HDMI cable

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ianajmes

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#64232 11-Jul-2010 15:19

Hi,

had the myskyhdi since it first came out..just wondered those of you who have your own hdmi cable instead of the one supplied by sky, how better ,if at all is the quality? Is it worth buying one...how much should i spend if so?

Have also noticed a couple of times the quality of picture on sky movies greats (22) has been apalling...very 'grainy' (if thats the right word...lines going down the screen)...has anyone else noticed or unique to me?

cheers Ian

IJD

robjg63

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#349946 11-Jul-2010 16:10

At the risk of seeming impolite I suggest you "google HDMI cable rip off". The posts will keep you busy for hours.
To sum up - it should make no difference if you get a cheap cable or an expensive cable.
Unless its broken it should *just work* - Its 0s and 1s going down the cable - its not analogue.

As to the second paragraph - sorry - dont have sky so couldnt comment on that.

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nickb800

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#349947 11-Jul-2010 16:13

ianajmes: Hi,

had the myskyhdi since it first came out..just wondered those of you who have your own hdmi cable instead of the one supplied by sky, how better ,if at all is the quality? Is it worth buying one...how much should i spend if so?

Have also noticed a couple of times the quality of picture on sky movies greats (22) has been apalling...very 'grainy' (if thats the right word...lines going down the screen)...has anyone else noticed or unique to me?

cheers Ian

Given that hdmi signal is digital, it basically works or it doesnt. Buying a better cable shouldnt make any difference to picture quality if it is already working alright.
However Im not sure what would cause the grainy effect you refer to.

Niel

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#350008 11-Jul-2010 19:35

The difference is the speed the cable can handle, and the speed translates to maximum resolution you can display. You will find info on HDMI on Wikipedia, you will be fine as long as you cable is version 1.3, even the ~$15 cables at The Warehouse is. Version 1.4 will support a higher resolution at lower frame rate, that's all. If you pay more than $20 then you are getting ripped off.

As for gold plating, if your TV has standard tin plated connectors then you will eventually get corrosion if you use a gold plated cable. It is called intermetalic corrosion. Just buy a cheap cable.

The only thing that does make a difference is if the cable has an EMC filter (thick bulge around cable near connector). All digital cables should have it, but many don't or sometimes the filter is built into the connector.

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ZollyMonsta

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#350038 11-Jul-2010 21:40

The sky provided cable is adequate enough.

The grain you are seeing is film grain and is perfectly normal. It takes some getting used to and sometimes makes the film look poor quality. A lot of filmakers increase film grain (and in fact I saw a film last week that looked like it was shot on Digital and had artificial film grain added).

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