CBC proves it: Expensive HDMI cables are bullshit

[Mao Tse Tongue]

I admit it, I got suckered. I bought one of the $150 HDMI cables when I bought my bad boy big screen TV at BestBuy.

Tonight, CBC's Marketplace shows there's no difference between the $12 HDMI cable ordered online and the ridiculous $125/$250 Monster Bullshit cables that BestBuy and Future Shop push. Exactly the same.

The money's no longer in the razor thin margins of the tv itself, but all those stupid add ons. The retailers have adapted by soaking you.

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

 

[David Beckham 23]

I just saw the show. Amazing. $12 HDMI cable was just as good as the $200 Monster!

 

[cypherpunk]

There IS a difference, but the $12 cable meets your needs just as well as the $150 cable. Someone tell me if the video makes and supports a stronger claim because I didn't bother watching.

 

[Alger]

I looked into this years ago for stereo equipment and an article in Popular Mechanics said much the same thing, very little or no difference so long as you use threaded wire.

 

[Radio_Shack]

I actually found I could string 56 twist ties together and get a pretty good signal. Trouble is it takes me about 2 hrs to build the cable and I make $90/hr so the cable cost me about $180 in labor.

 

[Papi Chulo]

about 75% of that $200 cable is profit for the retailer

 

[Quaggitty]

Cables have always been a scam. Don't buy from anyone who pushes this junk on you. The only time a hight quality cable may help is if you are going beyond the recomended length. Now that everything is digital (discrete) it is either a 1 or 0. Glad someone stepped up and exposed these clowns

Quag

 

[hairyfucker]

Pear Audio is one of the most ridiculously priced cable makers (scammers) that I know of; but they do provide a nice listing of all the higher end manufacturers for reference.

http://www.pearcable.com/sub_competition.htm

 

[sailorsix]

But Mao, it was on THE CBC!

You know that the right wing Terbloonies will simply discredit the Marketplace findings as just more commie propaganda aimed at undermining the hardworking capitalists at the retail level.

After watching their snow tire show a couple of weeks ago I did go out and buy 4 snows for our SUV. It is incredible what a difference they have made in better control.

 

[l69norm]

I actually found I could string 56 twist ties together and get a pretty good signal. Trouble is it takes me about 2 hrs to build the cable and I make $90/hr so the cable cost me about $180 in labor.

There's an old joke: You make $90 an hour. Hire a kid for $10 an hour to watch TV for you. You'll then be a head $80 an hour !

 

[tallmonster]

Cables are the biggest scam,
you want cheap cables go to Sayal Electronics, never a retailer.
you can even make your own component video cables with connectors and RG6.
This is exactly what monster cable is, Coax is lowest noise design if you study electromagnetic field theory,
also, just look at where it is made probably china for like $0.50,
it is the same thing with extended warranties the sales guy gets half that money. another retail scam

 

[Cinema Face]

I knew it.

That's why I bought a $20 HDMI cable. It works just fine.

 

[WoodPeckr]

Always thought that Monster Cable hype as BS.
Glad it was confirmed!

 

[Garrett]

Always thought that Monster Cable hype as BS.
Glad it was confirmed!

The problem is, it is not BS. There are differences in cables. This is why some cables are rated for HDMI 1.3 and some are not. However, you should only buy what you need. To me the real issue is how the Future Shop guys outright lie to people about what they are buying (but that is not a shock). For HDMI cables, managing the handhsake can be a big deal, never mind if you are running long runs with matrix switchers.

Good cables cost money (the materials for *good* cables are not cheap). Monster has managed their brand well and is no doubt overpriced. However, their power bars are excellent value and generally can show dramatic improvement for analog signals.

As for margin, margin is what makes it possible to run a business. People who balk at a 50% retailer margin (which I think is what Monster offers) are usually the ones who complain service now sucks (a direct effect of razor thin margins).

 

[SilentLeviathan]

I am surprised that people actually found this news. Yes, the cables that usually come with what every electronic device you bought suck, but buying the cheapest 3rd party cables is more than enough.

I usually get all my cables from www.monoprice.com

As for manufacturing quality, not really, they are more often then not all made on the same assembly line in China. Goldplating is another scam, if you look it's often just the housing that is gold plated, the actual pins are not. However, it's via the pins that allthe data is transferred so gold plating the housing does nothing for you.

 

[Berlin]

I usually get all my cables from www.monoprice.com

As recommended by so many here, have you guys ever got slapped with extra duty and taxes at the border when ordering ?

It does have some items that I can buy .

 

[Tyler1]

The problem is that FS/BB only sell expensive cables due to the extremely high profit margin and the average joe does not know where to go to get cheap cables.

 

[Meister]

Another scam is wall mount brackets for large screen TVs. 250 dollars, wtf?

 

[KBear]

Always thought it was odd that the signal could make it miles through cheap coaxial cable, without any problems, but you needed an expensive wire to get the signal the last 2 feet from one component to another.

Goldplating is another scam, if you look it's often just the housing that is gold plated

If you are paying $200 for wires, they had better look pretty.

The plating might not actually be gold, there is some other metal plating that looks like gold, but cant remember the name.

 

[Garrett]

As recommended by so many here, have you guys ever got slapped with extra duty and taxes at the border when ordering ?

It does have some items that I can buy .

They ship USPS, so the standard 5 bucks + ship + taxes. They are up front about shipping, but it is not cheap.