Advice sought on HDMI cable

[danmand]

How good (expensive) an HDMI cable do I need to hook up a blueray disk player to a sony Bravia TV?

When I bought the blueray player, the salesman showed me HDMI cables costing in the hundreds of $$s. Seems excessive?

 

[itchieepants]

Assuming you are not looking at a long run, then any 6 foot hdmi 1.3 or 1.4 (if your TV and Blu Ray are 3D) cable is fine.

I've bought plenty of 'bargain' hdmi combo packs online in the past few years with no problems.

If you insist on a brand name, Belkin is fine at $19.99

http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=5_98_102&item_id=033823

Or Generic:

http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=5_98_102&item_id=026430

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If you have a 3D setup:

http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=5_98_102&item_id=032483
--

None of these will break the bank.

 

[Cinema Face]

Don't get suckered into buying an expensive HDMI cable.

I bought mine at a discount electronics store for 20 bucks and it works great.

 

[Tazz69]

HDMI is a digital signal. Either it comes through or it doesn't. The cable makes no difference at all. They push the expensive cables because of the profit margins.

 

[Admirer]

Expensive HDMI cables not worht it. This is a good article http://reviews.cnet.com/2719-11276_7-226-3.html?tag=page;page

 

[hunter001]

http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2008/02/20/packing_the_deal/

 

[Tangwhich]

Get the cheapest you can find. If you need more stuff (to justify the shipping) I highly recommend monoprice.com

 

[The Bandit]

Just last weekend I saw a 3 foot HDMI cable @Dollarama for $2.

 

[WoodPeckr]

There's a thread in this somewhere in Tech and the conclusion was the cheap cables work just as well as the expensive ones. Pricey Monster cables are a ripoff.

 

[Garrett]

Listen to itchieepants. Not all cables are the same, and it depends on your bandwidth requirements. Bandwidth is a physical capability of the cable based on materials and design, and not all cables are the same. Get a 1.4 rated cable and all is well. A generic package, you have no idea what you are actually getting.

 

[trod]

HDMI cables from Monster and RocketFish are arguably the biggest ripoffs ever. It should be illegal.

Anyways, the main thing to look for in buying an HDMI cable is to check the version of HDMI it supports. Latest is 1.4 so look for cables who are labeled as 1.4 compliant on the retailers website.

Have a look here

http://www.amazon.ca/s/ref=nb_sb_ss...hdmi+cable+1.4&x=0&y=0&sprefix=hdmi+cable+1.4

If you live in the US, Monoprice is a godsend.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240

 

[djk]

Go with Monoprice or Blue Jeans Cable.

monoprice.com

bluejeanscable.com

Monster actually sued Blue Jeans Cable over their cables.

http://www.audioholics.com/news/industry-news/blue-jeans-strikes-back

 

[danmand]

Thanks for the very good advice from everybody. I ordered a cable from 123inkcartridges, because I know them from before, and because I did not want to risk ordering from the US.
http://www.123inkcartridges.ca/accessories-product/Cab_HDMI-to-HDMI-6F.html

PS: I do not see the need for the ferrit cores, but I assume they do not hurt.

 

[The Options Menu]

HDMI is a digital cord. Your bits don't 'go rotten' / 'or horribly degrade' on a cheap cord. Even if it as analog it wouldn't matter that much (In many ways it matters even less). The only reason(s) to go slightly more expensive is that the cord MAY BE slightly better physically put together, and it may last a little longer. Beyond that, there is no, as in zero, reason to buy a more expensive cord. If you ask at a Futurshop or Best Buy, they will always steer you toward the most expensive cord they can sell you. It's a crock of shit.

That goes for all cables / and cords. Personally, I'll go one notch up from the bottom, just to get a little better aesthetics and construction... But there's no real reason not to go "Cheapest possible that meets the minimum spec / version if there is an actual standard".

 

[bucky88]

Monoprice.com I have used many times and have always been satisfied with their quality and service. If you want to go even cheaper, try one of the HK or China vendors on ebay. Awhile ago, I bought an 6' HDMI for a PS3 from an HK vendor for $3US (including shipping) and it works great. Even, if it doesn't work, you're not risking much at those prices. For example, http://cgi.ebay.ca/New-1-M-3-FT-HDM...ltDomain_0&hash=item45f7dc92f0#ht_3401wt_1198.

B88

 

[bucky88]

Monoprice.com I have used many times and have always been satisfied with their quality and service. If you want to go even cheaper, try one of the HK or China vendors on ebay. Awhile ago, I bought an 6' HDMI for a PS3 from an HK vendor for $3US (including shipping) and it works great. Even, if it doesn't work, you're not risking much at those prices. For example, http://cgi.ebay.ca/New-1-M-3-FT-HDM...ltDomain_0&hash=item45f7dc92f0#ht_3401wt_1198.

B88

 

[splooge]

Only time i bought high end HDMI cable is to run a line from my office (where my pc is) to the livingroom (tv). I needed the high bandwidth / high conductivity cable to keep the integrity of thebsignal for 50'... A regular hdm didn't preserve the signal enough. But for 6' to 15' it really doesn't matter

 

[danmand]

The one I ordered arrived and it works great. ($5.99 + 4.99 shipping)

 

[r_s426]

I buy from these guys all the time.... very good rates, and quick shipping. I even got a 25' cable for $30 from them. Imagine the cost of a 25' HDMI from Monster.

http://www.infinitecables.com/mon_hdmi.html

Yeah, unless the cable is absolute crap there's no need to go and shell out an obscene amount of money for one. Bringing the topic up with a Best Buy sales person is also a good way of testing their product knowledge/honesty.

 

[LurkingInMyTent]

As others have noted, for typical home use (cable lengths less than say 15 - 20 feet) then as long as the cable is rated as HDMI 1.3 (adequate) or 1.4 (better) then they are all equivalent. For longer cable lengths, over about 30 feet, the cable quality does start to have an effect, lower quality cables start to exhibit differing degrees of lag and attenuation across the signal pins, which leads to noticible disruption of the image.

I have had to install ~60' runs of HDMI cable - I ended up ordering 20 meter "Cables To Go" from www.cdw.ca for $184 each. They work perfectly, you'd have thought that the source was right beside the displays.