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  1. [url=http]text[/url] Denvers Dawgs's Avatar
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    Is there any difference in quality between these HDMI cables besides the price? All seem to be male to male. Even the PS3 ones just look like normal hdmi cables?

    Best Buy
    Psyclone HDMI Cable for PlayStation 3 $99.99
    React - HDMI Cable for PlayStation 3 $59.99
    Acoustic Research - 3' HDMI Video Cable $49.99
    Monster Cable - 4' HDMI Cable for HDTV $119.99
    Monster Cable - 4' HDMI Cable for HDTV $149.99

    Newegg
    Link Depot HDMI TO HDMI A/V Cable Model HDMI-HDMI $7.69

    Is it really worth $70+ or is $7 just as good?
    What We Do In Life, Echoes In Eternity....
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  2. Member edDV's Avatar
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    Retailers mark up HDMI cables to extreme levels because the consumer will accept it. The profit on the cable probably exceeds that of the discounted TV and is only exceeded by the profit on the "extended warranty".

    Out to 15-20 feet most DVI/HDMI cables will perform equally. Online prices are much lower. Use reason and avoid the cheapest online price. Use a quality cable website.

    If you need you run long cables, do your research first. Higher quality cables are needed but they are far less expensive online.
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  3. Member dcsos's Avatar
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    These are TIGER DIRECT even cheaper
    like edDV said!
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  4. Member ricoman's Avatar
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    There is almost no difference, I've tried cables from $15 to $60, can't tell the difference. Don't buy junk, but definitely don't buy the over-hyped Monster. Most people can't even see a difference from component or HDMI/DVI though some upconverting dvd players will not upconvert with component. Just get a decent cable with gold connectors, the ones in the above post are fine.
    I love children, girl children... about 16-40
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  5. http://www.monoprice.com/

    Very good quality HDMI and DVI cables for cheap. They list on eBay, too.
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  6. Член BJ_M's Avatar
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    monstercable -- any of their products ... are way over priced
    "Each problem that I solved became a rule which served afterwards to solve other problems." - Rene Descartes (1596-1650)
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  7. [url=http]text[/url] Denvers Dawgs's Avatar
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    I was thinking of using newegg. they should be fine right?
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  8. Member ricoman's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by gshelley61
    http://www.monoprice.com/

    Very good quality HDMI and DVI cables for cheap. They list on eBay, too.
    Nice site! Very cheap cable and switcher box.
    I love children, girl children... about 16-40
    W.C. Fields
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  9. A good Canadian source is http://www.onlybestrated.com - they also sell Oppo DVD players.
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  10. Member lacywest's Avatar
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    Good info ... thank you
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  11. [url=http]text[/url] Denvers Dawgs's Avatar
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    Has anyone used one of the HDMI Switches. Not that I need one at the moment. Only connecting cablebox via HDMI, and have one other open HDMI input. But if I do get an upconverting dvd player then a PS3 down the line it would be nice to know how good these things are?

    Also, any recommendations for upconverting player (from owners of the actual player they are recommending)?
    What We Do In Life, Echoes In Eternity....
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  12. Member JimmyJoeBob's Avatar
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    Just another site. I have used them with no problems,

    http://www.mycablemart.com/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=331
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  13. Member ricoman's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by Denvers Dawgs
    Has anyone used one of the HDMI Switches. Not that I need one at the moment. Only connecting cablebox via HDMI, and have one other open HDMI input. But if I do get an upconverting dvd player then a PS3 down the line it would be nice to know how good these things are?

    Also, any recommendations for upconverting player (from owners of the actual player they are recommending)?
    I have the Octava 3x switcher http://www.octavainc.com/ and love it. I don't even need the remote, when I turn on the upconverting DVD player it senses it and switches automatically. The one at monoPrice http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10110&cs_id=1011002&p_id=...seq=1&format=2 seems similiar and cheaper, but I can't vouch for its performance.
    I love children, girl children... about 16-40
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  14. Originally Posted by Denvers Dawgs
    ...any recommendations for upconverting player (from owners of the actual player they are recommending)?
    Oppo 971H.
    https://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers.php?DVDnameid=5195&Search=Search&#comments

    Bought one last year and love it. A mediocre download will look good. A good DVD will knock your socks off. It's not quite HDTV but it's a close second. I'm using a 34" CRT - the last of the wide-tube Panasonics.
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  15. Member ricoman's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by Constant Gardener
    Originally Posted by Denvers Dawgs
    ...any recommendations for upconverting player (from owners of the actual player they are recommending)?
    Oppo 971H.
    https://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers.php?DVDnameid=5195&Search=Search&#comments

    Bought one last year and love it. A mediocre download will look good. A good DVD will knock your socks off. It's not quite HDTV but it's a close second. I'm using a 34" CRT - the last of the wide-tube Panasonics.
    Ditto, very happy with mine, most highly rated. http://www.oppodigital.com/ I use it on a 50" Sony HD LCD RPTV and it is near HD quality. Having said that, you can get an LG for half the price at BB, I also have one of them and like it.
    I love children, girl children... about 16-40
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  16. Originally Posted by Denvers Dawgs
    Has anyone used one of the HDMI Switches. Not that I need one at the moment. Only connecting cablebox via HDMI, and have one other open HDMI input. But if I do get an upconverting dvd player then a PS3 down the line it would be nice to know how good these things are?

    Also, any recommendations for upconverting player (from owners of the actual player they are recommending)?
    MonoPrice again... I have their basic 2 to 1 HDMI switcher and it works great. It was about $30 shipped.

    I've tried out numerous up-converting players, having started out a couple of years ago with a Bravo D1. The Oppo units are really excellent, but I settled on the Sony DVP-NS75H. It can be purchased for about half what the Oppo runs, and I couldn't see any PQ difference between the two. In fact, I prefer the scaled image Sony produces. However, the Oppo will play PAL discs and has some other features the Sony lacks.

    I actually have a second up-converting player - a Toshiba SD-6980 that I use for HD JPEG playback (high resolution JPEG image files through the HDMI), and for DVD-Audio and SACD discs. It will also play region free PAL discs. I got the Sony and the Toshiba for what the Oppo costs by itself.

    The Sony does do a better job than the Toshiba with DVD playback, and it properly plays 4:3 DVD's (pillarboxed) while still up-converting. The Sony only has standard definition JPEG file playback, though.

    As has been mentioned by others before me, a good quality DVD scaled up to 720p or 1080i will frequently look nearly as good as some HD source material. It's really something. Mine is hooked up to a brand new 62" 1080p Toshiba DLP, and the picture is wonderful.
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  17. [url=http]text[/url] Denvers Dawgs's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by gshelley61
    As has been mentioned by others before me, a good quality DVD scaled up to 720p or 1080i will frequently look nearly as good as some HD source material. It's really something. Mine is hooked up to a brand new 62" 1080p Toshiba DLP, and the picture is wonderful.
    I have a 52" 1080P Mitsubishi DLP, and a while back when I emailed the OPPO site it mentioned that it may cause pixelation or jaggedness if not calorbrated correctly? Have you experienced this? Are there any 1080P upscalers or are they mostly 1080i? Oh and which player are you using on your 1080P toshiba for upscaling again?

    I also noticec that the HDMI Oppo doesn't have the DCDi by Faroudja? Never using dvi does that mean I would have to use an hdmi->dvi along with cables for sound? I would rather just use hdmi for the all in one feature(less cluter) Arg.....just read that oppo recommends the dvi player for 50+ tvs......I'm now going to check out that sony.....haha

    Oh and lastly why are all these new dvd players silver? I like a uniform look and I don't really feel like buying an all new a/v reciever since mine is black.....Now I'm just getting anal I guess......
    What We Do In Life, Echoes In Eternity....
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  18. Sony makes a 5 disc carousel disc changer version of the DVP-NS75H... it's the DVP-NC85H. Those are available in black. Exactly the same up-conversion performance as the 75.

    The Faroudja scaling chipset in the Oppo and several others has been associated with some macroblocking and jaggies... the Sony uses a different scaling chipset. I think it does a better job, personally. No macroblocking or jaggies with mine.

    The Samsung DVD-HD860 up-conversion DVD player is black, and is a decent unit for the money.

    Samung has a new up-conversion player that scales up to 1080p... the DVD-HD960. Those are black, too.
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  19. Член BJ_M's Avatar
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    The Faroudja scaling chipset in my NAD T534 never caused any macroblocking and jaggies for me anyway - never does my older samsung (the first out with upconversion, it only has a DVI out) ...

    I have the newer samsung DVD-HD860 also - and though it is an ok picture - it is not great (compared to the NAD or older samsung)... another thing with both samsungs - they dont play anything except totally to spec dvds , no vcd or svcd or any avi or even straight mpeg ... The NAD plays anything, but is a much more expensive machine ...
    "Each problem that I solved became a rule which served afterwards to solve other problems." - Rene Descartes (1596-1650)
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  20. My Samsung HT-HDP40
    Plays VCD, SVCD, DivX, but I've never tried striaght mpeg2 files
    It also upconverts, with no macroblocking on my 42" plasma
    tgpo famous MAC commercial, You be the judge?
    Originally Posted by jagabo
    I use the FixEverythingThat'sWrongWithThisVideo() filter. Works perfectly every time.
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  21. Member ricoman's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by gshelley61


    I also noticec that the HDMI Oppo doesn't have the DCDi by Faroudja? Never using dvi does that mean I would have to use an hdmi->dvi along with cables for sound? I would rather just use hdmi for the all in one feature(less cluter) Arg.....just read that oppo recommends the dvi player for 50+ tvs......I'm now going to check out that sony.....haha
    Yes, you need and audio cable with the DVI-HDMI cable, I use an optical cable, no problem, great sound and picture.
    I love children, girl children... about 16-40
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    hey there Denvers Dawg
    in reply to your original message about hdmi cable prices in relation to quality.
    from my own personal experience i can tell you that while some more expensive cables are definitely worth the money others
    are most definitely not. the ones you mentioned in your original message are basic cables with price hiked up to rip off consumers who dont know any better.
    personally i use QED QUNEX HDMI-P which is available for £50
    in the UK. if you are thinking of getting an expensive cable and it is available in THE USA then buy this one it is simply the best available. the only other real quality options available cost at least 3 times as much. ps i have worked in the AV business for approx 21 years
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  23. Member edDV's Avatar
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    A DVI-D/HDMI cable, unlike VGA, is a digital connection. As such it works or it fails to lock. There are no intermediate failure modes that you would see on the TV. Cheaper cables may have attenuation, crosstalk or unequal delay characteristics as the cable length increases. At some point the TV may reject the signal but up to that point picture quality is equal. A normal length cable just needs to be good enough. If you have difficulty getting the TV to lock to the input, then you may have cable issues.

    A DVI-A/VGA cable carries a wide bandwidth analog signal over 5 shielded paths RGBHV. A simple VGA cable is good for 12 feet or so. To go longer you need a better quality cable to maintain signal level, frequency response and relative component delay. In other words, a VGA cable may cause the picture quality to degrade as the cable length increases.
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    If it were me, I'd buy from one of these places:

    http://www.bettercables.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=3
    http://signalcable.com/hdmi-hdmi.html

    These are better than anything you can buy in a store. Not just HDMI cables, but any type of cables.
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  25. Member edDV's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by piano632
    If it were me, I'd buy from one of these places:

    http://www.bettercables.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=3
    http://signalcable.com/hdmi-hdmi.html

    These are better than anything you can buy in a store. Not just HDMI cables, but any type of cables.
    And your analysis backing up this decision to go to expensive HDMI is what?


    I could go into a Letterman "Top Ten" here but ... OK a "Top Five"

    5. The more you spend on cables the more you are in tune with nature and the gods.

    4. Expensive cables have replaced 18" mag wheels for street creds.

    3. I can see the difference, if you can't you need to see the eye doc.

    2. I like the colors! Fits my metro accent motif.

    rum roll:

    1. Women go wild when you show them the cables. !

    Cue the band.

    http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/top_ten/
    a good sample: http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/top_ten/archive/ls_topten_archive2006/ls_topten_...20060125.shtml
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  26. [url=http]text[/url] Denvers Dawgs's Avatar
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    haha.....Ed rocks!

    Now if I'm only getting 6ft cables shoulud they be shielded? I was looking at the Link Depot brand over at newegg, it they didn't say that they were shielded..
    What We Do In Life, Echoes In Eternity....
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  27. Member edDV's Avatar
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    They should all be double shielded (pairs and jacket), some have tripple shields, some quad shields. At six feet there should be few problems.

    This long winded article has much detail but concludes that you should just plug it in and see if it works. Look for pixels flickering. If it doesn't work, try another.
    http://bluejeanscable.com/articles/hdmi-cables.htm
    Recommends: Kiva.org - Loans that change lives.
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    What! No takers for Audioquest HDMI-3 cable? Only $247 for 1 meter! And look, it's backordered too! Must be a fantastic cable.

    http://www.abtelectronics.com/scripts/site/site_product.php3?source=froogle&id=21474

    Audioquest is still the reigning king of cable over-pricing (like their $425 s-video cable). Are there no challengers to the throne?
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  29. Member lumis's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by piano632
    What! No takers for Audioquest HDMI-3 cable? Only $247 for 1 meter! And look, it's backordered too! Must be a fantastic cable.

    http://www.abtelectronics.com/scripts/site/site_product.php3?source=froogle&id=21474

    Audioquest is still the reigning king of cable over-pricing (like their $425 s-video cable). Are there no challengers to the throne?
    http://www.abtelectronics.com/scripts/site/site_product.php3?source=froogle&id=21619
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  30. [url=http]text[/url] Denvers Dawgs's Avatar
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    That is just ridiculous!
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