HDMI Cables... what's the deal?

[solomr2]

With the latest HDTV setup, you need to have HDMI cables, and when it comes to cables there seems to be a lot of snake oil.

Most Monster HDMI cables are upwards of $100 for a 6 ft. cable. Even off-brands in the big box stores seem to top $75 for HDMI cables.

Enter eBay. There are tons of different cables, most are around $20, some even cheaper. So what is the deal? Many say they are certified by some authorities which I never heard of. Others say they are 1.3a certified, etc. So, who do you trust? How much should you pay for a decent HDMI cable?

 

[mike c]

around 10 bucks. bluejeanscable.com

 

[Davemcc]

How about $6.43 at monoprice.

 

[solomr2]

around 10 bucks. bluejeanscable.com

Damn! Why didn't I think of them before. I have their speaker cables already, with their cool locking banana plugs.

Thanks for the reminder.

 

[mike c]

you're welcome. 10 bucks I was talking about was the series 2 cables

they have cheaper versions now:
http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/hdmi-cables/index.htm

 

[gus6464]

Monoprice has those hdmi 1.3 cables for pretty cheap, around $15. They are super thick and are wrapped in that cool fishnet stuff.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&cs_id=1024004&p_id=3661&seq=1&format=2

 

[mtrycrafts]

With the latest HDTV setup, you need to have HDMI cables, and when it comes to cables there seems to be a lot of snake oil.

Most Monster HDMI cables are upwards of $100 for a 6 ft. cable. Even off-brands in the big box stores seem to top $75 for HDMI cables.

Enter eBay. There are tons of different cables, most are around $20, some even cheaper. So what is the deal? Many say they are certified by some authorities which I never heard of. Others say they are 1.3a certified, etc. So, who do you trust? How much should you pay for a decent HDMI cable?

Distance matters with HDMI cables. Longer distances needs larger wire conductors that cannot be learned from the overall wire bundle size. So, look for the ga. As suggested above, look at those sources and forget Monster and other expensive stuff.

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

whenever some pimple faced BigBox store employee points me towards the monster cable i feel like punching them in the face. Monster markup is what they should be called!!

I read a fairly exhaustive test that showed that 12 gauge lamp cord performed just as well as the monster speaker cable (at 500% less cost)

 

[solomr2]

Thanks folks.

I think I'll try both the BlueJeans and the Monoprice, just to see if there is any real difference between them. I'm going to need at least 4, relatively short cables right away; receiver to tv (4 ft), DVD to receiver (2 ft), XBOX to receiver (4ft), and cablebox to receiver (2 ft). Plus if I get either a BD or HDDVD (very likely) I will need another for that. And that is just for one room - I have two other TVs to connect too.

I've just ordered 3 of the Bluejeans Bonded Pair (most expensive) cables for the runs from my receiver to TV and my cablebox and xbox. Later today I'll order some monoprice cables as well.

 

[GlocksRock]

also check out firefold.com for inexpensive quality cables... also use the promo code OTPRIDE for an extra 15% off. This is a really good company to deal with, they are also located in Concord, NC so if you are local you can save on shipping by going to their store. I live close enough so I can go there, and every time I have been there the staff has been very friendly and very helpful.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Damn! Why didn't I think of them before. I have their speaker cables already, with their cool locking banana plugs.

Thanks for the reminder.

Yeah, I totally love BlueJean's locking banana plugs too!
Love their speaker cables.
Love all their cables. They are the best.

 

[Hi Ho]

I just bought two HDMI cables from Monoprice. One 6ft, one 10ft. They both work flawlessly. Total cost with shipping? About $15.

 

[mtrycrafts]

I just bought two HDMI cables from Monoprice. One 6ft, one 10ft. They both work flawlessly. Total cost with shipping? About $15.

It's getting to the point where the shipping is as much as the cables

 

[kevinm2]

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/hdmi-cables/index.htm
or
http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2

Which one would you choose for 6 foot length?
What is the difference between 24 and 28 gage?
What is the difference between silver, gold and copper?

 

[Johnd]

Your monoprice link doesn't work.

The difference between 24 and 28 gauge is 4 gauge! Truthfully, you only need a larger gauge for really long lengths. For a 6' cable, I would go with the cheapest reputable brand I could find.

 

[kevinm2]

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&cs_id=1024004&p_id=3661&seq=1&format=2

 

[kevinm2]

One more thing ...

What is a Ferrite Cores?

What is it used for?

Is it necessary to have?

 

[Johnd]

Ferrite core is used to reduce interference, and I believe, is fairly standard.

 

[kevinm2]

Would you recommend using it?

 

[solomr2]

You can't go wrong with either the BJC or the MP cables. I have both, and they both work well. I use the BJC series-1 cable for the connection from my receiver to my TV, and I have MP cables for some of my components to my receiver. I also have BJC coax and speaker cables, and MP RCA cables. All of them are very good cables and have been flawless for me.

When I first got the HDMI cables I tried different combinations to see if I could find a difference between them in PQ, but I couldn't. For short runs under 12' I don't think it matters. Even my basic Oppo and XBOX hdmi cables seem to work just as good as the BJC cables. However, the one thing to keep in mind is the BJC series-1 belden bonded cables are rather thick and somewhat less flexible.