davc88 Posted August 12, 2007 Posted August 12, 2007 i've seen alot of different cables availble ranging from $300 to $20. so the question is; is there a difference? i know high end audio cables does make a difference but visual? i'll mainly be using DVI > HDMI connection though the computer so is $300 cables just snake oil? any feedback appreciated... *i dont know if this is the right section to post this but i searched around but couldnt find a proper section.
pgdownload Posted August 12, 2007 Posted August 12, 2007 Yep snake oil (of the slickest kind). Whilst there's some argument that better quality cables will benefit an analogue signal this is completely fallacious when it comes to digital HDMI/DVI cables. The signal is made up of 1's and 0's and so long as the signal reaches from one end of the cable to the other it will be identical regardless of being sent down a $30 HDMI or $1000 HDMI. There are two caveats: 1) Don't buy the cheapest of anything - So find some ~ $50 HDMI cables and enjoy 2) HDMI cables do apparently benefit from spending some more if purchasing some long (5+ metre) lengths. Regards Peter Gillespie
rockybalboa Posted August 12, 2007 Posted August 12, 2007 Unless there is a poor connection between devices on each end you will never tell the difference between a cheap and expensive HDMI cable. It's a digital signal.
bevancoleman Posted August 13, 2007 Posted August 13, 2007 If it works without errors (sparkles, etc..) then it is fine. If it doesn't work then you need a better cable. In general unless you are looking at long cables, buy towards the cheaper end (but not the cheapest).
davc88 Posted August 13, 2007 Author Posted August 13, 2007 Unless there is a poor connection between devices on each end you will never tell the difference between a cheap and expensive HDMI cable. It's a digital signal. great, thanks for the feed back. my multimedia pc only sits 1m away from the tv so i would only need a 1,5m line. i guess the cheapo $20 one on ebay would do
AndrewW Posted August 13, 2007 Posted August 13, 2007 Unless there is a poor connection between devices on each end you will never tell the difference between a cheap and expensive HDMI cable. It's a digital signal. That is not entirely true. I bought a cheaper HDMI cable that was absolute rubbish, lots of sparklies in the picture. Having said that, spending huge amounts is a waste. For 1m-3m cables, a budget of around $20-$30 is good. For a 10m cable, around $100 is about right. This is all IMHO, and based on my experiences. Andrew.
AndrewW Posted August 13, 2007 Posted August 13, 2007 great, thanks for the feed back. my multimedia pc only sits 1m away from the tv so i would only need a 1,5m line. i guess the cheapo $20 one on ebay would do I can highly recommend these The best thing is they guarantee the quality of their cables, so if they don't work well for you, they will refund your money (and this is not an empty promise, they dealt with a dodgy 10m component cable I purchased from them very efficiently and without fuss).
davc88 Posted August 13, 2007 Author Posted August 13, 2007 I can highly recommend theseThe best thing is they guarantee the quality of their cables, so if they don't work well for you, they will refund your money (and this is not an empty promise, they dealt with a dodgy 10m component cable I purchased from them very efficiently and without fuss). yeah i bought quite alot of stuff from them before. when i was shopping for a cables i looked though their range of hdmi cables first thing but the cheapest DVI to HDMI is like $140 per 1.2m.
MACCA350 Posted August 13, 2007 Posted August 13, 2007 yeah i bought quite alot of stuff from them before. when i was shopping for a cables i looked though their range of hdmi cables first thing but the cheapest DVI to HDMI is like $140 per 1.2m.Why not use this HDMI cable with this adapter?Cost $53 for 1.5m HDMI cable and DVI adapter cheers
Guest EZYHD Posted August 13, 2007 Posted August 13, 2007 Many of us have used cables from Selby or from any Jaycar outlet. Cheap but work well, just bough another set from Selby myself. http://www.selbyacoustics.com.au/storefron...aspx?sfid=74520 http://www.jaycar.com.au
diesel Posted August 13, 2007 Posted August 13, 2007 I recently purchased a 3m HDMI from Jaycar and have had no problems
AndrewW Posted August 14, 2007 Posted August 14, 2007 3m HDMI from DSE $50. It was the 3m $50 cable from dse that was giving me sparklies. Which is strange because the 10m dse cable I have is fine.
OzyDave Posted August 14, 2007 Posted August 14, 2007 It was the 3m $50 cable from dse that was giving me sparklies.Which is strange because the 10m dse cable I have is fine. Ok. Mine is perfect. I'd take it back to them. I reckon anyone selling any cable should be backing it's capabilities. Even if they are selling it for 20c. They sell it, they are backing it.
AndrewW Posted August 14, 2007 Posted August 14, 2007 Ok. Mine is perfect. I'd take it back to them. I reckon anyone selling any cable should be backing it's capabilities. Even if they are selling it for 20c. They sell it, they are backing it. Only problem is that I destroyed the packaging getting the cable out and can't find the receipt
dodgyblue1503560789 Posted August 14, 2007 Posted August 14, 2007 There's a difference between the cheap HDMI cables and the expensive HDMI cables. As you know, in the digital age, the signals are now "1"s and "0"s and need "digital" cables. Old analog cables (like speaker cables) are all twisted and curly inside. The cheaper HDMI cables are made of these cables and as a result the digital "1"s get stuck now and then and corrupt the digital signal giving rise to crackling in the sound and pixellation in the picture. The more expensive HDMI signals have an anti-curl treatment that allows the digital "1"s to get through smoothly removing all the noise. This is main reason why Monster cables can sell at such a premium.
Owen Posted August 14, 2007 Posted August 14, 2007 Only problem is that I destroyed the packaging getting the cable out and can't find the receipt Who’s a silly boy then.
AndrewW Posted August 14, 2007 Posted August 14, 2007 Who’s a silly boy then. Silly on the receipt, not so on the stupid melted plastic/hermetically sealed/need a pair of scissors to open packaging.
Guest Sammy14u Posted August 14, 2007 Posted August 14, 2007 http://www.htcustomcables.com/index.htm The Kordz range That is all.
Zacspeed Posted August 14, 2007 Posted August 14, 2007 It has been common practice for a while now whether ethical or not to sell cables at a premium. Most people that go the stores are ill informed unlike the many of us that read up on this site. So in essence someone may infact get a good deal on an appliance etc and the salesman will talk anyone into buying cables using lines such as. "You've spent so much on the TV so you should really fork out a few hundred on cables and surge protection etc to really get the best out of the equipment." Its one way they can make up profits from a thin margin elsewhere. Ie its commonplace for someone to compare prices on a TV then walk into a store and say youve a good price on the TV so i'll take one. Not realising that they will get talked into getting extras to make up some of the profits lost. Extended warranty is arguably the best example of this. Also im not convinced on the necessity of those over priced power boards with inbuilt surge protectors etc.
davc88 Posted August 14, 2007 Author Posted August 14, 2007 been a audiophile my self i know fully well the amount of margins those cable companies are making. a advertised $300 can be sold as little as $40 if you know where to look. but pro audio is rather different then video with some expensive cables making a huge difference to sound quality.
heatingup Posted August 14, 2007 Posted August 14, 2007 If you want to save money on expensive cables its like anything else. Do your home work. Check out your specialist electrical retailers. Im not talking dick simth or that crap but places where tv technicians go to get all there parts. You should be able to save a lot of $$$ and still get good quality stuff
Mr_Independent Posted August 14, 2007 Posted August 14, 2007 (edited) http://www.htcustomcables.com/index.htmThe Kordz range That is all. I think once you have said that, you have said it all really... I have almost all of my cables with the Kordz name on them now. Really good quality for a fraction of the cost of the big name brands and in most cases as good as, if not better! They also have a customer service ethic that is second to none! Do yourself a favour and at least visit the website and have a gander, you will not be dissapointed if you decide to purchase. Edited August 14, 2007 by Mr_Independent
davc88 Posted August 14, 2007 Author Posted August 14, 2007 whats the difference? does it give richer colors or sharper images? help me understand this visual cabling stuff. As long as i dont get sparkles with my $20 HDMI cable does it mean its good? or with $80+ cable i can expect better colors and sharpness?
Rick_In_Tas Posted August 14, 2007 Posted August 14, 2007 whats the difference? does it give richer colors or sharper images? help me understand this visual cabling stuff. As long as i dont get sparkles with my $20 HDMI cable does it mean its good? or with $80+ cable i can expect better colors and sharpness? I spoke to a retired techie that I know. He used to record orchestras and choirs and worked in radio for ages. I too believed that a digital signal was either 1 or 0, and that was that. No so, apparently. This is what he told me: If the signal can pass through the cable with little resistance then it can give a better response. Think of a signal that looks like: __||||____||||____||||____||||____||||____||||____||||____||||__ The bottom line represents no voltage, therefore digital 0 and the top represents voltage v therefore a digital "1". In order to get to the point where the voltage represents digital 1 it needs to achieve the threshold of v If it doesn't get there AND in the allocated timespan, it fails to register digital one and degrades the signal. That sounds eminently feasible to me!! So, he tells me, digital ain't digital. It still relies on voltage changes, so you need a "good" cable. He also told me that the cable with monster prices IS good cable, but is also overkill. The technician who fitted our antenna (member of the DBA) said much the same thing. I went for the Selby stuff ($50 for 3m) and I'm very pleased. The antenna bloke also uses Selby. FWIW.
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