Discussion
Is it worth buying expensive HDMI cables rather than £8 morrisons ones ?
I have a 32 inch Sony Bravia LCD Tv that I am happy with but the picture is only really sharp when it's not moving about much.
I have a PS3 and a HD DvD player hooked up Via cheap HDMI and a pauper spec Sky+ box via the only Scart.
I have a 32 inch Sony Bravia LCD Tv that I am happy with but the picture is only really sharp when it's not moving about much.
I have a PS3 and a HD DvD player hooked up Via cheap HDMI and a pauper spec Sky+ box via the only Scart.
For short runs almost any HDMI cable will work. Although I have found the Sky ones particuarly crap.
It is technically not true that any cable will work because it is digital signal.
Digital signals do degrade over any length of cable, it is all down the the quality of the source (transmitter) and the screen (receiver) and how they handle the signals.
The shorter the cable and the better they are made then the better they will pass the signal and the less processing the screen (receiver) has to do to rebuild the information in the signal to create the picture. As the signal degrades the receiver has to work harder and harder to rebuild the info and it will start to show and miss details other cables may not.
The quality of the signal is measured by looking at the 'eye diagram' response of the cable. Can't remember the techie name for it, could be constellation diagram, but that is also something different. The clearer the eye pattern the better the performance, the fuzzier they are and closer to the middle they are the poorer the performance.
IMHO it is worth paying a little more than bargain basement for HDMI's but not going silly.
V.
It is technically not true that any cable will work because it is digital signal.
Digital signals do degrade over any length of cable, it is all down the the quality of the source (transmitter) and the screen (receiver) and how they handle the signals.
The shorter the cable and the better they are made then the better they will pass the signal and the less processing the screen (receiver) has to do to rebuild the information in the signal to create the picture. As the signal degrades the receiver has to work harder and harder to rebuild the info and it will start to show and miss details other cables may not.
The quality of the signal is measured by looking at the 'eye diagram' response of the cable. Can't remember the techie name for it, could be constellation diagram, but that is also something different. The clearer the eye pattern the better the performance, the fuzzier they are and closer to the middle they are the poorer the performance.
IMHO it is worth paying a little more than bargain basement for HDMI's but not going silly.
V.
Edited by VEX on Sunday 19th June 21:49
There is no such thing as a 'digital signal' when talking about HDMI, or any other similar cable.
The cable carries an analogue representation of a digital signal i.e. a voltage that represents 1 or 0.
However HDMI has a range of specifications and any cable that meets the spec will be sufficient.
If you plan a long run or embedding the cable into a wall, buy a good one and ensure it meets the spec (you don't want to be fishing a cable out of a plastered wall for the sake of £20), if it's just to link the source device to the sink device over 1 or 2m, don't spend more than a fiver.
The cable carries an analogue representation of a digital signal i.e. a voltage that represents 1 or 0.
However HDMI has a range of specifications and any cable that meets the spec will be sufficient.
If you plan a long run or embedding the cable into a wall, buy a good one and ensure it meets the spec (you don't want to be fishing a cable out of a plastered wall for the sake of £20), if it's just to link the source device to the sink device over 1 or 2m, don't spend more than a fiver.
If the cable works, it works; once you get to a sufficiently good signal:noise ratio to ensure there are no artifacts on screen, spending any more on the cable is pointless. I agree with spending a bit more on one if you're burying it in a wall though; if it starts degrading it should provide a good signal for longer.
davepoth said:
If the cable works, it works; once you get to a sufficiently good signal:noise ratio to ensure there are no artifacts on screen, spending any more on the cable is pointless. I agree with spending a bit more on one if you're burying it in a wall though; if it starts degrading it should provide a good signal for longer.
The cable won't degrade unless it gets damaged and allows the signal cables to corrode, highly unlikely. It's simply about being sure that the cable meets the appropriate HDMI spec level and was certified by a reputable test lab.
I thought as much to be honest, I don't see the point of buying oxygen free, burnt in gold plated £70 leads, its mostly placebo effect in my experience but this is my first HDMI encounter as I am not that interested in the TV anyway.
I am very happy with the picture on the new TV we now have, its a huge improvement on the old one, I can actually read any words that might be displayed now.
I understand the limitations with an LED TV and can live with them, like I said, I don't watch that much , maybe an hour a day if I have recorded something on the box. The Mrs watches it more and she is happy.
I am very happy with the picture on the new TV we now have, its a huge improvement on the old one, I can actually read any words that might be displayed now.
I understand the limitations with an LED TV and can live with them, like I said, I don't watch that much , maybe an hour a day if I have recorded something on the box. The Mrs watches it more and she is happy.
danneth said:
gowmonster said:
it's like tesco value beans, it'll do the job but it'll be s
t.
i've seen poor video quality on a ps3, and was shocked, changed the hdmi lead and it was great.
free one (came with something) vs £15 one.
lollllllllllllllllllllllllll bullst.i've seen poor video quality on a ps3, and was shocked, changed the hdmi lead and it was great.
free one (came with something) vs £15 one.
teeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeCheap cable will ship untested and will be built to lower quality so the chances of a manufacturing error are much, much, higher.
MrLou said:
The cable won't degrade unless it gets damaged and allows the signal cables to corrode, highly unlikely.
It's simply about being sure that the cable meets the appropriate HDMI spec level and was certified by a reputable test lab.
With it getting buried in the wall, there is the possibility of damp, and while it's a very small chance, I'd be pissed off if I had to take a hammer to the wall for the sake of £5.It's simply about being sure that the cable meets the appropriate HDMI spec level and was certified by a reputable test lab.
davepoth said:
MrLou said:
The cable won't degrade unless it gets damaged and allows the signal cables to corrode, highly unlikely.
It's simply about being sure that the cable meets the appropriate HDMI spec level and was certified by a reputable test lab.
With it getting buried in the wall, there is the possibility of damp, and while it's a very small chance, I'd be pissed off if I had to take a hammer to the wall for the sake of £5.It's simply about being sure that the cable meets the appropriate HDMI spec level and was certified by a reputable test lab.
MrLou said:
Do you worry about the mains cables buried in the walls?
No, but then a mains cable in a wall needs to send anywhere between 220 and 240 volts AC to work, with the nominal current now 230v. The wire won't be flexed much.HDMI runs on either 5v or 3.3v I think, depending on which version. I can't find a spec for when it stops working, but I imagine it's quite a tight tolerance. The ends of the wire will be moved from time to time to connect and disconnect things.
davepoth said:
MrLou said:
Do you worry about the mains cables buried in the walls?
No, but then a mains cable in a wall needs to send anywhere between 220 and 240 volts AC to work, with the nominal current now 230v. The wire won't be flexed much.HDMI runs on either 5v or 3.3v I think, depending on which version. I can't find a spec for when it stops working, but I imagine it's quite a tight tolerance. The ends of the wire will be moved from time to time to connect and disconnect things.
HDMI uses both 3.3v and 5v. But most stuff is specced to work from 3.0-3.6v and 4.5-5.5v, for example here
But in any case the chance of a good cable going bad (without being damaged) in your lifetime is vanishingly small.
danneth said:
lollllllllllllllllllllllllll bullsteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
it's not like i'm bigging up gold plated expensive connectors, it's like most things, cheap spanners, yes they work but do they last as long/round nuts etc.teeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeball point pens, screwdrivers,pattern parts that don't quite fit, halfuds paint that doesn't quite match. <enter more analogies here>
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wired--up-v1-3A-Plated-Con...
bought 2,both work perfect on my ps3 and hd box.
£1 delivered.
bought 2,both work perfect on my ps3 and hd box.
£1 delivered.
At Whathifi, they reckon they can tell the difference between a £4 and a £5 HDMI cable 
http://www.whathifi.com/review/hdmi-cable-2m
http://www.whathifi.com/review/hdmi-cable-2m
Driller said:
At Whathifi, they reckon they can tell the difference between a £4 and a £5 HDMI cable
http://www.whathifi.com/review/hdmi-cable-2m
WhatHifi http://www.whathifi.com/review/hdmi-cable-2m
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