Expensive vs. Inexpensive HDMI

[techguy31]

Hi, so I am going to buy a new led tv and was wondering what kind of HDMI cable to buy. I've been researching and have seen 1.3 HDMI cables, Expensive HDMI cables, Inexpensive HDMI cables, and so forth. My question is if I want to experience the full 1080p video quality and audio quality what cable should I get. Does it make a difference getting a expensive HDMI cable over a inexpensive HDMI cable? I know that the 1.3 HDMI is a new version but what does it exactly do? does it perform better?

Thanks.....

 

[cyriene]

Monoprice.com
Don't waste good money on pricey cables.

 

[Deleted member 67555]

I wouldn't go any cheaper than $6.99 for an HDMI
I have 8 HDMI cable one of which was $70 because I didn't want to wait...It performs exactly the same as my Link Depot $7 shipped HDMI cables

 

[Kantastic]

I read a blog from someone who tested a bunch of cables and usually the pricier cables do have the advantage when streaming at really high resolutions (way above 1080P) and at high frame rates. There really is no point in paying more than a few bucks for a computer monitor/HDTV.

 

[techguy31]

I wouldn't go any cheaper than $6.99 for an HDMI
I have 8 HDMI cable one of which was $70 because I didn't want to wait...It performs exactly the same as my Link Depot $7 shipped HDMI cables

Thanks. Should I spend a little more on a digital s/pdif audio cable then? Because I heard that the higher quality or expensive ones produce sort of a better audio quality. I have a logitech z5500; will a expensive audio sp/dif make it sound better or should I buy better audio wires?
Thanks...

 

[DanishDevil]

No.

What I heard is that cable quality only really matters for analog signals, and matters MUCH less for digital signals. Both HDMI and S/PDIF are digital, therefore cheap cables will work nearly as well as expensive ones. For analog signals, cable quality matters, and it is sometimes worth spending more on cables, but not with digital cables.

 

[techguy31]

No.

What I heard is that cable quality only really matters for analog signals, and matters MUCH less for digital signals. Both HDMI and S/PDIF are digital, therefore cheap cables will work nearly as well as expensive ones. For analog signals, cable quality matters, and it is sometimes worth spending more on cables, but not with digital cables.

Thanks that means if I am using the red and white analog cables to the logitech cable to lets say the pc and the tv, I should buy expensiver cables, but if I am strictly using digital then I should just buy cheap digital cables. What about audio wires that go to speakers? Should I get expensive wires that go from the receiver to the speakers? I just want to fully optimize the audio and picture quality for my new tv.

Thanks

 

[human_error]

Get the cheapest cables you can for digital signals - that includes HDMI, DVI-D, Optical spdif, electrical spdif. In the old days of analogue signals the quality did matter - as the signal received could be any number of fdifferent values and so interferance could change the signal. With digital cables such as HDMI etc the signal transmitted is a series of 0s and 1s - there would have to be massive inteferance (one so big it didn't matter what cost the cable was) to induce a current enough to make a 0 turn into a 1, and the cable would have to be physically broken to make a 1 a 0.

Basically the difference between a £200 HDMI cable and a £2 HDMI cable is the price - the signal itself will be identical between the 2. Same goes for all digital signal cables.

Get the cheapest cable at the length you need and be done with it. FYI I use £2 HDMI cables and they work flawlessly (the same as my friends' cables which he spent £20 on).

 

[Deleted member 67555]

For Analog Audio In my experience the only time you want to spend more is when it is because of distance..Then you want thicker wires which cost more cause materials cost more...and on the same note I wouldn't go for the cheapest either...as far as Analog audio goes...

 

[Easy Rhino]

don't buy the cheapest cable but definitely don't buy the most expensive one either. if you are going 3d or plan on it in the near future then pay the little extra and get the 1.4a cable.

 

[TRIPTEX_CAN]

don't buy the cheapest cable but definitely don't buy the most expensive one either. if you are going 3d or plan on it in the near future then pay the little extra and get the 1.4a cable.

Moving forward hdmi will be only high-speed and non high-speed spec. It's usb for video and audio and nothing more. I use a high-speed rated hdmi cable released before 3d went mainstream and it passes 3d to my tv via av receiver from ps3 without issues. 1.4a is all marketing bs.

 

[Easy Rhino]

Yea, high speed 1.3 can do the speeds of 1.4 but it does not have an ethernet channel. 1.4a adds some new 3d standards support to it which is always nice to have if you are an industry junky and the cable doesnt cost you anything more.

 

[MilkyWay]

1.3 and 1.4 are specifications of the hdmi port not the cable, all the cables are the same.

You dont need a fancy cable as digital signals do not degrade, they only time you get a bad signal is if there is a fault with the cable.

A 1 is a 1 and an 0 a 0. It never changes.

Analouge signals like component do degrade over distance so they use shielding ect to improve this.

Absolutely get whatever cable seems like the connector is sturdy because one of my cheapo cables the connector broke and i needed a new cable but fortunately i got one from a different seller on amazon and a larger size for the same price. Got a 10m cable for £5 with delivery nae difference to any other cable. Always depends on the source for quality.

The only difference i would accept is the quality of the materials used you dont want a flimsy cable like i said but those expensive cables with special sheilding are a con.

 

[Easy Rhino]

1.3 and 1.4 are specifications of the hdmi port not the cable, all the cables are the same.

while i do not condone paying an ass-ton for any cable, be advised that crappy cables can greatler hinder data transfer. if the circuit breaks easily then it is useless. if the circuit is poorly shielded then that will result in a ton of errors and slow the transfer rate.

 

[TheLaughingMan]

while i do not condone paying an ass-ton for any cable, be advised that crappy cables can greatler hinder data transfer. if the circuit breaks easily then it is useless. if the circuit is poorly shielded then that will result in a ton of errors and slow the transfer rate.

While that is true, a $7 HDMI cable is the same quality internally, where it matters, as that bull Monster Cable tries to sell people. In the end, gold plated tips, BS about improved signal strength, etc. are just advertising lies.

Not directed toward you Easy. The only difference between 1.3 and 1.4 cables is how they were tested. There is a small chance an older cable may not work with 3D or whatever new features were added to the standard for 1.4. 99.99% of the time it will work just fine with no issues. So buy the cheapest cable you can that is long enough to work with your TV. If it drops below $1.15 a foot, I would shy away. That is were low quality manufacturing and lack of quality control creep in.

 

[AsRock]

I wouldn't go any cheaper than $6.99 for an HDMI
I have 8 HDMI cable one of which was $70 because I didn't want to wait...It performs exactly the same as my Link Depot $7 shipped HDMI cables

Some Link depot i have had issue's with there's like with the connectors mainly with sata cables..


I got these about a week ago and using them though my A/V without any issue's.
Nippon Labs Premium High Performance HDMI Cable 6

 

[BumbleBee]

Monoprice is a great place to shop.

here is a feature on $150 HDMI cable vs. $10 HDMI cable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDw2ZSDzlMw

 

[Mussels]

if you're using short distances (less than 5M) any cable is fine.


longer than that, you may need better quality cables - i bought a 15M cable, and guess what? it artifacts at anything higher than 1360x768p

 

[Undead46]

You shouldn't buy any HDMI cable over 6M.
If you must have that 15M or higher, then get DisplayPort, because that's what they were made for... Long distant HDMI.

 

[AsRock]

No.

What I heard is that cable quality only really matters for analog signals, and matters MUCH less for digital signals. Both HDMI and S/PDIF are digital, therefore cheap cables will work nearly as well as expensive ones. For analog signals, cable quality matters, and it is sometimes worth spending more on cables, but not with digital cables.

Cheap cable do work as well but i hate thinking that buying wire that is not at least oxygen free will break sooner.

But newegg have some exspenive cables going cheap of both kinds .

 

[Mussels]

You shouldn't buy any HDMI cable over 6M.
If you must have that 15M or higher, then get DisplayPort, because that's what they were made for... Long distant HDMI.

you can get extenders/power boosters to make them work at the long range. as i said above, i run 15M... but only at 768p.

 

[ShiBDiB]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00363YPVI/?tag=tec06d-20

Buy those... And bask in ur epeen glory.


or for only $60 more get

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003CT79CS/?tag=tec06d-20

To quote a review that says it all

I plugged this bad boy into my 55" LED television. I wasn't prepared.

It opened a portal to hell in my media room, and since then Winston Churchill has been drinking every ounce of alcohol in my home. Such a TOTAL self-absorbed jerk.

 

[BumbleBee]

BlueJeansCable is another great place to shop at.

 

[n-ster]

I did not read the other responses but I heard that the quality of the cables start mattering when the cable is REALLLLLLLY long.

I suggest you just get a 1.4a HDMI cable, shouldn't be too much more than 10$, I'd pay up to 15~20$ for a long one

 

[AsRock]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00363YPVI/?tag=tec06d-20

Buy those... And bask in ur epeen glory.


or for only $60 more get

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003CT79CS/?tag=tec06d-20

To quote a review that says it all

LOL talk about a waste of money. That 1st one is made by Vodka ?.. i think they priced it up after a few bottles of vodka.