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Comment by birktj | Hacker News Reader

There already exists some fiber-optic USB cables that come in lengths >50m and with support for USB 3.1 so it doesn't seem like a very unrealistic option.

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Redmere chips also proved HDMI can go very, very far with a little extra investment. I've run 4K signals hundreds of feet with them. We've seen this problem solved several times, I can't imagine it's physically impossible with USB-C.

That sounds more like fiber optic adapters/converters that fit into usb-ports and talk usb, rather than USB-cables that can be 50+ meters.

I think GP is thinking of fiber optic Thunderbolt cables probably.

https://www.amazon.com/FIBBR-Female-Active-Extension-Optical... provides USB-to-fibre-to-USB in a single cable, and a copper pair in parallel for power.

$169+47 shipping for those curious

Can't say it's not unique and cool, to be fair

Some USB4 / Thunderbolt cables are like that, but with copper in the middle. The drivers on the device end wouldn't be able to maintain signal integrity over that size of cable, so there's a pair of transceivers in each end of the cable to convert the signal into a format that'll survive transmission.

Seems like you can get 3m optical usb-c cables. Oculus sells an official "Full featured USB active optical cable. USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C" for tethered play.

That's what the cheatsheet says so maybe that's part of the spec.

What's the difference between talking USB and being USB?

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