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    Invelos Forums->General: General Home Theater Discussion Page: 1  Previous   Next
HDMI cable.
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DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributorwhispering
On ne passe pas!
Registered: March 13, 2007
Finland Posts: 1,380
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Is there a diffrence in HDMI cables that someone not with an high end setup can notice?

I need a new cable, but i'm not going to spend much money on it. Ive noticed that the Fuj:tech (probably a never-heard brand from China) cables are pretty cheap they sell in a store here:

Fuj:tech HDMI-HDMI cable, length 15m 34.90 €
Fuj:tech HDMI-HDMI cable, length 10m 23.90 €

But i remember when HDMI was new, they talked about HDMI 1.1, 1.3 etc. So is there still a diffrence in the cable versions?
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile RegistrantStar ContributorTelecine
Regd: January 22, 2001
Registered: March 14, 2007
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See the thread here.

The bottom line is that there are two specifications for HDMI cables now, standard and high speed. Get a certified and tested cable, brand should make no difference.
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributorwhispering
On ne passe pas!
Registered: March 13, 2007
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Thanks, a lot of usefull info in there.

About these cables i'm buying, its one of the biggest electronics stores in Finland. That 15 meter cable says on its description that its transferrate is 5 Gbit/s, however that quide you posted speaks of Mhz?

Edit: i just realised it doesnt matter for me. I use a "HD ready" projector which i bought used, and although i might buy a Blu-Ray player later that sends it in 1080p, doubt it makes a diffrence...
 Last edited: by whispering
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile RegistrantStar ContributorTelecine
Regd: January 22, 2001
Registered: March 14, 2007
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5 Gbit/s would be a standard cable. It may or may not run at 1080p over that distance when you need it down the track. In the meantime it should prove more than adequate.
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributordee1959jay
Registered: March 19, 2007
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Also check out on-line offerings. You might well be able to beat the prices you mentioned.
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile RegistrantBill MacNeill
Bill
Registered: March 13, 2007
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I bought one off of ebay for my projector. 30ft length and the price was 24.99 with free shipping. The picture quality is incredible. 1080P is not a problem

Quoting dee1959jay:
Quote:
Also check out on-line offerings. You might well be able to beat the prices you mentioned.
 Last edited: by Bill MacNeill
Invelos Software, Inc. RepresentativeKen Cole
Invelos Software
Registered: March 10, 2007
United States Posts: 4,282
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I've had good success with cables from www.tartancable.com.  I have some 50 ft runs with no issues.  For kicks I tried joining two 50 ft cables and had some dropout (not unexpected).  I switched to powered joiners for the runs in our house and no issues at 70, 90, and 100 ft runs.
Invelos Software, Inc. Representative
DVD Profiler Unlimited Registrantstephan.klose
2k+ Blu Rays
Registered: June 27, 2007
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For cables which are 10m and other there is a difference. Because with cheap cables often even the Handshake between the two machines is often not possible. I would recommend a Monster Cable.. Those are most reliable.. But also the most expensive ones..
Check out my Youtube channel under https://www.youtube.com/user/alittleolder
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantFUBAR
It's Gonna Work
Registered: March 21, 2007
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Don't buy Monster Cables.  They are a rip-off.  Did you know that Monster cables are also made in China?  Paying hundreds of dollars for a cable makes no sense.

Why are people so gullible is beyond me.  There are way too many innocents in this world who enable predators like Monster Cable to victimize them.
Graham
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantCalidain
You're no Daisy at all!
Registered: March 16, 2007
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Quoting FUBAR:
Quote:
Don't buy Monster Cables.  They are a rip-off.  Did you know that Monster cables are also made in China?  Paying hundreds of dollars for a cable makes no sense.

Why are people so gullible is beyond me.  There are way too many innocents in this world who enable predators like Monster Cable to victimize them.


Couldn't agree more, MONSTER cable is an extreme rip-off!!!  When I seriously got into home theater (prior to DVD really, I remember arguing the merits of DVD vs. Divx with a Circuit City employee, so yeah a really long time ago) I reallly wanted to build an impressive system centered around DVD and Dolby Pro-Logic!!!  I was just starting my career and while I had money, I needed to work with a controlled budget. 

The Monster cables became a thorn to my budget, both my buddies and the salemen at Circuit City were pushing them but they were deal breakers at such a ridiculous pricepoint.  Thus began my cable education, thanks to a DIY hometheater buff who happened to be an electrical engineer. 

Anyway I always buy all my cables from monoprice.com!!!  Also you can't go wrong with bluejeanscable.com either!!!
My Collection!!!
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile RegistrantAgrare
Registered: May 22, 2007
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There have been side by side comparison tests of monster cables and the ones bought from mono price. Guess what. No difference.

I believe someone here posted once that the swapped a monster cable at a store with a cable from monoprice and no one had noticed when they came back a week later.

I think there was a link to an article talking about the difference between the cables too iirc. The jist of it though was basically what Ken said. It really only becomes an issue when you go long distances

-Agrare
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantBattling Butler
Registered: March 13, 2007
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Quoting FUBAR:
Quote:
Don't buy Monster Cables.  They are a rip-off.  Did you know that Monster cables are also made in China?  Paying hundreds of dollars for a cable makes no sense.

Why are people so gullible is beyond me.  There are way too many innocents in this world who enable predators like Monster Cable to victimize them.



Monster Price Cables
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantBattling Butler
Registered: March 13, 2007
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from Wikipedia, your mileage may vary .........

Monster Cables vs coat hangers

Quality and pricing

Monster Cable and similar "boutique" cables are a substantial source of revenue for retailers of electronics such as DVD players and TVs. While the profit margins of DVD players and TVs may be low, the profit margins of Monster Cables and similar products provide supplemental revenue for these retailers. Employees of such retailers are trained to market and bundle Monster Cable and similar products so as to increase profitability.

Nevertheless, various reviews have reported that listeners and viewers are unable to tell a difference between substantially higher-priced Monster cables and inexpensive cables, In addition, opinions differ, especially for cables which carry digital signals such as HDMI cables. In one experiment, audiophile listeners could not distinguish between short Monster cables and ordinary coat hangers. Another reviewer concluded that "16-gauge lamp cord and Monster [speaker] cable are indistinguishable from each other with music."

Taxes & Corporate Location

While Monster Cable’s is headquartered is in Brisbane, CA the company has been accused of tax dodging for having a Bermuda based holding company. Records show that Monster Cable Products, Inc. has been incorporated in California since its founding in 1978. Monster Cable Products, Inc. also has a subsidiary, Monster, LLC, which is located in Las Vegas, Nevada, where Monster operates a distribution facility.

Monster Cable has acknowledged that it did at one point have a Bermuda based holding company and that this company was dissolved in 2003 and the patents and trademarks were transferred back to Monster Cable Products, Inc. and Monster, LLC.
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile RegistrantJBDragon
Registered: May 10, 2007
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I generally get my cables from monoprice.com unless I'm in a rush and need it right then.  You can get a good 6 foot long HDMI cable for under $5.  All the cables they sell have a Lifetime Warranty.  You can get them in different colors, Red, Blue, Green, Black, etc, or for In-Wall use if you plan to run your cable in the Wall to hide it.
I've never had a problem with any of the cables I've gotten from them and they have High Reviews. 

MONSTER cables are a complete ripoff along with all those other expensive cables.  Even them (is it) RocketFish Cables I see at Best Buy also for almost as much as the MONSTER ones.    I had a link to a news report, the Video doesn't seem to work now as it's getting a little old, but the News program Compared a $12 HDMI cable they got from the Internet and a $250 MONSTER HDMI cable.  They not only hooked up it to one of them Scopes where you can see the signals to see any difference, they used each cable on 2 of the same HDTV's in the same Room with a group of people watching them and they saw ZERO difference.  Anyone who say they can see a difference is under the Placebo effect.

It's DIGITAL, all it's sending is ZERO and ONES, or Voltage/No Voltage.  The amount of errors you would have to get before you would even see a difference is so high, the cable would have to be pretty much complete junk.
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile RegistrantStar Contributoreommen
DVD nerd
Registered: March 13, 2007
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Quoting JBDragon:
Quote:
...It's DIGITAL, all it's sending is ZERO and ONES, or Voltage/No Voltage.  The amount of errors you would have to get before you would even see a difference is so high, the cable would have to be pretty much complete junk.


Up to a point. Remember, whether a signal is analog or digital, any wire is an antenna just as well. Apart from that with very thin wire the electrical resistance can become a factor. A HDMI cable is a combination of tens of very thin wires together!

Cables tend to lose the highest frequences fastest the longer they get. Your nice blocks of ones and zeroes at the transmission end can be quite a garbled mess on the receiving end, in signal strength and in recognisable switches between 0 and 1. It then very much depends on the electronics on the receiving end whether it is still completely decodable.

With 10 Gb/s (HDMI 1.3) one is in frequencies way higher than the previous generation CD quality digital signal in digital stereo components. So signal loss and deformation are real issues with these very high speed digital protocols.

Anyway, as long as a cable is certified for HDMI 1.3, brands and prices are irrelevant IMO. So go for the cheapest certified cable...
Eric

If it is important, say it. Otherwise, let silence speak.
 Last edited: by eommen
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantRandall_Lind
Registered: May 10, 2007
Posts: 418
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I believe all HDMI cables are 1.3 now and a cable is a cable. I brought Belkin PureAV HDMI for $20 for my cable box then I got a $2 cable from Amazon for my upconvert DVD player after I got one. No different from what I can tell.

Only down fall of the $2 cable is I brought it too short but it works fine. I have to unhook the HDMI cable from the back before I can turn the player around.
 Last edited: by Randall_Lind
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