"Reliable" HDMI recommendation / HDMI troubleshooting

[jp_over]

Friends,

On our (relatively new, less than 2 years) desktop PC which my wife uses for photo editing, I've had several HDMI cables go bad over the course of the past year or so.

Here's what I mean. After 5-8 months, we'll start noticing color anomalies / pixelation in some of the darker photos. Swapping HDMI cables fixes the issue.

I'm going to run some troubleshooting with Puget Systems later today, but would like to know if anyone has experienced the same: HDMI cables going bad without an obvious cause such as moving the system, regular unplugging/plugging in, etc.

Of note, one of the cables was cheap / no name brand and the other was a brand name (Belkin I believe.). Also, I'm going to pick up another HDMI cable today.

Thanks!

 

[TheWarrior]

Please keep us posted with Puget's response!

You might have a bad video card. Were any of these active HDMI cables? Have you had any other component issues with any other electronics plugged in to the same outlet/circuit as the HTPC?

 

[highfigh]

The connector on HDMI cables is a bad structural design and should never have been used, IMO.

 

[TLS Guy]

Friends,

On our (relatively new, less than 2 years) desktop PC which my wife uses for photo editing, I've had several HDMI cables go bad over the course of the past year or so.

Here's what I mean. After 5-8 months, we'll start noticing color anomalies / pixelation in some of the darker photos. Swapping HDMI cables fixes the issue.

I'm going to run some troubleshooting with Puget Systems later today, but would like to know if anyone has experienced the same: HDMI cables going bad without an obvious cause such as moving the system, regular unplugging/plugging in, etc.

Of note, one of the cables was cheap / no name brand and the other was a brand name (Belkin I believe.). Also, I'm going to pick up another HDMI cable today.

Thanks!

Belkin cables are very high quality.

I suspect your problem is contact oxidation. This is mostly likely due to a cheap socket on one of your units.

Next time rather then replace the cable spray the contacts both ends with tuner cleaner.

 

[jp_over]

Gentlemen,

Thanks for the help - I just picked up a new HDMI (GE) and it fixed the problem straightaway.

In hindsight, the cables I had used previously were (4-5 years old) an HDMI to SVGA and an old Monoprice HDMI. These had been stored in our garage so they've been exposed to quite a bit of temperature extremes. I suspect this could have caused their early demise.

Dr. Mark,

I'll pick up some of that tuner cleaner and additionally clean the contacts at the first sign of trouble.


Thanks again all!