HDMI cables - cheap/expensive - does it matter?

[snadge]

My dad is on about getting a decent HDMI cable for his 720p 32" set , FreesatHD and HDMI DVD Player

he seen em from £4 to £120 in inverness and said the expensive ones are "THICKER AND FASTER"...

ive been told (and agree that) these "expensive" ones are just a scam as HDMI is a specification and ALL HDMI cables have to be made to meet those specs and therefore carry the same bandwidth - simply put no matter if its £2 or £200 it will still carry the 1080p / 1080i / 720p signal and be of THE SAME QUALITY - as its digital and HD this IS the case - unlike OLD DAYS when you could buy cables in cheap aloy or gold plated etc and they would return a better 'analogue' sound/picture quality - but now HDMI (for HD) is a 'spec' and all HDMI 1.3 cables have to be able to carry 10GB/s (1600p @ 340Hz) - it wouldn't matter HOW much it was or if it was copper or titanium cable - THEY HAVE TO YIELD THE SAME RESULT TO BE HDMI CABLES

is it a scam for £120 HDMI cables?

[glenmike]

I have been using 2 different HDMI cables that I paid less than $5.00 US each for the past year and they work perfectly. Why pay more?

[snadge]

yeah me too, well mine was £3 (reduced from £5) from eBuyer and is gold-plated (not that it matters) and works like a dream - I dont think buying a £200 one is gunna yield a BETTER picture or sound - HDMI is a "spec" so high that even on a 1080p / 60Hz FullHD Blu-Ray signal its still not using all its possible bandwidth (a full HDMI 1.3 cable handles 1600p / 340Hz)

because its digital movies (pixels 720p / 1080p) theres NO "better quality" - unlike days of old that were ANALOGUE

[Slapstick]

I use cheap to medium grade HDMI cable and there's no difference. In fact the reading I've done is if it meets the HDMI spec and carries the official HDMI logo then your go to go. What seems to matter the most is that each strand is cut to the same exact length in the cable.

[edDV]

The HDMI logo requires basic techical conformance.

Two meter HDMI cables should sell around $20 retail in stores or ~$7 (plus shipping) online. In the UK you need to factor this by the VAT tax (estimate 30%).

If you need longer than 3 meters, then look to quality online sources.

[Oosername]

Distance is the key. Buy a cheap one - LOCALLY. If it doesn't work, exchange it. If that one doesn't work, get a refund and buy locally, repeating the process at different outlets until success is achieved.
Then, depending on how $magnanimous$ a mood you're then in, you can make an appropriate donation to the 120quid outlet, making it clear that you expect nothing in return and would just like to give them some money ....... or not.

Fwiw, my own experiences here in NZ regarding 2m cables, upscaling to 1080p/60hz :
$NZ18 - faulty - replaced - working perfectly. (Unbranded)
$NZ30 - perfect out of the box. (www.fujicables.com & most impressive build quality).

Good luck!

[snadge]

...well thats same with ALL cables - it works or it doesnt!

as for BUILD quality - when it comes to an HDMI cable it sits at the back of the TV not MOVING so why has it got to LOOK good or be BUILT SOLIDLY when it just plugs in at the back and sits there - its not like its something thats repeatedly worked (physically) and may stop functioning after a while

[edDV]

...well thats same with ALL cables - it works or it doesnt!

as for BUILD quality - when it comes to an HDMI cable it sits at the back of the TV not MOVING so why has it got to LOOK good or be BUILT SOLIDLY when it just plugs in at the back and sits there - its not like its something thats repeatedly worked (physically) and may stop functioning after a while

I dislike the HDMI connector because it's unlatching. If you pull cables or clean back there, the cable can slip out.

[ron spencer]

I get them at monoprice.com

so have friends and family...perfect stuff...nice prices

[INFRATOM]

If the length is not much like max 6 feet (You are in UK) so less than 2 metre it doesn't really matter. As the length and resolution go up it makes a difference. For example for 1080p it is recommended not to go over 25 feet. Good cable with good shielding and good core like silver coated is better than just copper. There are some specs you could google and look at, it gives you signal loss per foot so which ever type has less loss it is better. For 3 to 6 feet they are mostly the same.

[fatbloke88]

snadge when I bought my first hdmi cable I got the one that the magazines raved about,since then I've tried several different cables at different price levels and they all seem to perform the same I now get all my cables here.

http://www.cableuniverse.co.uk/catalog/cable/hdmi-to-hdmi-cables/

[INFRATOM]

In response to edDV I dislike adapters, because they stick out 2 to 3 inches and cables are heavy and puts a torque on the connector also limits the distance to the back wall or cabinet.

[edDV]

I don't recall mentioning adapters.

[snadge]

i think edDV was on about the HDMI cable's end NOT having any type of 'fixing point' i.e. it slides in and out of its port easy