[danman71]

Just wondering on HDMI cables is their a difference in the performance or quality based on price?

In other words, should I spend the $100+ for that Monster cable at Best Buy, or should I buy a cheap one off the Internet?

 

[rsonnens]

Just wondering on HDMI cables is their a difference in the performance or quality based on price?

In other words, should I spend the $100+ for that Monster cable at Best Buy, or should I buy a cheap one off the Internet?

Cheap ones. look at companies like Monoprice.

 

[911medic]

Unlike analog cables, where shielding/construction can make a difference in quality of transmission, cables such as HDMI transmitting only digital signals either transmit the signal or don't. The super-spendy ones are a rip-off. The only caveat I'm aware of is if you're running long distances, where some cheaper cables suffer from signal attenuation.

I'm sure some of the more HDMI-knowledgable members can chime in here, but from everything I've heard, a cheap cable that works, will work just as well as an expensive one.

 

[dwenn]

Indeed 1s are 1s and 0s are 0s.
I imagine some cheaper models could have lesser quality in the actual connections and perhaps could die at some time down the road, but otherwise any reputible brand should do.
I got a Phillips 4ft at Walmart for $27.

 

[AirShark]

Just wondering on HDMI cables is their a difference in the performance or quality based on price?

In other words, should I spend the $100+ for that Monster cable at Best Buy, or should I buy a cheap one off the Internet?

Buy a cheap one....I paid $15 for a 15-foot HDMI cable and it works beautifully.

Again, digital transmission is either there or not....cable "quality" is not as important as with analog connections.

 

[Staszek]

Check ebay,

I got really good deals on all the Monster cables I bought, so i have the name and the cheap price.

Make sure they are originally packaged.

 

[mlyle]

I really wonder if the cheapies are the same as the Monster or Audio Research $100 cables.

While true, you are dealing with 1s and 0s-- but it is a whole ton of them at very high speed. In your network cables it is all 1s and 0s, but there is packet loss. In your hard drive, with every increase in size, there is an increase in the nominal read error rate. Both networks and hard drives have error correction built in, but does HDMI? There are a lot of folks over at avsforum who are finding small "artifacts" in 1080i signals, could that be caused by a bad signal?

On the other hand, as Staszek found, if you can get Monster at near cost, it is a huge markup-- probably on the range of 300% or more marked up by BestBuy and CircuitCity. The actual cost to make the Monsters is probably less than $5 each.

On principle of the excessive profit, I won't buy Monster anymore, it is not like it was with speaker wire where a foot of their cable could probably make 30 pennies and was worth a buck a foot.

I bought a heavily insulated HDMI cable, ugly as sin since it is see-thru, from GE (at Target) for $35. As opposed to some cheapo web manufac-retailer, I would think that there are some Quality standards which GE is measuring. Walmart sells Philips cables, and I doubt that the company that is trying so hard to sell Ambi-light plasmas is going to put out a crap cable at walmart (6' for the Philips cable at Walmart is $30)

 

[Gmaxx]

I just figured I'd chime in here on my experiences with cables. I am not only using a cheap cable from monoprice.com, I am using the cheapest one that they sell. I am getting an incredible picture with no artifacts (at least none that I perceive to be caused by the cable.) The sync up between HR20 and TV has not been a problem either. Don't even spend $30 at walmart. Go online to monoprice.com or mycablemart.com and get yourself a cheap cable and see for yourself.

I really wonder if the cheapies are the same as the Monster or Audio Research $100 cables.

While true, you are dealing with 1s and 0s-- but it is a whole ton of them at very high speed. In your network cables it is all 1s and 0s, but there is packet loss. In your hard drive, with every increase in size, there is an increase in the nominal read error rate. Both networks and hard drives have error correction built in, but does HDMI? There are a lot of folks over at avsforum who are finding small "artifacts" in 1080i signals, could that be caused by a bad signal?

On the other hand, as Staszek found, if you can get Monster at near cost, it is a huge markup-- probably on the range of 300% or more marked up by BestBuy and CircuitCity. The actual cost to make the Monsters is probably less than $5 each.

On principle of the excessive profit, I won't buy Monster anymore, it is not like it was with speaker wire where a foot of their cable could probably make 30 pennies and was worth a buck a foot.

I bought a heavily insulated HDMI cable, ugly as sin since it is see-thru, from GE (at Target) for $35. As opposed to some cheapo web manufac-retailer, I would think that there are some Quality standards which GE is measuring. Walmart sells Philips cables, and I doubt that the company that is trying so hard to sell Ambi-light plasmas is going to put out a crap cable at walmart (6' for the Philips cable at Walmart is $30)

While you are principally correct in what you are saying about networks there is entirely more informaion than a 3'-25' hdmi cable would be carrying from a set top box to a TV. And also a far greater distance in most cases.

 

[iceman2a]

I really wonder if the cheapies are the same as the Monster or Audio Research $100 cables.

While true, you are dealing with 1s and 0s-- but it is a whole ton of them at very high speed. In your network cables it is all 1s and 0s, but there is packet loss. In your hard drive, with every increase in size, there is an increase in the nominal read error rate. Both networks and hard drives have error correction built in, but does HDMI? There are a lot of folks over at avsforum who are finding small "artifacts" in 1080i signals, could that be caused by a bad signal?

On the other hand, as Staszek found, if you can get Monster at near cost, it is a huge markup-- probably on the range of 300% or more marked up by BestBuy and CircuitCity. The actual cost to make the Monsters is probably less than $5 each.

On principle of the excessive profit, I won't buy Monster anymore, it is not like it was with speaker wire where a foot of their cable could probably make 30 pennies and was worth a buck a foot.

I bought a heavily insulated HDMI cable, ugly as sin since it is see-thru, from GE (at Target) for $35. As opposed to some cheapo web manufac-retailer, I would think that there are some Quality standards which GE is measuring. Walmart sells Philips cables, and I doubt that the company that is trying so hard to sell Ambi-light plasmas is going to put out a crap cable at walmart (6' for the Philips cable at Walmart is $30)

This whole "myth" about a "digital" signal being there or not IS just a "myth"!
There can be "signal degradation" on a digital signal!
Now granted on lengths we're talking about it's "highly" unlikley, and I'm not recomending paying more for a "quality" cable, ( I use Monoprice cables).

 

[911medic]

This whole "myth" about a "digital" signal being there or not IS just a "myth"!
There can be "signal degradation" on a digital signal!
Now granted on lengths we're talking about it's "highly" unlikley, and I'm not recomending paying more for a "quality" cable, ( I use Monoprice cables).

Some more info on this topic: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI#Distance_limitations

 

[jbart1965]

I bought several HDMI cables from Blue Jeans Cable online. They are up to spec and allow customers to choose their own length in one-foot increments. I bought a 4 and 5 foot cable, both of which cost less than $20. Delivery was exceedingly fast.

I was a bit wary at first of buying from BJC, but my experience was most excellent. They are very well made cables, if a bit stiff (perhaps all HDMI cables are like that). The only drawback is sticking them thru a wire management funnel. My TV swivels and I turn it a lot depending on where I sit. So a longer cable run is necessary in such cases. Again, this may be the case for all HDMI cables.

 

[sorahl]

I've outfitted my entire theater downstairs and my new plasma in the family room with cables from monoprice. I have had no issues with any of the HDMI, component, RCA, Svideo, or TOS cables I purchased from them (or the 5x1 hdmi switch either). The cables range in length from 3 feet to 35 feet.

John