Do I Need 120 Hertz HDMI Cables?

[admin]

One of the most common sorts of questions from our customers these days is some variant on this: "Do I really need a 120Hz HDMI Cable?" In consumer electronics stores across the country, consumers are being told that their new 120 Hertz displays will not work properly, or will not work optimally, without a cable designed for 120 Hertz. We'll address this question two different ways, beginning with the short answer and following with the long answer/explanation.

Discuss "Do I Need 120 Hertz HDMI Cables?" here. Read the article.

 

[jamie2112]

Good read Kurt thank you. I hope this will answer most of the 120hz questions.

 

[duffy0401]

I bought a Samsung series 650 last night from a well known retailer...they tried to sell me one of these cables I'm so happy I declined after reading this. I just figured I could find one cheaper little did I know it didn't even exist.

 

[smurphy522]

Kurt,
An excellent article. Very well axplained, that last sentence is...well - just monstrously perfect!

 

[B3Nut]

It would seem to me that this "120MHz Cable" garbage is an egregious example of consumer fraud. It would be delicious to see the heads of these companies in prison orange over this sort of balderdash.

TP

 

[jliedeka]

What, I bought 120Hz cables. I also had my mechanic fill up my blinker fluid and tighten my piston return springs.

Jim

 

[westcott]

Thanks Kurt for the article and the fast delivery of the cables the other day. I bought them for a friend who thought he was getting HD. I got him up and running today and I think his jaw is still dragging the ground.

Happy New Year from a very satified customer!!!!!!

 

[Adam]

I also had my mechanic fill up my blinker fluid...

Hee, hee! Blinker fluid. Classic. Thanks for the laugh, Jim!

 

[KurtBJC]

This "120 Hertz" thing really caught us by surprise at BJC. At first, we had just the occasional question about it, but lately it has been one of the most frequent questions we get on the phone and in e-mail. What's frustrating is the form it so often takes: usually something like "I need a 120 Hz compatible cable. Do you have any that are 120 Hz compatible? Your website doesn't say they are." The B.S. vendors are laying this one on thick and heavy, and a lot of customers have already been convinced of the need before we see them.

For a time I considered putting something like "120 Hz compatible" into our descriptions, but frankly, that seemed wrong--it's like labeling your peanut butter "cholesterol-free" when all peanut butter, of course, is cholesterol-free. So the answer, of course, is to meet the question with an explanation. Unfortunately, sometimes that just leads to customers thinking we're being evasive. One can't always win the war against B.S., but one can try...

Kurt
Blue Jeans Cable

 

[westcott]

One can't always win the war against B.S., but one can try...

Kurt
Blue Jeans Cable

Well, as my father always said, "Half the people in this world are below average!" And no amount of explaining is going to change that!

 

[NoEndRemains]

Question outside the original premise...

Hey , regarding the 120 hz feature. Each brand of Television has their own little slogan and name for the feature on their sets. I have noticed that Samsung seems to be the only manufacturer whom has 3 levels of the feature available, from low, to medium, to high. What exactly is going on with this? Is the high setting 120hz? the medium setting something else? I haven't been able to find a solid answer to this one. And also, have you heard anything about Motion Judder as a result of this feature?

Thanks guys

 

[highfigh]

This "120 Hertz" thing really caught us by surprise at BJC. At first, we had just the occasional question about it, but lately it has been one of the most frequent questions we get on the phone and in e-mail. What's frustrating is the form it so often takes: usually something like "I need a 120 Hz compatible cable. Do you have any that are 120 Hz compatible? Your website doesn't say they are." The B.S. vendors are laying this one on thick and heavy, and a lot of customers have already been convinced of the need before we see them.

For a time I considered putting something like "120 Hz compatible" into our descriptions, but frankly, that seemed wrong--it's like labeling your peanut butter "cholesterol-free" when all peanut butter, of course, is cholesterol-free. So the answer, of course, is to meet the question with an explanation. Unfortunately, sometimes that just leads to customers thinking we're being evasive. One can't always win the war against B.S., but one can try...

Kurt
Blue Jeans Cable

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree about all peanut butter being cholesterol free. The peanut butter I buy is from a vendor that uses bacon for flavoring.

Actually, I think the BS war can be won, but it will take time. If fraud is being committed by telling people that they need 120Hz HDMI cables, isn't this a criminal matter? The old "If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with BS" and "Caveat Emptor" notwithstanding, fraud is fraud and it's at least grounds for returning the product for a full refund.

The public opinion of MC is changing, and not a moment too soon.

 

[highfigh]

Hey , regarding the 120 hz feature. Each brand of Television has their own little slogan and name for the feature on their sets. I have noticed that Samsung seems to be the only manufacturer whom has 3 levels of the feature available, from low, to medium, to high. What exactly is going on with this? Is the high setting 120hz? the medium setting something else? I haven't been able to find a solid answer to this one. And also, have you heard anything about Motion Judder as a result of this feature?

Thanks guys

If the material being viewed has little or no movement, 120Hz isn't really necessary. The more movement there is, higher refresh rate makes the motion appear more continuous.

 

[Dezoris]

Just say no to 120hz 240hz etc etc.
More marketing crap that does nothing more than change the intended signal to more digitized filtering and crap.

I cannot believe anyone would market cables for this are people really that dumb?

 

[Livin]

no one needs 120Hz cables... they need 240Hz or 480Hz to keep up with the new refresh rates on the high-end LCDs!

 

[mditty]

There probably will be 120hz sources

Kurt,
It might be wrong to say that there are no displays that will accept 120hz signals. I believe that at least some of the new of displays that support 3d glasses all need to be driven with a 120hz signal if it is showing a 60hz per eye signal. We'll have to wait for ces to get specs on the new displays and see what input rate they handle.
Of course the point of your article is still true... If the cable meets a certain hdmi spec, it will work just as well as another. The spec defines what resolution and refresh rates are supported. So yes the marketing is a scam and sucks because consumers don't know better and rely on the stores to help them.

 

[jostenmeat]

Hey , regarding the 120 hz feature. Each brand of Television has their own little slogan and name for the feature on their sets. I have noticed that Samsung seems to be the only manufacturer whom has 3 levels of the feature available, from low, to medium, to high. What exactly is going on with this? Is the high setting 120hz? the medium setting something else? I haven't been able to find a solid answer to this one. And also, have you heard anything about Motion Judder as a result of this feature?

Thanks guys

You are most likely thinking of Frame Interpolation. Go ahead and google it. This is a SEPARATE feature from 120hz. I believe with Sammy, it might be called something like auto motion plus or something.

judder is judder, and is what happens with film, even in the movie theater. The byproduct of 3:2 pulldown might exacerbate judder, but with 120hz, you need not worry about the latter. (Unless you bought one of those under-handed BS-loaded LCDs that actually DID 3:2 and then 2:2, instead of a 5:5. I think Sammy actually might've made some of those, but am not sure. Now, that's so much BS, I just can't even handle it). Anyhoo, here's a decent explanation I found on AVS.

 

[Dezoris]

You are most likely thinking of Frame Interpolation. Go ahead and google it. This is a SEPARATE feature from 120hz. I believe with Sammy, it might be called something like auto motion plus or something.

judder is judder, and is what happens with film, even in the movie theater. The byproduct of 3:2 pulldown might exacerbate judder, but with 120hz, you need not worry about the latter. (Unless you bought one of those under-handed BS-loaded LCDs that actually DID 3:2 and then 2:2, instead of a 5:5. I think Sammy actually might've made some of those, but am not sure. Now, that's so much BS, I just can't even handle it). Anyhoo, here's a decent explanation I found on AVS.

People will never understand this is a what happens when film is shot at 24fps.

That's why film looks the way it does. So now you have all these technologies that change the original source and fake frames to make it appear smooth.

It's really stupid.

 

[Porschetech]

wow.....great info. so i was duped into thinking that i'd be watching stuff at 120hz. i also noticed that when i turn on my ps3 or xbox it only shows at 60hz on my info box.

 

[mtrycrafts]

wow.....great info. so i was duped into thinking that i'd be watching stuff at 120hz. i also noticed that when i turn on my ps3 or xbox it only shows at 60hz on my info box.

Info box may only reflect the signal going to the TV not how it is displayed on it. If the TV can be set to display at 120Hz, then it will do that to the incoming 60Hz most likely.