HDMI cables buying advice

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James Bond

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# 15477 24-Aug-2007 18:13

Can anyone recommend a good brand of HDMI cables?

I've seen Belkin pureAV, Pudney Premium Gold, Monster and Panasonic in stores. Any of these good?

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Master Geek

# 83657 24-Aug-2007 19:36

Don't waste your time buying the high-end HDMI cables.

There's a ton of reviews saying that there is no noticable difference between the cheap and expensive cables (considering it's a digital signal, not analog)

I bought generic ones through Acquire, saved a packet from the Retail shops.

MackinNZ

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# 83661 24-Aug-2007 20:18

Don't waste your time buying the high-end HDMI cables.

There's a ton of reviews saying that there is no noticable difference between the cheap and expensive cables (considering it's a digital signal, not analog)

I bought generic ones through Acquire, saved a packet from the Retail shops.

I couldn't agree more. Expensive cables are a waste of money. As long as the connectors are of reasonable quality, cheap cables offer no discernible reduction of quality.

I was in Harvey Norman recently and overheard the sales droid extolling the virtues of super expensive cables by telling the customer that they would hear a "hugely superior sound" if they spent $400 + on cables. Total drivel! No-one is able to tell the difference between expensive cable and cheap cable in a blind test.

The sales droid is only interested in their commission.

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# 83665 24-Aug-2007 20:54

have a read at what Gizmodo said when they did a series of testing on HDMl cables.

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/top/the-truth-about-monster-cable-+-grand-finale-part-iii-282725.php

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sbiddle

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# 83672 24-Aug-2007 21:41

If you go near any Harvey Norman and they have the monster cable display with 2 monitors comparing the difference make sure you ask lots of questions like "is it really fair to compare two displays when one a monster component cable and the other is budget brand composite cable"

If you haven't seen the display before it's attempting to show the difference between a monster cable and a regular budget cable while displaying Monsters Inc. from a DVD player into two screens. The monster cable side uses component, the other side uses composite. Hardly a fair comparision. I'd love to ask the guy to use the Monster cable for the composite and then get a budget $7.99 Warehouse Cellnet component cable for the other side and ask him why the Monster cable looks so terrible.

Back to the HDMI issue - since HDMI is purely digital over short distances there should be no real difference between different cables. Save some money and buy a $15 HDMI->HDMI off TradeMe.

geekiegeek

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# 83684 24-Aug-2007 22:30

So good to see these replies - so sick of everybody jumping on the "$400 dollar cable makes all the difference" tip.

Personally I will spend on speaker cable and a little on component cables but apart from that so long as you stick with a good brand (pudney for example) I think you will be OK.

also if you have a $200 DVD player hooked to a $1200 LCD, I dont think a cable is going to make a mind blowing difference (not saying that thats what you have, just an example). If however you had $4000 HDDVD/Blu-ray hooked to a $40,000 LCD then maybe go for the $$$ cables - but then with that kit you can probably afford it aye (and not care if you are being fleeced).

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richms

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# 83689 24-Aug-2007 22:42

sbiddle: If you go near any Harvey Norman and they have the monster cable display with 2 monitors comparing the difference make sure you ask lots of questions like "is it really fair to compare two displays when one a monster component cable and the other is budget brand composite cable"

If you haven't seen the display before it's attempting to show the difference between a monster cable and a regular budget cable while displaying Monsters Inc. from a DVD player into two screens. The monster cable side uses component, the other side uses composite. Hardly a fair comparision. I'd love to ask the guy to use the Monster cable for the composite and then get a budget $7.99 Warehouse Cellnet component cable for the other side and ask him why the Monster cable looks so terrible.

I asked about that, the excuse is that its to show the benefit of buying a monster component cable over the supplied cable with most equipment.

I haven't bought anything that has come with component cables so it really is correct unfortunately.

Richard rich.ms

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# 83730 25-Aug-2007 07:03

I've also been in a store pushing a very expensive HDMI 1.3 cable to a customer who had just purchased a new Sharp Aquos LCD by telling him the picture quality of his DVD player would be better than with a regular HDMI cable that can't do HDMI 1.3.

It's sad the number of customers who get ripped off by salespeople who rip unsuspecting people off either intentionally or unintentionally due to their lack of product knowledge.

sudo

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Master Geek

# 83734 25-Aug-2007 07:53

It's not just the cables, it's also the wall mounts they rip you off with.

When I was looking for LCDs, the salesman pointed me to a $500 wall mount and said it would be discounted by a hundred if I bought it with the TV.

After looking around, I could see equivalent mounts for around $200.

wmoore

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# 83740 25-Aug-2007 09:24

On cables.

Would have to agree with others about HDMI cables. A lot of the pricey ones just have a thicker jacket on them and add some
marketing buzz words etc, and then slap $400 on it....then it must be good.
I would buy Pudney just because they are a NZ company..and it's good to support the local guys.
Now with composite and Component cables. Just grab some Belden RG59 cable and make your own.
Remember for the component cables must be exactly all the same length.. Gold RCA's help as well.
Speaker cables the thickness of the wire is important and it also must be twisted as well. I use

this
Interconnect cables from DVD/CD to amp...Throw out the pieces of string and try some of the better ones.
Audition several in your price range about 10% of your total costs and see which one you like the best.
Some cables make your system sound worse.

Remember don't be taken in by Marketing hype and snake oil salesmen.

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# 83747 25-Aug-2007 10:52

as far as i'm concerned, digital signals are easy - you either get picture (and sound) or nothing. never in between. so if cheapies work they're working at 100% quality of the signal that's being sent.

Involuntary autocorrect in operation on mobile device. Apologies in advance.

hyundai679

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# 84405 30-Aug-2007 10:02

I replaced the Sky Scart lead that Sky provided with a Pudney Gold Series HDMI and noticed a better picture.

James Bond

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# 84422 30-Aug-2007 12:03

hyundai679: I replaced the Sky Scart lead that Sky provided with a Pudney Gold Series HDMI and noticed a better picture.

wait.,.. Sky has HD receivers?

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# 84446 30-Aug-2007 14:03

joker97: as far as i'm concerned, digital signals are easy - you either get picture (and sound) or nothing. never in between. so if cheapies work they're working at 100% quality of the signal that's being sent.

Joker97, this is not correct. You can get errors with digital (and almost always do). This is why there is error correction on most digital transports. If you have watched digital TV for awhile then at some point you will likely have seen blocking which is where part of the picture is corrupted and displays as a white block.

You can get the same from cables it is just less likely to be noticeable.

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# 84453 30-Aug-2007 14:57

thanks for the correction

Involuntary autocorrect in operation on mobile device. Apologies in advance.

andynz

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# 85070 3-Sep-2007 12:42

Like most technical issues, the answer is a bit more complex than, "will it work or it will not". First let me state that I am an importer of specialsed DVI and HDMI cables so I am biased but there some basic technical facts to consider in choosing a DVI or HDMI cable.

For copper cable lengths of 2-3 meters, almost any quality DVI or HDMI cable will work at up to 1920x1080 60Hz. For lengths up to 5m, it becomes a bit more uncertain. At standard definition or even 1280x720, a cheap 5m copper cable works fine in most situations. On the other hand at 1920x1080, a 5m copper cable is liable to have severe errors or not work at all.

Also part of the equation is what type of source and display device you have. They all have variations in the ability to drive a cable and receive the signal. So you could buy a copper cable now with certain equipment you have, then in a year or so, upgrade to different gear and or 1920x1080 and the cable won't work.

With any length beyond 3m of DVI or HDMI I would recommend using a fibre-optic cable. Yes, they cost a lot more but they work at lengths up to 100m or more. As an example a 15-20m fiber optic cable retails at around $1,200NZ but you simple won't get a reliable connection with copper at that length.

So, less than 3m, almost anything will work. Over 3m, tread carefully and consider investing in a fibre cable.

Cheers
Andy Milne

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