Whats a good quality long (10m+) HDMI cable

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › Whats a good quality long (10m+) HDMI cable

cldlr76

289 posts

Ultimate Geek

#171316 13-Apr-2015 18:12

Hi,

I'm mounting my new tv on a wall and we don't want a cabinet under it, so I'm planning on putting the mysky decoder somewhere central and hooking it up to a HDMI splitter and then running HDMI cables to the various TV's in the house. The furthest run will be somewhere between 10-15m. Because I'm going to run the cables in the wall I looking for a decent quality cable that won't crap out in a couple of years and cause me drama's trying to run a new one.

The place I normally get my cabling etc from has these . Are they decent or should I look for something else.

Also a couple of other questions...

1. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good remote extender
2. Can you buy really long USB cables? I want to put a usb port on the wall behind the tv and run that to another usb port on a wall (ideally on the same faceplate as an rj45) on the other side of the lounge so if I want to play something from a USB drive I don't have to fiddle round behind the tv.

And finally does anyone know how well xbox controllers work over a decent distance/over multiple stories? I'm wondering if I can put the xbox in the same central place and hook it up to multiple TV's?

Thanks

Edit: Added link

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2844 posts

Uber Geek

#1282414 13-Apr-2015 18:32

HDBaseT might be a good choice for this sort of thing. It can extend HDMI, Ethernet, and USB.

PoHq

466 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1282425 13-Apr-2015 18:47

I got my 20m HDMI cables from cables direct. Never had a single issue with them. They are perfect. They come in 10m 15m and 20m. I ran them from lounge wall mounted TV to a cupboard in my garage. I put some power in the cupboard and now everything lives in there. For a remote extender I got this one https://trademe.co.nz/871790853

Except I got the model up which is exactly the same but comes with wall faceplates which you point the remote at. Very nice!

I was dubious when I did all this about lag with the remote or quality over quite long HDMI cables but as I say it's been great. Haven't had a single issue.

richms

28169 posts

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#1282430 13-Apr-2015 18:57

Sky is only 1080i, so dont base the install being sucessful on sky working on the cable. 1080p 60Hz is more than twice the data rate of the 1080i 50 that sky outputs, so put a PC or bluray player on the cables and check them out before you put them in the walls.

Richard rich.ms

Handle9

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#1282481 13-Apr-2015 20:13

It also depends what else you have on the cables. I have a Monoprice 4x4 HDMI matrix switch. It doesn't like long cheap cables (I can only get 720p through Dynamix ones) but using the reasonably expensive cables from Rapallo its fine with 1080p.

http://www.rapalloav.co.nz/10m-hdmi-cable-3d-advanced-high-speed-with-ethernet.html

Don't bother with a remote control extender, get a Logitech Harmony Smart Control. Then you don't need to point at a reciever - it works over rf.

richms

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#1282488 13-Apr-2015 20:27

I dont think the monoprice gear is that great after both a 4 way switch, and a 4 to 2 matrix have disappointed compared to cheaper ebay stuff. Sparkels on 1080p 60 and random input changes have happened on both products.

Richard rich.ms

Dunnersfella

4086 posts

Uber Geek

#1282549 13-Apr-2015 22:17

HD BaseT or nothing...
HDMI over long distances is a pain at best.
Personally, I'd run 5 x Cat6 cables from the amp to the TV.

1: For HDBaseT
2: For interweb connectivity
3: For optical over Cat6 (using ARC / HDMI CEC can be problematic, especially in setups that consist of HDMI matrix switches etc).
4: For IR blasting system
5: For when one of the cables accidentally gets damaged...
I'd also run a coax cable through for DTV.

I've never met someone who ran too many decent quality Cat 6 cables...
But I have met many who have ran too few, or low quality, or both.
The latter is seldom happy with their arrangement.

richms

28169 posts

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#1282575 13-Apr-2015 23:49

HD base T does IR and ethernet over it doesnt it? ARC has never worked on any HDMI over anything setups that I have tried. Sucks that optical is limited to older low res audio formats too.

Richard rich.ms

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Dunnersfella

4086 posts

Uber Geek

#1282588 14-Apr-2015 01:25

It depends on the HDBaseT implementtion (what one you get).
As soon as you open your life up to HDMI control in a multi-room / custom installation... you're opening your life to a world of hurt. I'm not a fan of HDMI CEC in general, but to bring things like multiple BluRay players / TV / AV receivers into the equation... and you've got a recipe for disaster.
Optical is fine if you're looking to use a smart TV to watch Netflix/YouTube/Freeview etc. If you're looking for lossless audio, HDMI is your friend at this point.

richms

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#1282590 14-Apr-2015 01:44

I was quite happy with CEC till I hit the 3 device limit. Genius right there.

Richard rich.ms

Masterpiece

247 posts

Master Geek

#1283212 14-Apr-2015 20:33

+1 for Cat6

I've just got sent information this week for some new Zigen HDbaseT devices doing HDMI2 HDCP2.2 and 4k@60hz over Ethernet.

Cat6 is so much more flexible and cheap to run.

Me:"I'm not a robot!"

ET: "Maybe; you have some freewill, but you chose your path by arrangement"

Me "That sounds like a program with no freewill?"

ET: "We will catch up when you end this cycle"

Me: "Sounds like a 'KPI'!"

ET: "Did you read the terms and conditions?"

Me: .....

Dunnersfella

4086 posts

Uber Geek

#1283219 14-Apr-2015 20:36

I think every supplier of HDBaseT is launching their UHD now - hopefully prices will drop soon.

cldlr76

289 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1284463 15-Apr-2015 09:26

Thanks for the replies, I'll do a bit more research on the cabling options and probably come back with some more questions.

Thanks for the suggestion of the Logitech remote. Looks perfect with the smart phone app, means I won't have to take the sky remote to bed with me, instead I can just change channels etc with my phone. And they are $115 dollars at dick smiths today so I've just bought one.

cldlr76

289 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1285056 15-Apr-2015 19:34

I've looked into the HDbaseT and agree it's the ideal solution in this situation, but unless I'm missing something something cost wise, and equipment wise it doesn't make sense in my eyes.

There don't seem to be face plates that allow for multiple hdmi outlets, and a lot the receivers seem to need a power supply, so when you're wanting to have a hdmi plug behind a wall hung tv you need to allow for another PowerPoint. And then the cost, e.g. $250 for a receiver and transmitter plus cat5/6 vs $40 for 10m hdmi cable it doesn't stack up for me.

I think what I'll do is install a couple of hdmi cables and some cat6 at the same time with a view to moving to HDbaseT in the future.

SirHumphreyAppleby

2844 posts

Uber Geek

#1285059 15-Apr-2015 19:45

cldlr76: a lot the receivers seem to need a power supply, so when you're wanting to have a hdmi plug behind a wall hung tv you need to allow for another PowerPoint. And then the cost, e.g. $250 for a receiver and transmitter plus cat5/6 vs $40 for 10m hdmi cable it doesn't stack up for me.

There are receivers which can be powered over PoE. Foxun does one, although it was somewhat more expensive than $250 when I investigated this option in 2013. Despite the price difference, I'd still opt for the Cat6-based solution.

richms

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#1285074 15-Apr-2015 20:07

I got some 10m HDMIs from kmart for $12 last week to have as a just in case cable. Tried one out on the xbox one to the $8 HDMI switch I use in place of the monoprice one and it works sweet as at 1080P60. No idea about being enough bandwidth to pass 3D or not.

Richard rich.ms

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