Do I Need Luxury Cables?

[JamesK]

sales person told me since its a 3dtv i need to buy High Speed 3d HDMI cables

Those guys are trying to make money on the accessories. Before I buy something major, I check the cable prices at Canada Computers. Then, when they try to sell me the cables, usually for a high price, I tell them what I can get them for at CC and they generally match that price.

[MFToronto]

My 2 cents on this. HDMI cables relay a digital signal - so that is either an "on" or "off" piece of information. Some cables can do this at higher frequencies than others - BUT the rate of transmission of HDMI information is not a limiting factor here.

Hence the conclusion reached by all professionals that cheap cables are as good as expensive ones - especially if you are not stressing them by constantly removing them and plugging them in. You could buy 10 bargain HDMI cables for a Monster cable. You could replace them every year ( but you wont!). I use "bargain" cables and they are amazing.

If you are transmitting an analog signal (e.g. RCA) maybe, at the margins (long cables, etc), there is a difference. Save yourself 100 bucks - buy a 10 buck cable.

[David Susilo]

It's not that simple

There are examples where cables work OK today but several months later they fail. There are cables when the the data stream gets higher, you'll see sparkles and/or flashing green screen.


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[MFToronto]

OK - we can agree to disagree. I think it is that simple. HDMI cables support a certain bitrate - you need a bitrate for the application - if you buy a too low bitrate, that will not work - I agree. So buy the right bitrate - but buy a cheap one.

I have a 20 ft HDMI 1.4 version cable - no probs.

[ScaryBob]

You are both right. I think the only generalization that can be made about digital cables is that you cannot make generalizations about digital cables. For the most part, the cheaper cables will work but it also depends on other factors such as length, frequency, signal levels, protocol, connector durability, connector reliability, environment, etc. Sometimes protocol updates add things like extra conductors or special shielding requirements. One thing I can say is that DVI cables are definitely not all the same (analog, single link digital, dual link digital, etc.) I don't think such differences exist in HDMI cables but I've seen other types of bargain cables that omit conductors or shielding for certain applications. Will an HDMI 1.1 cable work for HDMI 1.4? Some might and some might not. Just try it and see.

[MFToronto]

I wish to state outright that this is no endorsement of a brand of cable - BUT there is some excellent info on HDMI at this site, especially the sections on certification. More info that you will ever need. NO HDMI cable will work at distances of longer than 50 ft reliably - and I would say that at 20 you should be careful.

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/...hdmi-cable.htm

My cable signal attenuation theory is rusty (though I know in theory that rusty cables attenuate signals!) - but most people here are connecting contiguous boxes together with 6 ft cables. You need a cable rated for your application (e.g. even 3DHD is supported at 1.3. You can have 4K resolution at 1.4) bitrate. Anyhooo... 3 bits of advice: keep it as short as reasonable, look for the bitrating, dont pay for the name. Wiki has a good table on what HDMI delivers what bitrate.

http://cablesalescanada.com/catalog/...DMI/index.html

ScaryBob - DVI is notoriously finicky at longer than 15 ft. I think this is part of the reason HDMI more widely used despite being a similar actual cable.

[Francois Caron]

My criteria for buying HDMI cables is now limited only to the exterior quality and flexibility of the cable. Too skinny and flimsy, and it can easily break. Too fat and stiff, and it can work its way out of the connected device port.

As for those $50 cables, they better be very long cables before I even consider spending a dime on them!

I actually have a 30 foot DVI-HDMI cable from Blue Jeans. I don't use it anymore since I no longer have the projector. But while I had it, it worked extremely well.

[ScaryBob]

Here is an unofficial chart outlining differences between HDMI cable versions. The main differences in the cables themselves is in bandwidth capabilities. There are also some changes in current requirements on some conductors but that should only come into play at longer lengths. Some new connectors are also specified but that shouldn't be an issue for standard home theater devices. HDMI 1.4 introduced an Ethernet channel, which is not supported in 1.3 and lower version cables. Otherwise, if the cable provides sufficient bandwidth, it should work. If not, an upgrade is indicated.

[ogorek]

Dollarama is selling 3 foot HDMI cables for $2.
Now days when everything is made in Asia it is very hard to know which cable is of better quality. Perhaps one day Consumer Reports is going to do a HDMI cable test to find out that $2 cable outperformed $100 Monster cable.
With cables it is what you are comfortable with. If you buy a cheap cable and it works for you then it's fine, end of discussion.

[David Susilo]

The same can be said for anything. If you're happy with a 19" Insignia TV with a pair of $17 Logitech PC speakers, it's also end of discussion.

[57]

In the last link in post 1, cables that cost $2 online were already tested and found equivalent (for short lengths like 3-6').

The same cannot be said when comparing say $17 speakers and $1,700 speakers from your favourite brand, or a 19" TV vs a 60" TV.

[David Susilo]

Actually, according to CE Pro latest tests, not all cables are created equal. They didn't say that expensive cable performs better or otherwise, but tests have proven that a cable is not a cable.

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[Francois Caron]

But were the CE Pro tests relevant to the type of signal carried by the cables? Since HDMI signals are digital, you don't need a perfectly clean cable to deliver a readable signal. Small fluctuations in the electrical path will have no effect on the integrity of the data, which is why a $2 cable will often perform just as well as a $200 cable.

[InTheLous]

http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm

Deep Surplus on line for all your needs. As humans, we can not upgrade or ears, and men start to have some hearing loss around the mid thirties. A good hearing test can tell you where you may want a little boost, but you will get a better bang for you buck. The best line is, my wife hears or can see the difference with this $800 wire, a real rookie audio sales person.

There is a one million dollar bet out there, double blind cross-over design for the boys at Audiophile and some of the other high end magazine's, to date, nearly 10 years, no one has taken the challenge.

[caper_26]

Copper is copper, and so is awg. When you factor in the different gauge wires actually INSIDE your AVR and Speakers, and the length of them, where is the biggest area of concern?