5m HDMI lead - worth spending a little more than the cheapest?
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Soldato
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I wish articles like this were actually checked before being published (nothing aimed at Jellybeard here):
a bit later on in the same article:BBC said:
BBC said:
'tards...
Soldato
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Oh dear, somebody in this thread splashed on a 100 quid HDMI cable and now feels a bit silly 
Of course the retailers and cable companies (and therefor magazines who rely on advertising...) are going to claim there's a difference. In the old pre-digital days there was a difference. But now those same companies must be in full-scale panic mode because there is NO difference in quality with digital...at least at the lengths most consumers will need.
Of course the retailers and cable companies (and therefor magazines who rely on advertising...) are going to claim there's a difference. In the old pre-digital days there was a difference. But now those same companies must be in full-scale panic mode because there is NO difference in quality with digital...at least at the lengths most consumers will need.
Man of Honour
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This thread is quite apt. I was looking for an HDMI cable (only a 1.5-2m one) and went to a local electronics store, and they were charging over £20 for one!?!! I mean REALLY? Do people actually spend that much for a 2m HDMI cable?! It's ridiculous.
I can accept that on a long run you do need to take more care with cable quality - like on data networks shielded twisted pairs are going to offer better performance than using a patch lead. However, most people use short runs for their HDMI cables, I cannot fathom why people spend ridiculous sums. Sure, on old analogue signals, interference was a massive problem especially on long runs, but now the error correction on digital signals is so good that you're really wasting your time. Whilst electronics has moved on in the last 10 years since I studied it I don't think it's changed that much?!
I can accept that on a long run you do need to take more care with cable quality - like on data networks shielded twisted pairs are going to offer better performance than using a patch lead. However, most people use short runs for their HDMI cables, I cannot fathom why people spend ridiculous sums. Sure, on old analogue signals, interference was a massive problem especially on long runs, but now the error correction on digital signals is so good that you're really wasting your time. Whilst electronics has moved on in the last 10 years since I studied it I don't think it's changed that much?!
Does anyone have any recommendations for thin HDMI cables that are 5m or longer? I've got to run two cables between the bottom of the skirting board and the floorboards and the thinner they are the easier that will be.
EDIT: Flat won't work. Before anyone asks!
EDIT: Flat won't work. Before anyone asks!
Oh dear, somebody in this thread splashed on a 100 quid HDMI cable and now feels a bit silly
Of course the retailers and cable companies (and therefor magazines who rely on advertising...) are going to claim there's a difference. In the old pre-digital days there was a difference. But now those same companies must be in full-scale panic mode because there is NO difference in quality with digital...at least at the lengths most consumers will need.
They could get away with the whole "there's a difference" thing because there was a difference, however the "difference" wasn't how they described it. Analogue cables are very much like digital cables in the whole "quality" thing. Magic high quality cables will not improve the sound or image quality over cheap but fit for purpose cables (adequate shielding, high enough gauge) and the only reason anyone would see differences is because they were using a cable that wasn't fit for purpose. So it was easy to demonstrate the "difference" that "high quality" cables made because of how unfit for cables deteriorate image or sound quality.
If an analogue cable isn't fit for purpose, the degradation can show in many ways, like washed out colour, the image being fuzzy, static or in the case of audio sounds can go "missing" and can sound dull/muted/lifeless. I've tried it out before, I've had an old pair of earphones there were falling apart so I tested it on them. I had them plugged in playing music and I peeled back the insulation and started cutting through the individual strands to see how it would effect the sound. The first few stands made no difference but then bits of the track started dulling out (I can't remember which part, but it was all within a certain frequency, I think it was low but yeah) which proved to me that any cable tests where people genuinely can hear a difference that isn't in their mind must be done with dodgy cables that purposefully degrade the audio signal.
The thinner the cable the less well shielded it is and the more likely it will be to radiate interference to itself and any neighboring cables. Whatever thin cables you buy make sure you can return them easily. That, or fit deeper skirting scooped out at the back so you can run decently shielded stuff.
Because they are not digital the quality of these cables DOES make a difference, I'm not saying spending hundreds on a cable would make much of a difference over a £20 cable but the £20 cable will be a massive improvement over the nasty cables you get bundled in the box with audio equipment.
I agree with you on the other points though and I once many years ago let a salesman convince me to buy a £50 mains cable for a subwoofer of all things
The sub was £1k so I let him convince me that it would not be at it's best if I used the cheap cable that came with it in the box, I know better now and it still winds me up when I think about it.
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Soldato
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Got a 5m £5 cable from the bay. Has to be wiggled before it fully connects, or it's green and snowy. Happens once a week at most, so not a big deal. It doesn't happen during playback and it obviously looks perfect when working.
For that length I will in the future spend a few quid extra. 1-3M cables... the cheapest will do. Although I love the feel and look of the more expensive cables
For that length I will in the future spend a few quid extra. 1-3M cables... the cheapest will do. Although I love the feel and look of the more expensive cables
Soldato
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So will a well made £5-10 cable. Will the £20 cable be perceivably different to the £5-10 one? Doubt it.
I went into a Competitor the other day with my friend who needed an HDMI cable, I walked over the main HDMI cable stand, stood with disgust on my face and the price of them, I never even said anything and the assistant said, "you're looking for cheap HDMi cables aren't you, look over in there we have some £7 ones"
I was quite taken back that he actually pointed out the el cheapo's to me, or he knew that I wouldn't fall for the more £££ HDMI is better!
I was quite taken back that he actually pointed out the el cheapo's to me, or he knew that I wouldn't fall for the more £££ HDMI is better!
Just got my AV receiver from richer sounds other day. I was 1 hdmi cable short so asked how much their cheapest cable was.. £20
"I'm not paying £20 for a hdmi cable"
She gets on her computer. "I can do you one for £15?"
"I don't think so love"
On way home popped into asda and picked up one of their cheapo ones.
All the high street places try and sell silly cables or extended warranties with everything, it gets boring after a while.
"I'm not paying £20 for a hdmi cable"
She gets on her computer. "I can do you one for £15?"
"I don't think so love"
On way home popped into asda and picked up one of their cheapo ones.
All the high street places try and sell silly cables or extended warranties with everything, it gets boring after a while.
Because they are not digital the quality of these cables DOES make a difference, I'm not saying spending hundreds on a cable would make much of a difference over a £20 cable but the £20 cable will be a massive improvement over the nasty cables you get bundled in the box with audio equipment.
I agree with you on the other points though and I once many years ago let a salesman convince me to buy a £50 mains cable for a subwoofer of all things
Bet you would smack that salesman between the eyes if you ever happened to see him again
Most of these people are slimy little toads. Well with the real recession about to begin and people cutting back significantly, here's for quite a few of them losing their jobs. Happy new year
Maybe a brain is in order?
Seriously mate, you've been well and truly ripped apart on this thread. As you haven't posted for a few days I can assume it is out of embarrasment.
Because they are not digital the quality of these cables DOES make a difference, I'm not saying spending hundreds on a cable would make much of a difference over a £20 cable but the £20 cable will be a massive improvement over the nasty cables you get bundled in the box with audio equipment.
I agree with you on the other points though and I once many years ago let a salesman convince me to buy a £50 mains cable for a subwoofer of all things
Cables don't make a difference as long as they're of sufficient specification, whether that be digital or analogue. With cables "quality" only goes backwards in terms of image or sound, not forwards as these people have you believe. As long as the cable is properly made, the image or sound quality will be exactly the same on a "cheap" one as it would on an expensive whether it's analogue or digital.
Soldato
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This is pretty clever. I always thought they were just really good at BSing!!
Some people in life just have blinkers on. Doesn't matter how much we shout. He's going to believe whatever he likes. No offence to you JasonKnights, but you are... wrong.
He's been ripped apart and no one's even had to post strong proof that he's wrong, such as http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-vs-hdmi. I honestly don't know how anyone could argue that "high quality" HDMI cables make any sort of difference after reading that article.