[57]

Actually Monoprice do list the spec and it's not 1.0. Here's a sample

Specs & Features

Connector Type: HDMI male to HDMI male
Connector Finish: Gold
Length: 3ft
Gauge: 24AWG
# of conductors: 19
Conductor Plating: Tin
Shielding level: Triple
Shielding type: EMI
Ferrite Cores: No
Net Jacket: Yes
Built-in Equalizer: No
Supported Resolutions: 480i to 1080p
Rated Bandwidth: tested to 165 Mhz
HDMI Certified: Yes
HDMI Spec: 1.2a
HDCP Compliant: Yes
CEC Compliant: Yes
ROHS Compliant: Yes
1.3 Device Compatible: Yes
Supports DVD Audio: Yes
Supports SACD: Yes
Supports TrueHD & DTS-HD: Yes

For people claiming that only high quality cables work, I guess they don't believe the professional results linked to in post 1 of this thread, as well as the results of the hundreds of people who have commented on this forum about the complete functionality of the less expensive cables.

 

[Jake]

Glad you proved me wrong 57. I checked out FS, BB and Mon$ter to see what specs were listed. Nada. Monoprice gets another point. Good to know.

Mon$ter prefers to spec out its 'gas-injected dielectric' cables instead.

 

[Chuckysan]

long time reader ... first time poster
luv this site
on regard to the topic

Wha ... Whe .. Huh?

HDMI = Digital right?
Digital needs bandwidth right?

So in that case wouldn't one want a HDMI cable with a high enough bandwith capacity to ensure future product integration? Wouldn't everyone want to make sure their cable wasn't HDMI 1.0 or 1.2 of or even 1.3 compatible, but 1.4 or 1.5 future proof. I mean sure that cheap cable works now and looks just like an expensive one PQ wise, but aren't you going to be hopping mad in a year or two when a new HDMI standard is set and you have to buy a better cable then with your new toy purchase?

Don't get me wrong, I like saving money, but if I have to swallow a large pill, I'd rather do it right at the begining and be done with it.

 

[BigYellow]

I bought an authentic Microsoft HD cable for my original Xbox, which was worth every penny. Obviously, the picture at 720p/1080i blows away the 480i I was getting with the old RCA video, but the connectors are absolutely perfectly snug, and gold plated, so they make me think they're doing a better job lol.

Anyways, I decided to test out the expensive cable theory, and ordered a 2 meter gold-plated "super-hyper-braided" (or something like that, the casing on the outside is woven to look high-tech) HDMI-to-DVI by Monster. Wait, relax, I haven't told you the kicker... $19.99 plus $6 shipping off eBay. The StarTech cable I had previously cost 10 bucks more than that.

Anyways, I'm always tempted to say "I think I notice a difference", which is to say, obviously this cable isn't worth the $129 or whatever its MSRP is.... But that $26 experiment saved me a lot of money in the long run.


However, I still think my personal favorites are Microsoft and Monster's "Xbox-specific" cables, like the "head to head network" cable and "digital surround sound" cable. The network cable is a 15' Cat5e, with a $30-ish price tag.

 

[BigYellow]

Wha ... Whe .. Huh?

HDMI = Digital right?
Digital needs bandwidth right?

So in that case wouldn't one want a HDMI cable with a high enough bandwith capacity to ensure future product integration? Wouldn't everyone want to make sure their cable wasn't HDMI 1.0 or 1.2 of or even 1.3 compatible, but 1.4 or 1.5 future proof. I mean sure that cheap cable works now and looks just like an expensive one PQ wise, but aren't you going to be hopping mad in a year or two when a new HDMI standard is set and you have to buy a better cable then with your new toy purchase?

Don't get me wrong, I like saving money, but if I have to swallow a large pill, I'd rather do it right at the begining and be done with it.

Or, you could try out your cheap cables with your new HDMI 1.3 devices, and if they come to an explosive and fiery end, so be it.... They were cheap. And new ones will be cheap.

Why isn't anyone worried about buying high quality gold plated ports to put into their television sets? I was just considering grabbing a big sharp screwdriver and making one of my HDMI ports bigger on my 56" DLP so that I can fit all that bandwidth in there if I ever get HDMI 1.3

 

[Jake]

wouldn't one want a HDMI cable with a high enough bandwidth capacity to ensure future product integration

Speaking about bandwidth. HDMI 1.0 supports 1080p60 video and 8-channel 192/24 audio. Are you saying that is not future proofed enough?

 

[DPEP]

My 0.02$

On July 20th, my father bought a Sony 40S3000 LCD with HDMI cable from Monster.
I showed up last week-end with the HDMI cable that came with my OPPO 791.
I told him that after seeing no difference between cables, he could return the Monster HDMI.
When I switched the cable to mine, everybody could see a huge decrease in quality.
People close to the tv as well as people 20 feet away, no experts by any means, could see the suddenly darker-less colorful picture. All of the 8 people present saw the difference ( from 15 to 75 yrs old).
I was very surprised myself with the large drop in quality.

I put back the Monster and everything was now fine.

I don't know anything about HDMI 1.1,1.2, 1.3 or whatever. I stopped caring, I am saturated.
But I know that OPPO should not have included such a low quality cable with my DVD.
OK Monster cables are too expensive.
But they are good.

 

[57]

Did you use a different input on the TV or actually switch the cables? I ask because a different input could/would be calibrated differently - hence the difference you saw. Your results are certainly the exception if everything else was kept the same. Also, what was the source of the signal?

 

[DPEP]

I switched the cable and used the same input.
The source was some NBC golf program and baseball in HD through a Videotron HD terminal.

By the way, the picture on that Sony is beautiful.
My father also bought two Lazy-Boys for the occasion which are standing at about 9 feet from the screen but they stay empty as he prefers to use a little kitchen chair to sit at about 5 feet from the screen.

 

[BigYellow]

The only reason I could see for that is that perhaps the economy cable that came with your TV had some corrosion on the connectors.

I switched from a $35 Startech DVI-HDMI cable to a $120 Monster DVI-HDMI, and to be honest I can't see the difference... And I've got a 56" set, which has very sharp picture.

 

[Jake]

What you will see if the HDMI cable is bad is sparkles not darkening of the image. If you really did experience a darkening it was some other factor other than cable construction.

 

[DPEP]

Well, I see it as a one variable equation and the Monster won.

I know there is a word for people arguing just for the fun of it in forums, I forgot it but I am not this "word".

My own DVI-HDMI cable comes from Monoprice and I think it is a good cable.

I know now that Monser cables may be better but I will not buy them to verify. They are as overpriced as transportation and preparation charges on a new car.

 

[Jake]

No you are not a troll.

I see it as a one variable equation and the Monster won

Not exactly. HDMI has sync issues that may have contaminated your test. Also, TVs have many types of auto-adjusting controls (i.e. backlight) that are hard to replicate.

I am not trying to disagree with you but instead offer up a few more facts to check. I am curious about the differences many people are witnessing. I don't think we can ignore your testimony but rather than accept something that goes against accepted principles I prefer to dig a little deeper for more proof. If I discover any more information I will post it for all to discuss.

I just checked and this unit has a light sensor. It also says standing or placing anything near the sensor will affect the image. Hmmm. If you want to try the test again disable the light sensor and see if it makes a difference.

 

[J V]

Toslink

I agree there is no (or no noticable) difference between cables as long as they are both well made and you are comparing the same gauge and lenght (but go buy whatever makes you happy).

What I was wondering if there is a differnece between Toslink cables, say glass compared to plastic? Thanks for the input.

 

[Tobias]

Different vers of HDMI & HDMI Inputs on TV's

Thanx for all the useful comparisons on inexpensive vs expensive cables.... Sounds like majority are with the inexpensive HDMI cables...

With the dofferemt versions of HDMi cable such as 1.0, 1.3 etc.... does the input on the actual TV have to me 1.0,1.3 as well ?

Or is HDMI just HDMI when it comes to inputs ?

 

[scatcher]

What I was wondering if there is a differnece between Toslink cables, say glass compared to plastic? Thanks for the input.

Optical cables are very much "it works or it doesn't".

The TOS-Link cable I have used between my PVR and my receiver for the last few years is actually the thinnest strand of spaghetti-wire cable you've ever seen. You'd laugh to look at it - it's so flimsy that it's virtually guaranteed to be bent into unusability at some point in the future. Yet the signal is perfectly fine.

 

[chimo]

Different vers of HDMI & HDMI Inputs on TV's

When I purchased my HD set the guy at Future Shop was set to give me a deal on a 1/2 price HDMI cable - ~$65. After supressing my laughter, I declined the offer and got a HDMI cable for ~$11 or $12 off the net. I just used component connections until the cable arrived.

The great cable rip-off gouging scam is one of my pet peeves. It's sad to see so many people get taken by this marketing scam. HOWEVER, the silver lining is that it helps the cost of the main items low so we can take advantage of minimal mark-up on those items and shop around for cables (or make our own).

 

[sugarman]

good laugh on SHARK

Watching SHARK, Stark goes to see his daughter's boyfreind who is up a ladder stocking shelves in a warehouse electronics store. While Stark is asking him about his future employment options, the boss interrups and announces "Hey kid, ya got a cleanup in aisle 4, and bring the big mop, some drunk just puked all over the mon$ter cables"

 

[talldude123]

I find that cheap cables are really garbage...i've compared cheap dollar-store cables to Monster gold-plated ones and there is a huge difference.

 

[Simmer]

Don't forget the extended warranty

Once I was in a hurry to pick up a cable so I caved and bought it at FS for $10. The sales guy tried to convince me I should purchase an extended warranty with it. For some reason he didn't seem to think it was very funny when I couldn't stop laughing.