HDMI - Which version?

Johnnytoxic said:
There are no cable "versions", they have all the same connectors and wires inside of them.
Click to expand...

I thought the 1.3 and lower ones lacked the Ethernet wires inside, that the plug/connector was empty at the pins reserved for the new features...
Or was it not and were those connections simply not assigned yet on older devices but already in the cable :o ?

If so then go to a cheap/pound shop ( idk in the UK, but here we have ''big bazar'' and ''action'' who sell hdmi cables for 2 euros) and buy a generic hdmi cable :p.
 
Last edited:
i always get 1.4 just for future proofing. i bought 4 recently and only paid £5 each for them and they are as good as my £50 QED cables.

some cables arent well made though. i bought a 15m 1.4 one and it couldnt hold the signal and i got sparklies over the screen and the signal kept cutting out. sent it back for a refund. the cable was £40 and i paid more to supposedly get a decent cable. anything over 10m can be dodgy.
 
snowdog said:
I thought the 1.3 and lower ones lacked the Ethernet wires inside, that the plug/connector was empty at the pins reserved for the new features...
Or was it not and were those connections simply not assigned yet on older devices but already in the cable :o ?
Click to expand...

Thats not a 1.2/1.3/1.4 issue that's a cheaply made cable by cutting corners issue. The was a similar problem with SCART leads back in the day that didn't have all 21 pins connected so some couldn't do 2 way or RGB video. The cables don't really change just the standard, I.E SATA I/II/III all use the same cable as does USB 1.0/1.1/2.0.
 
snowdog said:
I thought the 1.3 and lower ones lacked the Ethernet wires inside, that the plug/connector was empty at the pins reserved for the new features...
Or was it not and were those connections simply not assigned yet on older devices but already in the cable :o ?
Click to expand...

Even a 1.3 or earlier cable made to proper HDMI spec will have all 19 wires connected - it is just that the HDMI lads didn't actually make use of some of these wires until HDMI 1.4

The wiki page for HDMI shows the pin connections (pin out) and what they are used for on each of the revisions. As you can see, each revision is the same cable design and pin configuration - it is just that they are used for slighlty different things on the device side.

Therefore, so long as the cable has wires that are unbroken and of sufficient gauge for the bandwidth and length (even a pretty cheaply made cable under 5m should be fine) then it really doesn't matter whether it is HDMI 1.3 or 1.4.

realBabelfish said:
some cables arent well made though. i bought a 15m 1.4 one and it couldnt hold the signal and i got sparklies over the screen and the signal kept cutting out. sent it back for a refund. the cable was £40 and i paid more to supposedly get a decent cable. anything over 10m can be dodgy.
Click to expand...

Indeed, when you are going for long length HDMI cables you need to be pretty careful. In most cases where you need a really long HDMI cable (10m or more) it is cheaper and more effective to either use HDMI repeaters or HDMI to cat5e/cat6 extenders instead of spending huge sums on a single very expensive, high-grade cable.
 
You do get better quality cables, you can get threaded material around the cables which is nice and you can get realy thin white ones that you can barely see or flat ones. but it makes no difference to the signal. Just build quality and design.

I bought a new threaded optical audio cable for cheap. Not sure if threaded is the right word, but it has a fabric material type of covering around the wire instead of cheap looking rubber insulation. Similar to the cable on the old logitech g5 mouse.
 
Yes, a braided cable - they are nice and so long as the price difference isn't much compared to a standard cable then they are probably worth getting - especially if you move cables around a bit.
 
85j6C.jpg


yes braided is the word i was looking for like above, but if they are just sitting behind your tv and not moving then who cares.

0Fqcm.jpg


I thought these swivel ends were a good idea because i found my optical audio cable keeps falling out because the cable bends when i move things around. That sort of feature might be worth paying a bit extra money for on a cable.
 
groen said:
You do get better quality cables, you can get threaded material around the cables which is nice and you can get realy thin white ones that you can barely see or flat ones. but it makes no difference to the signal. Just build quality and design.

I bought a new threaded optical audio cable for cheap. Not sure if threaded is the right word, but it has a fabric material type of covering around the wire instead of cheap looking rubber insulation. Similar to the cable on the old logitech g5 mouse.
Click to expand...

since optical doesnt get EM interference braiding is unneeded. often its just used to house the EM shielding
 
realBabelfish said:
since optical doesnt get EM interference braiding is unneeded. often its just used to house the EM shielding
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure the braiding on these cables just means a polymer fibre wrap (like nylon) to protect against physical damage to the cable itself.

As you and groen say - it doesn't have any effect on the signal - but it may mean the cable lasts longer, especially if it moves around a lot.
 
I wouldn't use the cheapest

Pay about £5-10 each for them, they can be too cheap and the ends all off or get jammed in your devices!

I've had super cheap cables that failed to work with my PS3, they had artifacts all over the place when in 1080P

The last few times I've bought cables I've gone for 'Orb 1.4 braided', impressed with the quality of these
 
I was always told the difference would be in HD 3D footage, but not sure as I dont use 3D. 1.4 is better for 3D footage.

I use 1.3 cables with my Sky box and PS3, Sky box is a £35 (got for free with the TV) with really good connections. The PS3 is a £3 from a market stall and does exactly the same job.

IMHO the points to look at are the actual connections, I bought my dad some 1.3 cables for £1 and Poundland and the connector broke after he moved his TV.
 
bledd. said:
I wouldn't use the cheapest

Pay about £5-10 each for them, they can be too cheap and the ends all off or get jammed in your devices!

I've had super cheap cables that failed to work with my PS3, they had artifacts all over the place when in 1080P

The last few times I've bought cables I've gone for 'Orb 1.4 braided', impressed with the quality of these
Click to expand...

I'd agree with this, whilst i'm not about to spend £100 on a HDMI lead, i don't mind paying £15 or so for a better made cable with connectors which aren't made out of the cheapest possible plastic.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom