Good Cable Article

bikezappa

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38731070/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/

camp21178

That was good. It verifies what a lot of the folks here have been saying about HDMI cables.

bikezappa

The price range for HDMI cables is very wide.

Is there any difference?

quadzilla

camp21178 wrote: »

That was good. It verifies what a lot of the folks here have been saying about HDMI cables.

Yeah? It would be an interesting study to compare the list of people who say HDMI cables are all the same with those who also say they hate HDMI because of all the sync issues and a list of those who say audio cables are all the same.

I don't know if they make a difference or not. I do know with with my "over-priced up-scale" HDMI cables, I don't have any of the sync issues I've seen a lot o people complaining about.

newbie308

Don't forget to buy the extended service plan, too! For $10 more they will replace your $150 3d HDMI viddeo cable for free!

acmf74

I have both the higher end cables and the ones from Parts-Express.

I have an incredible picture and I cant tell the difference between the two....

kevhed72

My mom was upsold on a Monster HDMI cable for her Samsung LED TV.

@ would this make a difference to her, especially.
I can almost see myself buying a mid-priced one just to see for myself, but really, I don't see my Mom doing A / B tests of PQ while watching the Golden Girls :mad:

Bobsama

bikezappa wrote: »

The price range for HDMI cables is very wide.

Is there any difference?

Length and maybe connector style/quality. Sometimes they may add something "special" like reinforced insulation. And naturally, longer HDMI cables will need thicker gauge wire.

newbie308

A little bit of a deviation, but I'm frustrated with the lack of important information on the packaging such as (WIRE GAUGE)! It seems like the wire insulation is more important than the wire. The cables look like heavy gauge wire based on the outside diameter of the bundle, but inside are 22-24AWG wires. Monster cables are the worst violators of this. Their MONSTER speaker wire doesn't list its gauge anywhere!

Dobermann

It kills me how they push this crap on people. I was in Best Buy not too long ago wandering around the home theater accessories and at least 4 different salespeople were like "Need HDMI cables?" They are clearly under orders to sell this stuff because the profit margins are through the roof.

Anyway, a few minutes later I saw them doing the same thing to this woman who had just bought a TV for her husband. He was coming back from Afghanistan and she wanted to surprise him by having everything set up, and they had just about convinced her to buy the $120 Monster cable, and what's worse she was going to buy two of them. I gave her the monoprice web address and told her she could get 4 of them for like 20 bucks, and she left happy.

bikezappa

The cable requirements change with new equipment and formats. 3D for example.

It's an on going process.

You can alway ignore a topic of no interest.

Yawn.

mudwrx

I actually did the comparison a year or two back, using an $80 Monster HDMI cable and a sub $10 Monoprice cable. I had two other people with me and also did a "blind" test where I had people come in without them knowing which cable was in use.

No difference.

The quality was just as good with the sub $10 Monoprice cable as it was with the Monster cable. I promptly returned the Monster cable and have since gone with the Monoprice HDMI cables for all of my systems. They work flawlessly.

The only thing Monster about their cables is the price.

Conradicles

Expensive HDMI cables sure look much better!:D

camp21178

Dobermann wrote: »

It kills me how they push this crap on people. I was in Best Buy not too long ago wandering around the home theater accessories and at least 4 different salespeople were like "Need HDMI cables?" They are clearly under orders to sell this stuff because the profit margins are through the roof.

Anyway, a few minutes later I saw them doing the same thing to this woman who had just bought a TV for her husband. He was coming back from Afghanistan and she wanted to surprise him by having everything set up, and they had just about convinced her to buy the $120 Monster cable, and what's worse she was going to buy two of them. I gave her the monoprice web address and told her she could get 4 of them for like 20 bucks, and she left happy.

That was a good thing you did. I hate when they do that to customers, but these 19 year old kids at Best Buy probably have been thoroughly indoctrinated to believe Monster cable is the best.

GMJim

This subject may be a yawner for the guys who have already discovered this fact but I just bought a new Panasonic 65 inch 3D Plasma and Blu Ray and I need HDMI cables so It's important info for me. I was in a small but very exclusive Audio video store looking at (definitely not buying) 6 foot HDMI cables from some higher tech company than Monster and they were $550.00 !!! I asked the sales guy why and he said silver content??? More silver, more money MUCH better??? I guess I've got little to loose if I buy the Monoprice cables and they aren't any good, but the sales guy seemed like more of a techie than a sales guy. I think he really believed what he was telling me. Anyway I read the article above http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38731070/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/

and I'm going to try the cheepie cables. Is there a preferred cable in the Monoprice line up?

Thanks
Jim

Face

Every once in a while I receive a defective cable from Monoprice, but at that price I can't complain.

GMJim

Thanks for the replies. I'm wondering if I need the 1.4 cable that handles Ethernet? I've got some reading to do.

kawizx9r

Apparently they made HDMI cables with an unused channel for future-use.

1.4 is the now and will be utilizing that unused channel. Hence why you haven't seen HDMI cables stating "1.3-only" or "1.4-only"

Oh, and my extra HDMI cable came in. Had an issue (picture would sometimes flicker) with one I got with a component when playing PS3 (MW2@1080p) whenever alot was going on in-game, switched to the monoprice cable and I haven't had any issues since then.

Only thing is, I paid a few bucks less cause it's that Nintendo's cobalt/indigo color. Least no one can see it

bikezappa

I only added this topic because I thought the article was short well written and to the point with very little BS. It told you what cables to buy and why and where.
The article also showed some examples of shady advertisements that go on in many music equipment stores. Trying to fool me and the public about music equipment just makes me angry and I thought other members of the Polk Group would like to know about this.

tonyb

GMJim wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. I'm wondering if I need the 1.4 cable that handles Ethernet? I've got some reading to do.

Only if you want a one cable solution for 3-d. If you had a 3-d player with dual hdmi outputs, you could get around it,maybe. Who knows,in the early days,and even still, handshake issues have plagued the hdmi scenario between gear. Personally,I don't see 3-d or even Blu-ray being around too long. Technology is changing too quick to invest too much in either.

bikezappa

The topic was not about speaker cables.

I should have said it was a good article about HDMI cables.

GMJim

Keiko wrote: »

I'm asking the questions and we especially don't need yours on something that's been driven into the ground and discussed countless of times. Obviously you have difficulties in comprehension, sport.

Congrats, iListed. :rolleyes:

Hey Keiko
If you're referring to MY questions about the HDMI cables I HAVE searched and found a lot of conflicting info so I thought I would try here. Panasonic's engineering department (which I was transferred to when I called them) said MAKE SURE you use cable rated at 1.4. So there IS a difference. Sometimes the search feature only leads you down a long road with no real answers.
Jim

Ric5811

quadzilla wrote: »

Yeah? It would be an interesting study to compare the list of people who say HDMI cables are all the same with those who also say they hate HDMI because of all the sync issues and a list of those who say audio cables are all the same.

I don't know if they make a difference or not. I do know with with my "over-priced up-scale" HDMI cables, I don't have any of the sync issues I've seen a lot o people complaining about.

Sync issues are related to component handshakes, not cables.

quadzilla

Ric5811 wrote: »

Sync issues are related to component handshakes, not cables.

Maybe so, but there does seem to be a correlation between those that complain of handshake issues and those using cheaper cables. Not that mine cost all that much... Jitter might be another factor that distinguishes cables, but I have no way to measure it. At any rate, my moderately priced cables make me happy and I have no problems with my set up. And I guess that was my real goal.

Ric5811

quadzilla wrote: »

Maybe so, but there does seem to be a correlation between those that complain of handshake issues and those using cheaper cables. Not that mine cost all that much... Jitter might be another factor that distinguishes cables, but I have no way to measure it. At any rate, my moderately priced cables make me happy and I have no problems with my set up. And I guess that was my real goal.

I guess, I never read what cables anyone was using when complaining of handshake issues. I know I have a cheap one, a moderately priced one, and the Oppo supplied one. And have had zero handshake issues with any HDMI gear. All HDMI cables have to meet the same standard, unless they are fakes, who knows then?

I don't think jitter would be the culprit, more likely software issues between units. I have not even seen jitter unless it was on a really cheap transport or bootlegged dvd.

The name of the game is what makes you happy! Rock on!:D

F1nut

I use solid gold wire, not stranded, with milled solid gold terminations. Sure it costs more, but when they do the jitter bug or shake hands it's so real, it's like they are in the room instead of behind a screen.

kawizx9r

+1^

The copper in my cables was smelted in the depths of hell by a team of Navy Seals. The terminations are plated with pure gold from The One True Ring, and shielded with the tears of angels.

You too can have cables as good as mine. The cost? Only your soul. PM me for details on where to get them...

F1nut

Now, that's one helluva cable!

GMJim

Some interesting stuff on HDMI cable

http://www.hdmi.org/index.aspx


http://www.hdmi.org/download/guidelines/2009_11_18_RevisedTradeLogo_Guidelines_FINAL_a.pdf

Excerpt.
In the case of cable products, you are not allowed to make any reference to Version 1.4 of
the HDMI Specification in any circumstance. There is no grace period for compliance to
this rule. (Please refer to Section 2.1: HDMI Cable Products—No Use of Version Numbers
for complete details.)

mantis

With my experience of HDMI cables is this.

Cheap cables work in short lengths as long as they are HDMI tested and passed. More expensive cables can't improve anything unless longer runs are required . These lengths are over 3m to 15m cables. This is where you want to spend a little more for a higher quality cable especially if you are running it in the wall. It has to be cl3 rated for in wall use. Most better quality cables without any fancy sleeving are cl3. It says it on the wire.

Basically the HDMI cable has to pass spec, thats it , you can't do anything to improve it afterwards. Buy any cable you want and compare it to the most expensive cables made. I have and found no differences at lengths under 3m. I have however found quality issues with some budget cables that claim to have passed spec.

In my system I use a custom company called Binary. They make quality Installer grade cables you can trust. I put them in the highest end systems with no flaws. Audioquest also makes great well built cables. But if you are looking to have "better" for the search of better performance , look elsewhere in your system.

Dan