Are hdmi cables just hdmi cables?
Discussion
Don't disagree.
But the error correction relies on the quality of the electronic in the devices you have as to how good the image is recovered and obviously the harder the electronic have to work the more risk there is of an error slipping through.
For those that say try it and if it works use it, again fine, but if you bury it in the wall then make sure it is replaceable because cables and connectors do degrade over time and if you start of close to failure then you could dip into fail.
Very obviously my requirement for a cable is far more stringent as an installer than those who are on a DIY route because if mine fail I have to visit, if yours fail you just give it a wiggle to see what happens!
V.
But the error correction relies on the quality of the electronic in the devices you have as to how good the image is recovered and obviously the harder the electronic have to work the more risk there is of an error slipping through.
For those that say try it and if it works use it, again fine, but if you bury it in the wall then make sure it is replaceable because cables and connectors do degrade over time and if you start of close to failure then you could dip into fail.
Very obviously my requirement for a cable is far more stringent as an installer than those who are on a DIY route because if mine fail I have to visit, if yours fail you just give it a wiggle to see what happens!
V.
There is error correction designed into the hdmi protocol that allows the receiving device to correct for a certain amount of errors, not sure if hdmi supports re-transmission of data as tcp/ip does for network traffic.
The other thing to be aware of is hdmi data is transmitted at high frequencies similar to mobile phones and higher so rf techniques and cable quality becomes more important so the data received is not a seriously distorted version of what went in the cable, too much loss and distortion means the error correction can't cope and the picture breaks up or loses sync with a blank screen.
The other thing to be aware of is hdmi data is transmitted at high frequencies similar to mobile phones and higher so rf techniques and cable quality becomes more important so the data received is not a seriously distorted version of what went in the cable, too much loss and distortion means the error correction can't cope and the picture breaks up or loses sync with a blank screen.
Their was a watchdog type programme about this a few months ago.
Experts went into all the big electrical retailers asking this same question, to see what the response was.
they got a mixed bag of replies, but the conclusion from the experts was that a HDMI cable either works or it doesnt.
And as such its a waste paying more for a cable.
I think the PC world group acknowledged that and even promotes its instore specialists! telling customers
Experts went into all the big electrical retailers asking this same question, to see what the response was.
they got a mixed bag of replies, but the conclusion from the experts was that a HDMI cable either works or it doesnt.
And as such its a waste paying more for a cable.
I think the PC world group acknowledged that and even promotes its instore specialists! telling customers
The only minor quibble I'd have is that the folks saying it's "almost" the same, or it being "nearly" impossible to tell the difference are being generous. A £5 cable, as long as it works (which is a question of whether the connectors on either end fitted properly), will provide an identical image. Anything else is complete balls.
VEX said:
Actually, it can not be that obvious. The cheaper cable may produce a 1 and 0 number but it may loose quite a bit of signal definition to the point it is hard to define if it is actually a 1 or a 0.
This is where the electronics have to take over to work out what it should have been and the worse it is the harder it is to decypher. This is were the image starts to break down and get a little grainy before it actually stops working.
V.
You'd be pretty unlucky to get one on the cusp. The 'it works or it doesn't' approximation is true the vast majority of the time.This is where the electronics have to take over to work out what it should have been and the worse it is the harder it is to decypher. This is were the image starts to break down and get a little grainy before it actually stops working.
V.
warmfuzzies said:
I have a 10m generic eBay item. For my setup, works a treat, for about £15...
Sorry, but that must be hopeless. You need this: http://www.futureshop.co.uk/wireworld-platinum-sta......and their main lead too - http://www.futureshop.co.uk/wireworld-platinum-ele... . Don't forget to buy one for each piece of kit you've got.
Currys are absolutely awful for persuading you to buy expensive HDMI cables that you don't need I recently returned one after reading an article in What Hifi. I will never trust this store again
Sorry about the name and shame but I feel it needs to be said
Sorry about the name and shame but I feel it needs to be said
Edited by rolex on Sunday 27th July 23:33
BobToc said:
Quite an interesting article, what I’m struggling to understand is the reviewers like What Hifi (part of this group). Are they basically lying to us? What can they see that these people like this article say is impossible? http://www.whathifi.com/products/accessories/hdmi-...
Type R Tom said:
Quite an interesting article, what I’m struggling to understand is the reviewers like What Hifi (part of this group). Are they basically lying to us? What can they see that these people like this article say is impossible?
http://www.whathifi.com/products/accessories/hdmi-...
they get paid to give good reviews so yes they may give a slightly slanted opinion on what is actual factshttp://www.whathifi.com/products/accessories/hdmi-...
Trustmeimadoctor said:
they get paid to give good reviews so yes they may give a slightly slanted opinion on what is actual facts
Well they are supposed to be impartial but even if they are not, take the first 2 reviews on the siteWhat HiFI said:
Lindy HDMI Cable **
For
Capable grasp of colour
Against
Sound, motion handling, sharpness
Audioquest Pearl HDMI review *****
For
Stable images
great colours
impressive detailing
tight, deep sound
Against
Nothing
How can they possibly see / hear all these points?For
Capable grasp of colour
Against
Sound, motion handling, sharpness
Audioquest Pearl HDMI review *****
For
Stable images
great colours
impressive detailing
tight, deep sound
Against
Nothing
Type R Tom said:
How can they possibly see / hear all these points?
Who knows. Maybe they can, but I can't fathom how a cable would be able to inspect the data within a digital signal in order to enhance it, without causing the error checking data to be compromised. It's also interesting how the clock signal always seems to travel along the cable without being altered.
But a digital signal, because of the way its information is stored, can be quite robust. While the signal will always degrade to some degree in the cable, if the receiving circuit can actually reconstitute the original bitstream, reception of the signal will be, in the end analysis, perfect. No matter how much jitter, how much rounding of the shoulders of the square wave, or how much noise, if the bitstream is accurately reconstituted at the receiving end, the result is as though there'd been no degradation of signal at all.
ymwoods said:
This. The signal is digital so the signal is either on or off unlike analogue signals where it could be anything in-between.
It's still a variable voltage in the cable and problems can cause it to be a 0 instead of a 1 which is when you get errors. For example, look at the spec of USB cables and what voltage ranges are acceptable, it's very robust.However, the £3 cable you buy will work just as well as the £30 QED one you can buy, the QED one may last longer if you do a lot of unplugging and unplugging but otherwise I wouldn't worry. Longer distances may be worth spending more cash on though.
Trustmeimadoctor said:
But a digital signal, because of the way its information is stored, can be quite robust. While the signal will always degrade to some degree in the cable, if the receiving circuit can actually reconstitute the original bitstream, reception of the signal will be, in the end analysis, perfect. No matter how much jitter, how much rounding of the shoulders of the square wave, or how much noise, if the bitstream is accurately reconstituted at the receiving end, the result is as though there'd been no degradation of signal at all.
Problem is not everyone can stick an analyser on the end and check, one would hope the transmit and receive are up to a minimum standard, no good if your receive part of that circuit cannot resolve the eye (or want of a better term) from cable presentation. And crushing cables can also introduce errors so I wonder how many "faulty" cables have been taken back because they were bent or rammed into trunking??that issue is it cant handshake a poor quality cable will do that basically its broken as the signal isnt good enough it just gives up trying. the difference between a £1 cable and a £15 cable is build quality and quality control thats about it. the more expensive cable may use a slighty higer gauge wire but i doubt it and in a hdmi cable gauge doesnt really stand for much anyway oh and you might get a better cover for your connector ! oooh
Make sure that whatever cable you buy, you put it in the freezer first. 
I used to spend time on some of the AV and HiFi forums when I was building my system, but eventually the antics, like the above, got a bit wearing.
I think these techniques were some of my favourites though. It's where I learned that humans apparently don't like right angles -
http://pwbelectronics.co.uk/Free_Techniques/Free_T...
The CD shaver is also a wondrous device -
http://www.audiodesksysteme.de/index.php?kat=10_17...
I used to spend time on some of the AV and HiFi forums when I was building my system, but eventually the antics, like the above, got a bit wearing.
I think these techniques were some of my favourites though. It's where I learned that humans apparently don't like right angles -
http://pwbelectronics.co.uk/Free_Techniques/Free_T...
The CD shaver is also a wondrous device -
http://www.audiodesksysteme.de/index.php?kat=10_17...
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