Members davidM Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 so my family gave the wife and i some coin to buy a Blu-Ray player for Christmas, and i need to get an HDMI cable so we can watch it at the 1080p resolution, just like all A/V cables, the price for these is varied, but I'm curious is does it really make a difference in quality if i buy a cheaper one vs an expensive one? If it's a digital formats in my mind it shouldn't matter? Or am i crazy? please help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Thunderbroom Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 Please don't waste your money on expensive HDMI cables. My family and I got a 1080p television a few years back and went with inexpensive cables. They work just fine. I think I paid $21 shipped for three 6 foot cables. As it was explained to me, it's a digital signal. Do you buy boutique/high-end USB or Firewire cables? No. Then there's no need to consider that $80 Monster HDMI cable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members solderjunkie Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 so my family gave the wife and i some coin to buy a Blu-Ray player for Christmas, and i need to get an HDMI cable so we can watch it at the 1080p resolution, just like all A/V cables, the price for these is varied, but I'm curious is does it really make a difference in quality if i buy a cheaper one vs an expensive one? If it's a digital formats in my mind it shouldn't matter? Or am i crazy? please help! The difference in price will usually reflect the difference in materials, shielding, and cable ends. I have S-video cables for our DirecTV box and DVD player that were $12 each and have lasted 8 years (through 3 moves). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Thunderbroom Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 The difference in price will usually reflect the difference in materials, shielding, and cable ends. Oh really?!? I paid $7 shipped for one 6 foot cable. BestBuy has the 6 foot Monster for $63 plus tax/shipping. Those must be some good materials, shielding and cable ends! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members davidM Posted December 24, 2008 Author Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 that's what i was thinking! i used to work at Circuit City back in 2001, and optical was the big thing for sound, because DVD's were just starting to take over the format, and i remember testing Monster against a really thin, rinky-dink cable, and between myself and three other audiophiles we couldn't hear any difference. We ran the test through different DVD players, receivers, and speaker setups, and no difference at all. thanks guys, i really appreciate it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members davidM Posted December 24, 2008 Author Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 Oh really?!? I paid $7 shipped for one 6 foot cable. BestBuy has the 6 foot Monster for $63 plus tax/shipping. Those must be some good materials, shielding and cable ends! but dude, they look so sharp! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members solderjunkie Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 Oh really?!? I paid $7 shipped for one 6 foot cable. BestBuy has the 6 foot Monster for $63 plus tax/shipping. Those must be some good materials, shielding and cable ends! I'm not discussing data-transfer... I'm discussing shielding and sturdy construction. I wrote in the same response that I'm using cheap cables that work just fine. grumpy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Funkee1 Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 No. There is no difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jugghaid Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 Please don't waste your money on expensive HDMI cables. My family and I got a 1080p television a few years back and went with inexpensive cables. They work just fine. I think I paid $21 shipped for three 6 foot cables.As it was explained to me, it's a digital signal. Do you buy boutique/high-end USB or Firewire cables? No. Then there's no need to consider that $80 Monster HDMI cable. Bingo. Best Buy wanted like $50 a cable for HDMI cables. I got one for $7 shipped off ebay. It works just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BoundandBlocked Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 Try coat hangers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mytola Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 As long as the cable isn't physically badly made, there shouldn't be any difference at all between a cheap and an expensive cable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Flogger59 Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 Cable prices at big box stores are just "margin enhancement", like extended warranties. There is no way on earth that I'm going to pay $228 for a Monster power bar with "digital noise reduction".WTF!?!? Digital don't need no noise reduction. It works, or it doesn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Kindness Posted December 24, 2008 Moderators Share Posted December 24, 2008 I only use |_/\// cables. If you can't see the difference you must be blind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Thunderbroom Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 I only use |_/\// cables. If you can't see the difference you must be blind. I'm off until 1/5. Are you still up for hanging out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Kindness Posted December 24, 2008 Moderators Share Posted December 24, 2008 I'm off until 1/5. Are you still up for hanging out? I'm looking forward to it. Anytime after Sunday. Just PM, email or call! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Thunderbroom Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 I'm looking forward to it. Anytime after Sunday. Just PM, email or call! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members J. Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 Check out www.partsexpress.com for all things cabling. You might be able to find cheaper elsewhere, but PE always has good prices. I bought three optical cables for .99 cents each on a factory buyout, and a couple of component video cables for $1.97 each. I have a few of their HDMI cables, all of which are decent quality. I think it was five or six bucks for a six footer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lug Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 Bingo. Best Buy wanted like $50 a cable for HDMI cables. I got one for $7 shipped off ebay. It works just fine. Several members of the Army of Darkness work at Best Buy. A $50 dollar cable there costs my kids about $8 at employee price. That should tell you something. Much cheaper online...http://www.cablesforless.com/c-276-hdmi-cables-accessories.aspx FYI..The following provides an overview of major functionality added to each version of HDMI: HDMI 1.1: Support for DVD Audio. HDMI 1.2: Adds features and capabilities that increase HDMI's appeal for use in both the CE and PC industries. Specifically, the features and modifications for HDMI 1.2 include: Support for One Bit Audio format, such as SuperAudio CD's DSD (Direct Stream Digital), changes to offer better support for current and future PCs with HDMI outputs, including: availability of the widely-used HDMI Type A connector for PC sources and displays with full support for PC video formats, ability for PC sources to use their native RGB color space while retaining the option to support the YCbCr CE color space, requirement for HDMI 1.2 and later displays to support future low-voltage (i.e., AC-coupled) sources, such as those based on PCI Express I/O technology. HDMI 1.2a: Consumer Electronic Control (CEC) features and command sets and CEC compliance tests are now fully specified. Creation of version 1.2a of the HDMI Compliance Test Specification (CTS), which includes a CEC Supplement. HDMI CTS 1.2a has been updated for technical consistency with HDMI Specification 1.2a as well as to the recently released HDMI Specification 1.2. Significantly, CTS 1.2a contains additional cable and connector testing and Authorized Testing Center (ATC) submission requirements. Specifically, under CTS 1.2a, the Adopter shall submit for testing to the ATC any new HDMI cable whose length exceeds previously tested cables. Additionally, HDMI Licensing, LLC will maintain a list of approved connectors. For a device to pass CTS 1.2a testing at an ATC, all connectors on such device must appear on the approved connector list. To add a connector to this list, the vendor must submit to the ATC or HDMI Licensing, LLC full and passing testing results. HDMI 1.3: Higher speed: HDMI 1.3 increases its single-link bandwidth to 340 MHz (10.2 Gbps) to support the demands of future HD display devices, such as higher resolutions, Deep Color and high frame rates. In addition, built into the HDMI 1.3 specification is the technical foundation that will let future versions of HDMI reach significantly higher speeds. Deep Color: HDMI 1.3 supports 10-bit, 12-bit and 16-bit (RGB or YCbCr) color depths, up from the 8-bit depths in previous versions of the HDMI specification, for stunning rendering of over one billion colors in unprecedented detail. Broader color space: HDMI 1.3 adds support for Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members davidM Posted December 24, 2008 Author Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 Thanks LUG! that was very insightful, i didn't know there were 2 versions of HDMI! too bad i can't get a cheap one for my Xbox 360! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members solderjunkie Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 Lip Sync: Because consumer electronics devices are using increasingly complex digital signal processing to enhance the clarity and detail of the content, synchronization of video and audio in user devices has become a greater challenge and could potentially require complex end-user adjustments. HDMI 1.3 incorporates automatic audio synching capabilities that allows devices to perform this synchronization automatically with total accuracy. What is this audio/video synching software going to do with my old martial-arts movies??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ThudMaker Posted December 24, 2008 Moderators Share Posted December 24, 2008 I only use |_/\// cables. If you can't see the difference you must be blind.I'm deaf when it comes to cables, but I'm not blind. |_/\// cables look fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lug Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 Thanks LUG! that was very insightful, i didn't know there were 2 versions of HDMI! too bad i can't get a cheap one for my Xbox 360! Actually I think the cheap ones will support your 360 (any HDMI cable supports 1080i resolution). The claim I hear is that the new 1.3 is bit rated for future developments and the old stuff will work on anything out today. I'd still get the 1.3 standard cables, they are only about $10 more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lug Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 What is this audio/video synching software going to do with my old martial-arts movies??? I believe the sheer effort to sync these movies will melt the cable, sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kaiser_sosea Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 i got a couple cheap HDMI cables on ebay and they have worked great for about 18 months now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HackedByChinese! Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 Monoprice is also an excellent source for cheap cabling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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