HDMI cables

[BEK-46P]

What is a decent amount to spend on one of these? There are lots of el-cheapos on eBay under $10, but are these any good? Or is it worth forking out a bit more? I'm connecting Full HD TV with 3D Blu-ray home theatre.

[poita]

i spend about $50 on them, nothing too over the top but still decent

run PS3, laptop, boxee box with them no worries.


if you got money burning holes in your pocket buy monster cable ;)

[guy 27]

i spend around $50 per meter on them. can't remember which brand they are but they do the job well enough.


if you got money burning holes in your pocket buy monster cable ;)

please don't unless you can use it as a tax write off.

[poita]

sorry forgot the /sarcasm

[Jerram]

aussiehifi, where I used to work, sold 1.5m HDMIs for around $30, and 10m ones for $109. They are of chinese origin (though of solid construction with use of gold plating where necessary) and we volume imported them but to be honest I don't think I ever had one fail on me in all the shop displays we used them in or at home where I have a few. Since HDMI is digital the quality of cabling in no way affects the end result like analogue cabling does (eg. RCA).

by the way I don't work at aussiehifi anymore and I'm not really trying to plug them, just I remember they have what would seem fair pricing on their HDMI and other Interconnect cabling (which you won't find nearly anywhere else, at least in stores you can actually go to)

by the way make sure you wire up as follows

HDMI Blu-Ray - Amp - make sure that secondary audio on your blu-ray is off (so you get TruHD & HD-Master if your amp can decode them)
HDMI Amp - TV
Fiber Optic (Toslink) TV-Amp (for 5.1 HDTV audio through your multichannel)

Alternatively if your Amp and Blu-Ray are the same unit (which it seems like they might be) then you just need 1 HDMI and of course your Optic for TV audio return.

[BEK-46P]

Good info, cheers.

As you expected, I have a 2-in-1 Blu-ray/receiver unit (not ideal, but it was free). I'm having trouble outputting the TV audio into the receiver. I have an optical cable coming from the TV's output into the receiver's input. Any thoughts?

[Shadow110]

I've got custom made ones worth about 300p/m.
But I got them for free ;-)

[JohnBu]

For your connection, I would recommend just a basic HDMI V1.4 version.. so generally not the cheapest ones.

If they are short runs, say 5 metres and under, and you don't need it for 3D TV - HDMI V1.4, you are wasting money if you are spending more than the most basic of cables.

I'm not saying a the cheapest ones are great, because the connector themselves can be cheap, but if they work, they work.

I've used the $2 ones and they work, no difference to my $30 ones.

In some respects, I prefer the cheaper ones as they tend to be more flexible.

I bought a bunch of $2-3 ones and keep them as spares or give them away.

I just hate to see people spend more money than they have to... i.e. $100 HDMI cable to connect their 480P DVD to their 720P TV.

[JohnBu]

Alternatively if your Amp and Blu-Ray are the same unit (which it seems like they might be) then you just need 1 HDMI and of course your Optic for TV audio return.

Generally, the home theatre in box are quite nasty.... I scored a free Panasonic Blu-ray one with my TV. I wouldn't even bother with Toslink from the TV to the HTIB, RCAs will do as the sound quality is pretty damn shit compared to a standalone amp and decent speakers TOSLINK will be the same as RCAs.

[Ice]

I've not noticed the difference between a cheap $10 one and a $279 monster from HN. I've been told the only difference is that the slightly more expensive ones are better insulated with a teflon material. Otherwise they are massively overpriced.

[JohnBu]

Better ones have better insulation and thicker wires... plus are more flexible. But will it work any better? unlikely.

[Jerram]

yeah but with RCAs you'd have to have discrete 5.1 outputs on the back of the TV to get Dolby Digital through to the surround sound. Mind you Dolby D is only on some Channel One, ABC news 24 and Gem but I do remember the rugby world cup last time round sounded pretty nice in proper surround. So far as your setup goes it might be worth checking the menus to see if "digital in" is a selection between optical and coax - make sure it's on optical. If you keep playing around you'll get it; that's a pretty good attitude to have when it comes to this stuff.

[dieselhead]

Come on guys... Hope you know we're talking about digital signal here, right? There's no loss due to the cable, it either works perfectly or it doesn't. A $5 delivered ebay HDMI 1.4 cable is just as good as the $250 Monster con. Got two 1.8m ones for $7.00 and working perfectly. Go to MSY, they've got some fancy cables starting from $8.

[BEK-46P]

Good info, cheers.

As you expected, I have a 2-in-1 Blu-ray/receiver unit (not ideal, but it was free). I'm having trouble outputting the TV audio into the receiver. I have an optical cable coming from the TV's output into the receiver's input. Any thoughts?

OK, so I sorted this out. Except some channels, notably the ones coming through as 1080p 60Hz don't have any sound - puzzling!

[BEK-46P]

Come on guys... Hope you know we're talking about digital signal here, right? There's no loss due to the cable, it either works perfectly or it doesn't. A $5 delivered ebay HDMI 1.4 cable is just as good as the $250 Monster con. Got two 1.8m ones for $7.00 and working perfectly. Go to MSY, they've got some fancy cables starting from $8.

I came across this:


Please read this and learn about HDMI before you buy any cables. You may have heard that "digital is digital" and all cables do the same job. This is not true. The only way to make a cable as cheap as these is to cut corners. HDMI cables are supposed to have 19 wires. Cheap cables cheat and only have 14. They leave out four very important wires known as "drains" and also one that was unused in V1.3 cables but is now required for the ethernet channel on V1.4. (See our pictures for proof) They also try to appear better than they are by having a very thick plastic outer layer so that they look like more expensive cables. These cables and all the other cheapies available on ebay will all display a picture and sound but will battle to reproduce 1080p and Full HD 7.1 sound. They will rely on the fancy error correction and upscaling circuitry in your HDMI devices to correct their weaknesses. Ask the seller if they have all 19 wires connected?. For a few dollars more I can supply a fully certified HDMI cable with all 19 wires from either our 28AWG range or our Premium 26AWG range. My advice is don't buy this cable or any other extremely cheap cable!!!.. I will keep selling these rubbish cables below my cost to try to make it impossible for other sellers to sell rubbish. Click on this link to our store to see some decent cables at very fair prices.... http://stores.ebay.com.au/gabbiegooks You don't have to spend hundreds to get a good cable, but please don't spend pennys and waste your money and spoil your picture. Click here... http://stores.ebay.com.au/gabbiegooks
These cables are PARK (KRAP). We advise you to click on our Ebay store and buy much better 28AWG cables for only a few dollars more. http://stores.ebay.com.au/id=112896412 If you are going to buy the cheapest cables from Hongkong anyway, stop!!! You may as well buy these from our PARK range!!! You have spent a lot on your equipment.....don't spoil it with cheap cables. We are selling these cheap and nasty PARK HDMI cables below cost to prevent you making a mistake in the hope that you will check out our ebay shop, ( http://stores.ebay.com.au/id=112896412 ) for better quality cables. The minimum specification to get good quality picture and sound is 28AWG. The cheap cables from Hongkong are typically 32AWG and the separate wires (conductors) in them are so flimsy, your signal will deteriorate and you will be disappointed. They are also very weak at the connectors where the contacts are soldered or crimped. Over a short distance these PARK 30AWG cables will give reasonably OK results, so that is why we call this cable our PARK range.....( just spell PARK backwards!) Remember that 1m includes the plugs and this length won't give you much extra cable if you need to move things around. If your wallet is nearly empty these cables will give you an acceptable 1080p picture and 7.1 surround sound but the cheaper screening might allow static and electrical interference to spoil the picture at times. Cables don't s-t-r-e-t-c-h!!! They also should not be bent tightly. We do stock longer lengths. Click on our Ebayshop. http://stores.ebay.com.au/id=112896412
All the latest devices are coming out in Version 1.4. This is a new standard for HDMI devices. Most of the changes relate to the devices and not to the cables. The main changes to cables are the addition of Ethernet using a previously unused pin on the plugs, and an Audio return channel which allows audio signal to flow in both directions. A Version 1.3 cable will carry 3D pictures. It won't carry Ethernet or the return audio channel. We do sell V1.4 cables in our Premium V1.4 range...click here... http://stores.ebay.com.au/id=112896412 If you plan to use Internet or network all your devices together, then you must buy V1.4 cables. You will also be better future proofing your system if other new features become available. If you have no plans to buy a 3D TV and run internet on it, then older V1.3 cables will be cheaper.
High Defintion Multimedia Interface (HDMI) cables will maximise the performance of Blu-ray players, game consols, and home theatre systems, allowing the highest possible quality in picture and sound. Only HDMI can give you a full 1080p picture and 7.1 sound. Component video only gives 720i and RCA cables give maximum 576i. There is no point buying a Full HD screen and not using HDMI cables. One HDMI cable carries both video and audio, and creates an intelligent system whereby each device in a home theatre knows what to do based on what the others are doing.
HDMI ensures that the technophobes out there can wave goodbye to spaghetti junction wiring, and say hello to ONE cable and ONE remote control for everything.
If you think of the data in your home theatre system as road traffic, then HDMI cables are the superhighway! In rush-hour, it's most efficient to use a road that can handle high traffic volumes.
Similarly, HDMI is by far the best route to take for digital information. But be careful! Highway speeds increase the chance of crashing, hence the need for safety features. Our low AWG, triple-screened HDMI cables, rated up to 10.2 billion bits per second, are designed to handle the load. Cheap cables often have flimsy strands of wire more like a narrow country road than a superhighway. A lot of the digital traffic being carried to your screen will not get there resulting in poor quality picture and sound. Always ask what AWG (American Wire Gauge) the cables are. The minimum thickness to pass HDMI standards is 28AWG. The lower the AWG, the better the cables will handle digital traffic.
Don't settle for less! Our HDMI cables will guarantee the best possible performance from your home theatre system, and at a fair price.
We stock 1m and 2m in 30AWG (acceptable) 1m and 2m cables in 28AWG(good), and 1m, 2m 5m,10m and 15m in Premium 26AWG V1.4(the best).
Please check our Ebay shop for other sizes. http://stores.ebay.com.au/id=112896412

[Rogue]

it makes no difference whether it is a cheap cable or an expensive monster cable...well..except to the pockets of the people making them.

should check various dtv forums .etc and you will see that hdmi is a set standard that must be adhered to. no matter what the price of the cable.

[aaront]

I have to agree. There is massive margin made on these "high end" cables. Basically you average JB Hifi guy gets bugger all comms when he is selling you a TV as the margins are rubbish so they make it up in warranties and cables. I have a pretty decent home theatre set up and I have been using 5 different HDMI 1.4 cables I got off ebay for about $10 each and one $50 dick smith one I had to bite the bullet and get while i was waiting for the cables to get shipped. long story short the dick smith one lasted about a week the others are going great and i have used them for 3d blu ray and Master Audio tracks etc. save your self some dollars and go the cheap cables online.