No.

Yes. Make sure you get the directional ones as well.
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🙂

not at all, save your money 🙂

no, not at all.
£1.99 ones we sell are just as good as £49.99 ones we sell.

If it's for a long run then probably worth spending a little, and i mean little bit more, other than that, as above, no.

Worth spending a bit extra

I have monster carbon fibre titanium coated purple anodized hdmi cables and they give me 50% extra pixels on my tv!

Depends what you're doing with it. If you're threading it somewhere where it's hard to get at then it's worth paying a couple of quid for something reasonably robust. Otherwise the 10p freebie that came with your DVD player is fine.

Ok, its for a PS3 so next question - Buy the Sony PS3 one for £18. Or an equivalent known brand one for about the same money? Also, bloke in office says get a 10.2 one?

over a distance less than 10m it makes no differance......trust me.
i sell this stuff for a living.

If you're running Blu Ray to a HD Projector then yes. I noticed a massive difference changed to Chord cables.

ton - Member
over a distance less than 10m it makes no differance......trust me.
i sell this stuff for a living

an honest salesman!

Just get a cheap one - no need to spend £18 unless you need a massively long one.

I use cheapo/freebie ones for short runs. >5m, I went with something (still quite cheap) from [url= http://www.ukhdmi.com ]ukhdmi.com[/url]. All looks tickety boo on a 10ft wide projection screen using a PS3 as source.

In my heady days of being "into" hi-fi, I listened to different cables and there IS a difference. Different doesn't mean better though and an expensive cable may sound/look naff to you.

Maybe A/V cables is different again, but my advice is if you can try before you buy, do so. Hopefully you'll notice no difference 😀

[url= http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1-5m-HDMI-v1-3-GOLD-Cable-1080p-HD-LCD-HDTV-VIDEO-LEAD-/250714400721?pt=UK_Computing_CablesConnectors_RL&hash=item3a5fbe27d1#ht_4023wt_905 ]There - that'll do you...[/url]

[url= http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1-8M-HDMI-HDMI-Cable-Gold-Connectors-/330491488293?pt=UK_Computing_CablesConnectors_RL&hash=item4cf2d3e825#ht_500wt_1156 ]Or this one - even cheaper[/url]

mf.........perfect 8)

If you're running Blu Ray to a HD Projector then yes. I noticed a massive difference changed to Chord cables.

The only person in the world to then.

Makes no odds what so ever as it's digital, unless like Ton says over a certain length. I had the figure of 10' in my head but I'll trust Ton.

Stilltortoise hifi cables are different again. Used to sell HDMI leads for consoles when I worked in games shop, no difference at all. Always get someone who recons they can tell but it's BS

Cables = Bollocks.

And I am really into music and hi fi

[url= http://www.futureshop.co.uk/wireworld-platinum-starlight-hdmi-to-hdmi-cable-20m-p-3479.html ]Just get this one and you're done.
[/url]
...literally.

I thought HDMI was all digital, so I dont see how it can be.

If the digital signal gets to the other end of the cable, I dont see how one can be better than another.

In the analogue world, yes perhaps, but not the digital.

Maybe A/V cables is different again

digital only [b]might[/b] be different to analogue ?

I seriously do not believe anyone could tell in a blind test, not even with a test card screen, never mind when in real-life use.

Fair enough, but I still think it's best to try for yourself. If you [i]think [/i] you can see/hear a difference and it makes you feel fuzzy and warm because you bought the fancy cables, then that must be a good thing...

...a bit like most of the mountain bike kit we "discuss" on here 😉

Further reading...

[url] http://www.audioholics.com/education/cables/long-hdmi-cable-bench-tests/evaluation-conclusion [/url]

summary snippets...
# At lengths less than 4 meters you can just about use silly string (OK, not really) and get HDMI to pass at any current resolution. At less than 3 meters you'll even extend that to 12-bit color and possibly the next crazy idea HDMI Licensing decides to throw at consumers. Don't spend a lot on these cables and if you want to save money you won't let anyone at a big box store talk you into buying from them.

# At long lengths (over 10 meters) you really need to pay attention to the manufacturer if you don't want to risk running into potential problems with 1080p and future formats such as Deep Color. With that said, just about any cable at or under 10 meters will pass 720p/1080i and nearly everyone will pass 1080p at 8-bit color as well.

Jamie - Member
Just get this one and you're done.

...literally.

If you're running Blu Ray to a HD Projector then yes. I noticed a massive difference changed to Chord cables.

The only person in the world to then.

Makes no odds what so ever as it's digital, unless like Ton says over a certain length. I had the figure of 10' in my head but I'll trust Ton.

Just because a cable is carrying a digital signal doesn't mean it isn't susceptible to rf interference, crosstalk etc.
Also, I suspect that most "Blu Ray to a HD Projector" cable runs are "over a certain length".

makes no difference so get cheap but whatever floats your boat if you want to spend a load of money to experience the joys of the placebo affect dont let us stop you

...a bit like most of the mountain bike kit we "discuss" on here

Well, and noting the wink, not really. Binary is on/off. It either works or it doesn't. A bike component can not be judged in such 'ahem' binary terms, so there can be more room for conjecture on quality, perceived or otherwise..

Just because a cable is carrying a digital signal doesn't mean it isn't susceptible to rf interference, crosstalk etc.

It's minimal so doesn't up.

Also, I suspect that most "Blu Ray to a HD Projector" cable runs are "over a certain length".

Why would they, that surely is do purely down the individual set up.

fisha - Member
I thought HDMI was all digital, so I dont see how it can be.

If the digital signal gets to the other end of the cable, I dont see how one can be better than another.

In the analogue world, yes perhaps, but not the digital.

Here's a quote for you: "The right amplitude at the wrong time is the wrong amplitude"

Now I'm not in anyway suggesting that the expensive AV cable business isn't 99% snake oil, but just because a signal is digital, doesn't mean it's always perfect.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/tests/4235717

the fact that the signal is digital is not a guarantee that cables make no difference - but the hdmi spec is rigid and robust enough to ensure that there is little, if any, difference between hdmi cables.

I have seen some cheapy cable with 'slack' end connectors though

I bought a dozen or so for a fiver at a car boot sale that are branded Sky [so nicked from work I guess] that are absolutely fine on everything I've hooked them up to
I'm used to looking at broadcast quality feeds most days so I tend to be a bit picky

Binary is on/off. It either works or it doesn't

but surely the point is that not all the ons and offs are necessarily being transmitted. Are we all falling into the "digital is perfect" trap (again)?

Just to add, I have NO IDEA about HDMI cables 🙂

If they're not being transmitted it's as good as off so nothing happens.

I use Asda smart price HDMI 1m cables for my devices - can't complain at all when displaying 1080p from PS3 and sending sound to Onkyo amp. Less than £2!

I'm in danger of straying into territory that I don't know enough about, but an "off" in binary/digital is not the same as "nothing". Besides which, what if an "on" does not get transmitted?

Someone, please come and put me out of my misery 😆

Besides which, what if an "on" does not get transmitted?

Then it's as good as an off like I said. Least that's how I understand it.

Just get this one and you're done.

At first I thought that cable was £799, which I thought was stupidly expensive, then I realised it was in fact originally[b] £7999.95[/b]. Had to look a few times to confirm that, thinking it must be a typo error, but no...

SEVEN [b]THOUSAND[/b] NINE HUNDRED AND NINETY NINE POUNDS AND NINETY FIVE PENCE.

For a bit of wire.

And there's children starving around the World.

FFS....

They can't eat hdmi cable tho can they elf?

Just make suer the cables are directional - and whatever you do don't tangle them up or have loops. teh elecy gets stuck in the loops

Then it's as good as an off like I said

which will make a difference. In binary 11 is a very different number from 10 (as it is in base 10 as well of course)

Just because a cable is carrying a digital signal doesn't mean it isn't susceptible to rf interference, crosstalk etc.

Digital kit has error checking stuff like parity bit encoding etc which should sort out any losses afaik. I just set up our new hd tv stuff with "cheap" cables and the picture is perfect as they're only about a metre long.

I don't know how the people at comet etc are allowed to get away with what they were trying to sell us which was basically completely made up nonsense - the guy was trying to make us believe that a "slower" cheap cable will make things appear more pixelated and that only the £70 monster cable and monster power supply with noise filtering will give you the highest resolution and colour reproduction. When asked to demo this cable compared to the cheaper cable he wouldn't, yet insisted the monster was "just better."

I am wondering whether a "better" cable would work better in our home cinema system though - not for picture but for sound sync issues. The sound from our tv goes through Panasonics ARC (audio return channel) which sends it from the telly via hdmi lead to the bluray/sound system and then out through the 5.1 speakers rather than crappy tv ones. We sometimes experience the audio being out of sync (comes out slightly after the picture so the audio delay thing is useless, we need a picture delay!) using Sky+HD and just wondering whether something more expensive would help with this or whether the sound just can't be processed quick enough by the receiver? ton, any thoughts?

They can't eat hdmi cable tho can they elf?

No but they could eat you. In fact, I might just come up there, chop you into little bits then prepare tasty, nutritious and exciting ready meals with your choicest cuts.

[b][i]TandemJeremy Cobblybobbler and Corriander Soup.

Devilled TandemJeremy's kidneys.

Roast leg of TandemJeremy in a red whine and shallot sauce, with garden vegetables and spicy roast Yam.

And for desert; Glazed TandemJeremy Eyes in Raspberry Jus.[/i][/b]

I'm not messing about you know.

You would not be able to find me - you would go all dizzy getting outside of the M25

something more expensive would help with this or whether the sound just can't be processed quick enough by the receiver?

Probably not a cable problem - if you had a cable long enough to cause an audible delay, you'd have several miles of cable.

I'd try plugging an analog audio lead to your amp from wherever you have an audio out (tv, sky plus box ) to try and work out where the delay is coming from (sky plus, tv, amp )

Someone, please come and put me out of my misery

you could try wrapping the cable [b]very[/b] tightly round your neck...

you could try wrapping the cable very tightly round your neck...

its digital its fine

if you transfer an xl spreadsheet using a USB stick you dont loose any columns if you use a cheap one

i lol'd when the guy in richer sounds tried to tell me that i should spend 10% of the price id just paid for the tv on an hdmi cable

While what's running over the cable is notionally digital, it's effectively an analogue signal that's being transmitted. That signal's being sampled at the receiving end to work out whether a 1 or 0 was being sent, and the longer the cable or the poorer it's design/construction, the more degradation of the signal, and the higher the probability of errors. As a generalisation, error correction works, but only to a degree (tho' it's not the only way to get around errors).
Think of how freeview reception quickly goes from ok to a little bit crappy to completely unviewable, whereas analogue reception was always vaguely viewable even with all manner of reflections/interference, on the whole.

As previously said - short cable, anything cheap and nasty ought to work. A long run - you may need to spend some (sensible) money but I wouldn't have thought any more than a short way into double figures.

>I'd try plugging an analog audio lead to your amp from wherever you have an audio out (tv, sky plus box ) to try and work out where the delay is coming from (sky plus, tv, amp )

Yup, what Joe said.

a cheap one from a reputable source. You can get ones that work well for <£5 and certainly <£10. £18! They're taking the mickey. And as for ones more expensive than that 😆 Check out Amazon for some fair priced bargains at just a few quid. Longer runs (several metres), it's worth buying a more robust cable as you don't want it to break mid-run if someone runs the vacuum cleaner or a chair over it. All this 'OFC, directional blah blah blah' is marketing nonsense.

It's worth paying a [i]few [/i]quid for build quality, rather than buying crap that's going to fall apart after five minutes. Other than that, as others have said, quality (in terms of signal quality) is largely irrelevant, in contrast to the analogue interconnects of old.

HDMI has tight specifications that define how the cable (and everything else) performs. If a cable meets these specs, it's good whether it's a fiver or a hundred quid.

One thing of note, the HDMI spec gets revised. The revision of cable / component will till you what it supports (note - this is not the same as what features it has actually implemented). For instance, 3D TV [i]requires [/i]HDMI 1.4.

I think the PS3 uses HDMI 1.3 (google thisto be sure - I'm in the Xbox camp so I'm not 100% sure off the top of my head). Whatever it is, get a cable that matches or surpasses it.

So in summary, you want the cheapest HDMI 1.3 cable you can find that isn't made out of tinfoil and spongecake.

This looks the business.

http://www.play.com/Electronics/Electronics/4-/9556399/Sovos-Gold-Plated-1-5-Metre-Professional-1-3b-HDMI-Cable-1-5-Metre-PS3-Xbox-360/Product.html

Comes with a free TOSlink cable too, should you have an older amp kicking about. Bargain.

Maplin wanted £35 for one, so I bought one off ebay for a quid and a half posted which is just as good...

Just done a bit of reading.

The PS3 doesn't use the HD audio streams (which would require HDMI 1.3), but does support something called Deep Colour (which does need 1.3).

Also, there's category 1 and 2 cables; category 1 supports 720p / 1080i, whereas category 2 supports full 1080p.

In other words, the link I posted above is perfect, get it bought. (-:

I am wondering whether a "better" cable would work better in our home cinema system though - not for picture but for sound sync issues. The sound from our tv goes through Panasonics ARC (audio return channel) which sends it from the telly via hdmi lead to the bluray/sound system and then out through the 5.1 speakers rather than crappy tv ones. We sometimes experience the audio being out of sync (comes out slightly after the picture so the audio delay thing is useless, we need a picture delay!) using Sky+HD and just wondering whether something more expensive would help with this or whether the sound just can't be processed quick enough by the receiver? ton, any thoughts?

Send the audio direct from source to av amp via optical if your souce/amp has it.

And you can set an audio delay on a sky box - have you tried that?

And if a digital signal is just a digital signal why do all CD transports sounds different when plugged into the same DAC?

That'd be the "C" bit of the process.

I said the same DAC...

Mia culpa, I can't read. (-:

Anyway what I've noticed after getting into various discussions about the best bike cleaner, the best cables etc etc, it that there's two groups of people.

The first is interested in learning and finding out what the best possible performance and quality they can obtain is. And is willing to pay for it.

The other is interested in getting something that works and is good enough.

No problem with either approach. Except the latter probably wear cheap suits. 😉

The only problem I have with that statement is the assumption that the two groups are mutually exclusive.

In this case, you can satisfy both criteria for under ten quid.

[i]Except the latter probably wear cheap suits.[/i]

Oi, I'm watching you.... 😉

I'd say they are, something that "works and is good enough" is not the "best possible performance and quality"?

Unless you mean some people from both groups may wear cheap suits. 😮

Reminds me I must start a thread on bespoke suits.

Anyway what I've noticed after getting into various discussions about the best bike cleaner, the best cables etc etc, it that there's two groups of people.

I suspect there's a 3rd group, those that swallow advertising bumph & fuzzy scientific claims - hook, line & sinker

I suspect there's a 3rd group, those that swallow advertising bumph & fuzzy scientific claims - hook, line & sinker

True. At least they'll be wearing good suits though. 😉

There's three groups. The first likes to absorb all the sales guff, has too much money and equates "best performance" to "best marketing". The second is the "works and is good enough" group. The third group is happy to spend the extra if there's evidence that it really is better.

I'd say there's always evidence something is better. Its just the extent of [i]how[/i] much better - and what that means to you.

Beaten to it!

Regarding the difference in CD transports, I had no idea what one was so Googled it, and came up with an article on timing jitter
http://www.stereophile.com/features/368/

@sas - well done, that was exactly what I was on about.

Some people just don't appreciate quality.

I don't know much about video but in audio systems it's worth spending money on cable if you have high end equipment. True the price may seem incredible but when I listen to 'Down in the tube station at midnight' on my hifi I can actually hear Paul Weller's take-away curry hitting the platform. It's very moving & something completely missed using cheap cables.

just a quick heads up for you guys that think a costlier hdmi lead is a better one.
i buy them in 100's.
ones i sell at £1.99 cost me £0.79p
ones i sell at £49.99 cost me £2.50........... 😳

just a quick heads up for you guys that think a costlier hdmi lead is a better one.
i buy them in 100's.
ones i sell at £1.99 cost me £0.79p
ones i sell at £49.99 cost me £2.50

Where do you work? Do tell.

That to me isn't an issue with cable quality, its an issue with unscrupulous retailers.

danmo........my prices are trade.........just think of the mark up people like richers/maplins/currys/comet are making.

get real boys...........a cheap £1.99 one is just as good. it just aint packaged as nice........ 😆

gold plated ends...gotta b bling

danmo........my prices are trade.........just think of the mark up people like richers/maplins/currys/comet are making.

get real boys...........a cheap £1.99 one is just as good. it just aint packaged as nice

Retailers make pretty much the same mark up across products in one segment. For example in fashion, pretty much everything is marked up by 2.7 to 3 times.

If you are buying something at £2.50 and selling at £49.99 then either you are selling way about the manufacturers RRP or selling something cheap for a very expensive price.

There is no manufacturer who would allow a retailer those kind of mark ups. They would take it for themselves if costs were so low and such a high market price (relative to cost) achievable.

I stand to be corrected though, who is the manufacturer? Or are you just passing off cheap products?

If you're running Blu Ray to a HD Projector then yes. I noticed a massive difference changed to Chord cables.

And if a digital signal is just a digital signal why do all CD transports sounds different when plugged into the same DAC?