDMI cables.
A cable certainly isn’t a cable. If you are relying on a cable as a key component of your system, especially an HDMI cable, it makes a lot of sense to get a decent one. The ZILR cables are well made, they lock in tightly, and most importantly, they just let you get on with shooting.
Not all cables are created equal. I can never understand why people buy the cheapest memory card, cables, tripods, etc. There are certain pieces of kit where reliability is paramount, and cables are one of them.
Having a kit is a good idea because it covers you for a lot of different needs, and you are never left scratching your head because you don’t have a certain HDMI cable or adapter.
