Builders have the often thankless job of dealing with multiple contractors in order to ensure smooth project completion for a homeowner. For a builder, knowing everything about each trade that comes into a home is an impossibility, and one of the more complicated areas of subcontracting lies within the scope of an electronics system contractor – whose job it is to provide and install the latest technology desired by a homeowner.
New advancements in digital television and high-end sound systems have necessitated a number of changes to the way in which electronics system contractors do business, and one of the most recent and notable is the increased use of what is known as “digital media fiber.” To a technician, this cable represents a high transmission rate for information including sound and images, far greater than typically seen when using copper wiring, and often with far less latency.
For a builder, its most notable feature is that it is made of glass.
This alone can be cause for concern, but also that is due to its nature: it will break or tear easily or that it could be damaged accidentally and no longer work. Couple that with the fear that the DM fiber may not be compatible with all other systems in a household, and it’s no wonder that builders have questions about the use of this new technology.
Fortunately, digital media fiber not only stands up better to the test of time than copper and is less vulnerable to failure. But it is now being supported by some of the biggest names in the business – names like Crestron, for example.
Digital media fiber may look less robust than its copper counterpart, but provides not only better durability, but also greater functionality across the board.
