HDMI cables

[Jason01]

Hey guys, it seems like this questions come up before but I can't find the thread. Whats the scoop on HDMI cables? Amazon seems like the place to go to find decent deals on the cables. I got a TV with 120hz refresh and after I got it home and started setting it up I read the back of the HDMI cable box I'd purchased with it and it said they were only rated for 60hz so I think I need some better cables? Am I going to see a difference? Why the hell would it make a difference on a digital signal? God this stuff is enough to make you pull your hair out!

[MrGuitarguy]

I'm only good with audio cables, but eBay is by far the cheapest place to buy any kind of cable in my experience.

[DavidE]

I bought three "premium gold plated" HDMI cables on Ebay. None of them worked right. No audio on two with lousy video and the audio on the third cut in and out. I won't buy HDMI cables on ebay again.

MMy son suggesed Amazon and looking at the reviews for the particular cables.

[JohnnyB]

Why the hell would it make a difference on a digital signal? God this stuff is enough to make you pull your hair out!

Because digital signals in general and HDMI in particular have to be able to pass a lot of bandwidth. That means they must have a frequency response at least into the MHz and maybe GHz range. The slower the cable, the sloppier the rise time and the less precise the rise of the wave is to get interpreted as a 1 or 0. Also, in some digital cable types, the distance between the conductor and shield must be consistently maintained even where the cable is curved or bent, to maintain a consistent, constant impedance under which to perform the high speed data transfer. One reason HDMI has become the home theater conductor of choice is because the old RCA SP/DIF digital cable can't carry all the signal of hi-def surround sound, and 3-conductor component video can't conduct all the HD video signal effectively either.

If you want an affordable HDMI cable that will handily perform to your requirements, I recommend you check out the Pangea HD 24L hi-speed HDMI cable. It's very reasonably priced and Audio Advisor has a 30-day money-back satisfaction guarantee. If I were in the market it's the one I'd get.

[specialk]

God this stuff is enough to make you pull your hair out!

+1000

Listen to JohnnyB, and best of luck to you!

[burningyen]

Everything I've read online says that cheap HDMI cables work just as well as pricey ones, and that the pricey ones are essentially a scam. I got mine at monoprice.com.

[gregc]

The cheap ones I've purchased at Walmart works just fine.

[hamerhead]

Everything I've read online says that cheap HDMI cables work just as well as pricey ones, and that the pricey ones are essentially a scam. I got mine at monoprice.com.

I've seen/read/heard that, too.

I picked up a 25-footer for my projector off Ebay for less than $15 that works fine. The rest of mine are Best Buy/Rocketfish cheapies that work very well, also.

There's better/pricier stuff, but my mid-line gear and old eyes don't care.

[edgar_allan_poe]

Everything I've read online says that cheap HDMI cables work just as well as pricey ones, and that the pricey ones are essentially a scam. I got mine at monoprice.com.

That used to be the case, but with all of the new audio and video bells and whistles, you need a cable that can handle all of that signal. Most of the cheap ones fail miserably with a really good system. They just can't handle all of the bandwidth thrown at them. JB is right on the money.

I got a TV with 120hz refresh and after I got it home and started setting it up I read the back of the HDMI cable box I'd purchased with it and it said they were only rated for 60hz so I think I need some better cables? Am I going to see a difference?

if you spent the money to get a 120hz TV why not spend a little on a decent cable?

FWIW all my cables are either 220 or 221hz...whatever it takes.

[kenjones]

Everything I've read online says that cheap HDMI cables work just as well as pricey ones, and that the pricey ones are essentially a scam. I got mine at monoprice.com.

I have bought a LOT of cables from Monoprice.com and have been 100% satisfied. Not a bad cable yet. Their prices are great too.

[acb]

most cable providers (ie. comcast, cablevision) will give you HDMI cables at no charge when you upgrade to a HD cable box. all you have to do is go to the customer service counter and ask.

[burningyen]

For those that really want to read this kind of thing:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=977601

[edgar_allan_poe]

That thread is about someone being handed a line of shit from a Best Buy salesman who is trying to sell him a $200 dollar cable.

That is far from what we are saying.

The point I was trying to make is that there *are* differences between HDMI cables and they are absolutely not all the same. Do you need to spend $200 on a cable? Absolutely not, that is total bullshit. But you do need to make sure that the HDMI cable you are buying can handle all of the bandwidth you are throwing at it.

[JohnnyB]

Deep discount box stores like Best Buy have to make their margins back somewhere, so it's often in cheaply made overpriced accessories. I never buy cable there. They try to sell you a $4 USB cable for $40 to connect the printer you just bought at a $40 discount. Ditto for the HDMI cable for your spankin' new Blu-ray.

By contrast, read the writeup on the Pangea HDMI cable. This is a silver-plated 24 ga. cable. Silver has at least 8% more conductivity than the best copper, which is significant with hi-speed digital and video performance. The Pangea is HDMI 1.4 compliant, so it will conduct anything you run through it for the next couple of generations. This includes all the 7.1 channel lossless audio formats and hi-bit deep color. It's also mechanically well made with gold-plated conductors, triple insulation, padding, and a nylon mesh outer jacket which helps resist catching and kinking.

Most other HDMI cables built to this level cost well north of $100, often $200.

Finally, it's nothing like $200; it's $20 for a 1.5M length. For connecting a Blu-ray player to a $1000+ HDTV, I think that's reasonable.

Monoprice offers well-made cables for the money, but if you have a larger display and run a lot of Blu-ray-sourced 1080p with lossless surround, go for the Pangea.

As I said before, Audio Advisor has a 30-day approval period, so your risk is very low.

[Mike Lee]

Monoprice all the way. I have a rather extensive HDMI setup and it all works fine with Monoprice 1.3a Category 2 cables. 1080p, lossless audio, the works. I even get the different color cables so it's easy to tell which cable goes to what component.

120 Hz cables are pure bullshit bordering on false advertising. An HDTV with a 120 Hz refresh rate means the panel refreshes at 120 Hz and and extra frames are created by the HDTV. The HDMI signal going to the TV is identical no matter what the panel's refresh rate is. When video bits are dropped, you will see what are called "sparkles" in the image. Usually this only happens in longer cable.

The point I was trying to make is that there *are* differences between HDMI cables and they are absolutely not all the same. Do you need to spend $200 on a cable? Absolutely not, that is total bullshit. But you do need to make sure that the HDMI cable you are buying can handle all of the bandwidth you are throwing at it.

There are slight differences between cables that are insignificant at shorter lengths. When you get into the longer lengths - like a feed to a ceiling mounted projector - higher quality cables can perform better.

There are reviews using digital testing equipment showing cable performance, and all the parameters JohnnyB mentions. For long cable runs, some higher quality cables do indeed perform better. But for anything 2 meters and under, there isn't a whole lot of difference.

Almost all HDMI cables are made in China and re-branded for sale around the world. The only US made cable I know of is available from Blue Jeans Cable. Go to http://www.bluejeanscable.com and check out the owner's response to Monster's law firm...

The sad fact is that HDMI is an absolutely horrible standard for digital I/O with a sorry-ass connector design. The broadcast industry uses good old 75-ohm coax which has tremendous bandwidth for professional digital video. HDMI was designed almost entirely around digital rights management, not performance. They could have at least used a connector with thumbscrews like RGB cables so they wouldn't fall out of the jack, or wiggle and cause bad connections (one of the biggest problems with HDMI).

[burningyen]

I even get the different color cables so it's easy to tell which cable goes to what component.

You're a smarter man than me.

The sad fact is that HDMI is an absolutely horrible standard for digital I/O with a sorry-ass connector design. The broadcast industry uses good old 75-ohm coax which has tremendous bandwidth for professional digital video. HDMI was designed almost entirely around digital rights management, not performance. They could have at least used a connector with thumbscrews like RGB cables so they wouldn't fall out of the jack, or wiggle and cause bad connections (one of the biggest problems with HDMI).

Glad I'm not the only one who thinks so. I have no idea how this stuff works, but it would have been nice if they had just used Ethernet cable or something.

[alantig]

Huge +1 to monoprice.com. Don't buy into the hype that you need the overpriced stuff, especially the Monster/Best Buy stuff. Mike Lee is correct about the false advertising stuff.

Along with my two HDMI cables, I picked up two - TWO - patch cables to connect my iPod in the car. Simple stereo plug to stereo plug. One is three feet, the other is retractable. At Radio Shack, for the cheapo stuff, a 6' cable was about $7, IIRC. The two - TWO - from monoprice were under $1.50. Combined.

Alan

[jettster]

I have several different HDMI cables and don't seem to notice a difference between brands of varying quality. While I don't have a $50k+ system it certainly isn't bottom of the barrel either. Just buy a cable that is of decent quality and be done with it.