Do I Need Luxury Cables?

[David Susilo]

having my dad used to be in the raw material for cable machinery business (ie selling copper raw materials to cable manufacturers), copper is not copper, there are different grades of copper.

[caper_26]

Cu = Cu. If you add crap to it, then I see your point.

[David Susilo]

That's the problem with cheaper wiring, they tend to use copper alloy instead of pure copper because copper is very expensive. Plus the solidity of the copper (even if it's pure) differs from one manufacturer to the next.

[TVJunkie]

Transmision of digital content is one of those things that either works or doesn't. It's a binary thing (pun intended) either you have a connection or you don't. That said don't go out and buy the lowest cost piece of junk you can find because there is going to be a level of quality control that you need to be aware of. If you are continually reconecting digital cables and the connectors break, comes apart etc (this is more likely with the really cheap cables) then yeah you probably want to buy a reliable cable (no not a monster or a insert trendy brand here) but something that passes a basic pull/bend test in the store.

Personally I found a great no name HDMI cable I like because it has metal shielding around it and stops my kids bunny rabbit chewing threw them. Unfortunalty he seems to leave the power cables alone.

[Jetranger]

Sorry for being off topic but we had a rabbit when I was a kid that bit through a power cord, repeatedly, and survived. So, I don't think yours would be in any danger if it did too.

[slygoose]

Originally Posted by Jake

Sorry to hear that leafsfan7524. I ask you this. When you bought a printer did you buy a premium USB or parallel cable? The thing is cable cost was never a real issue with PCs even analog RGB cables. You could shop around and find the best price. Why people think HDMI or DVI-D would be any different is beyond me. These same people often time will not have their set professionally calibrated so the logic of spending money to have the best picture just does not fly. Using dollar store video cables and a professional calibration would be better than $200 video cables and a non-professional calibration. My suggestion to new TV owners is if you feel the need to spend money, buy your cables for $30 and spend $270 for a professional calibration. You will get more bang for your buck.

Interesting debate that will unlikely ever end. I think this guy nailed it on the head about the calibration... If you don't find the optimal settings on your tv then your cable is irrelevant. If you left it on standard, which unfortunately many people do, your TV will not reach its potential. Standard is usually the "Energystar" rating. This goes for all tvs that can be adjusted.

In my experience "budget" HDMI work just fine...especially for the average consumer who needs a 3m run or less. Most of the cables are made and molded in China anyways. I wouldn't recommend dollar store cables because mechanically they are the most likely to fail and you do get what you pay for...The average person probably wouldn't notice the difference between a $100 HDMI and a $10 one.

[Jake]

Yes and I should clarify that I did not mean to suggest people buy 1$ HDMI cables at the Dollar Store. If they can screw up a fork then they can screw up a cable. The best bet is still local computer stores and for short runs nothing over $30.

[slygoose]

Yes any run under 20' or so should be fine with a smaller gauge. I hear people say the ol' "well I should spend 10% of my cost" on cables is false. $2k tv does not need a $200 HDMI cable.
HDMI faults are actually really easy to spot. If your picture is skipping or has lines through it occassionally, or snow, something is wrong!

[Bobafart]

could someone post name brands of highend, medium range and low end HDMI cables?

I realize Monster is considered high end

I am looking for medium range HDMI cables in the order of 30 feet in length... I would like to know some medium range brand names as well as the high and low end so I will know what to avoid

thanks

[Francois Caron]

Monster is no longer high end. It's simply high priced. Best to stay as far away from them as possible.

[Jake]

could someone post name brands of highend, medium range and low end HDMI cables?

Everything is generic these days. If you see a brand name HDMI cable then you are most likely paying for the name.

Monster is no different than all the other $20-$30 HDMI cables. Personally, I have never paid more than $10 for my HDMI cables.

[spensar]

A good trend is that there are a lot of reasonably priced cables in Canada, from all kind of stores, even saw some for HDMI for $10 at Home Depot. You don't need to order out of country to keep from being ripped off like 5 years ago.

[eljay]

I realize Monster is considered high end

To the uninitiated, perhaps. To anyone who has read up on cables, they're considered overpriced.

I've bought plenty of cables from Monoprice(.com). They're inexpensive (even with shipping factored in) and they work just fine.

[dm_4u]

The only time I'm gonna spend more money for a cable (beit HDMI or speaker wire) is if it's the new flexable flat wire as it really helps in installation.

[David Susilo]

Originally Posted by slygoose

Don't worry about brands get 26-28 gauge and you'll be fine. 99% of HDMI is made in China anways.

so just because the cables are all made in China the quality are all the same? Using that logic, all German-made cars are all the same; Canadian made speakers are all the same.

You obviously don't know anything about manufacturing, especially in China. One can order whatever grade you want in China, even from the same manufacturing plant. Even the material quality of solder, material quality of shielding, the type of PVC used etc can all be custom made. Heck, even Tassimo coffee maker from the same manufacturer have different grades depending where they're being sold (and I have confirmation from Bosch themself)