# Does refresh rate make a difference in HDMI Cables?



## Bayyog (Nov 29, 2009)

Just bought an XBR9 which I know has a refresh rate of 240Hz. Do I need an HDMI Cable capable of the same refresh rate to maximize performance?

Thanks!


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## kevinturcotte (Dec 19, 2006)

No, since no source material actually has a refresh rate of 240Hz to transfer. The Tv is doing all that itself.


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## mutelight (Oct 6, 2008)

Exactly, all your sources are going to be 60 or 24hz and the TV is going to upsample.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

Actually 24 and 30 Hz


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## kevinturcotte (Dec 19, 2006)

*ANOTHER* of Monster Cable's false claims. "Buy our cable because it transfers a 240Hz signal!"


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

OMG !


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## mutelight (Oct 6, 2008)

P Smith said:


> Actually 24 and 30 Hz


You mean 24 and 60hz and in rare cases 30hz.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

OK, 24 fps for 1080p and 30 fps for 1080i


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## kevinturcotte (Dec 19, 2006)

Okay, to be fair, I can't say 100% it's a false claim. Their cables could very well be capable of sending a 240Hz signal (Not sure if this would actually require special cable or not), but since there isn't any source material, their claim is moot.


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## Mark Holtz (Mar 23, 2002)

There are several cheaper alternatives available, including monoprice.


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## mutelight (Oct 6, 2008)

P Smith said:


> OK, 24 fps for 1080p and 30 fps for 1080i


We are talking about refresh rates, not frame rates. 1080i at 30fps but it is at a 60hz refresh rate.


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## Grentz (Jan 10, 2007)

Does not matter what cable you use. HDMI can support all the current resolutions and frame rates.



P Smith said:


> OK, 24 fps for 1080p and 30 fps for 1080i


24hz, 30hz, and 60hz are the three common refresh rates (frame rates). They can be at resolutions of 1080p, 1080i, 720p, etc. Frame Rate and hz are just different expressions of the same thing.

60hz TVs have no trouble with 30 or 60 as they both divide evenly into 60. They cannot handle 24hz directly though without extra processing via pull down. Not all TVs support doing pull down either, many just won't accept a 24hz signal (especially older sets).

120hz is the answer and can natively handle 24hz, 30hz, and 60hz as it divides evenly. Some cheaper 120hz TVs will not support 24hz without pull down though for some stupid reason.

600hz Plasmas technically only run at 60hz for the input in most cases but have very fast panel response times, which is where the 600hz comes from. A 120hz LCD can be better than a 600hz plasma at times for supported content as some 600hz plasmas cannot handle 24hz content natively (without pull down) while many 120hz LCDs can. It is really marketing how they present the 600hz in a fight against the 120hz and 240hz LCDs. There are Plasmas that can handle 24hz content without pull down though.

On top of all this are technologies like MotionFlow/AutoMotionPlus/etc. that try to interpolate frames between the actual true frames from the content source. This is the "120hz look" that many love or hate. 240hz adds on the technology by interpolating more frames in between actual frames. 240hz has no benefit for displaying true source material any better than a 120hz TV as it is just showing the same frame 10 times over instead of 5 in the case of a 24hz input. But with the use of Motionflow type technology it can appear smoother, removing some more judder, and some like the look.

The marketing is really misleading on all this technology as the main reason for the 120hz TVs are handling of 24hz material. Yet you never hear the marketing talk about that. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frame_rate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_interpolation


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## machavez00 (Nov 2, 2006)

from CNET
full article here: http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6449_7-6792632-1.html


> We field a lot of questions about HDTVs here at CNET, and not surprisingly, one of the more prevalent ones these days is whether or not it's worth spending the extra dough on a new flat-panel LCD TV that features a 120Hz refresh rate. For those who don't know what I'm talking about, a 120Hz LCD TV is one that refreshes motion picture images at twice the speed of "standard" 60Hz models. What's the benefit of that? Well, the knock against LCD TVs--which doesn't apply to plasma or rear-projection HDTVs--has been that their slower refresh rates and response times leave them susceptible to motion blur with fast-motion content. To combat this perception, LCD manufacturers are pushing 120Hz--it's the hot spec of the moment, the 1080p of 2007. The question is, how much of difference does it make?
> 
> In hopes of answering that question, I sat down with Senior Editor David Katzmaier and Associate Editor Matthew Moskovciak in our TV lab, where we have several 120Hz TVs on hand, namely the JVC LT-47X898, the Mitsubishi LT-46144, and the Sony KDL-46XBR4. Here are our shared conclusions.


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## Grentz (Jan 10, 2007)

It can have that effect, but it is not necessarly going to be better just because it is 120hz. Panel response time is a big factor too.

It also depends how the TV actually handles running at 120hz or 240hz:

Some techy info:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=10430960&postcount=8
http://archive2.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=760849&highlight=120Hz

In general a 120hz TV will be better for motion, but it does not have to be. There are some very good quality non-120hz Displays that deal with motion extremely well. But they still have the pulldown issues to deal with of course. The problem is that a technology like "120hz" does not guarantee all the sets will handle things in the same ways or as good as each other. There are TVs that are insanely good and ones that are insanely bad at handling content as well as a whole mixture in between.

Disclaimer: I am more than happy to be corrected if I am incorrect on anything I have said. This is coming from what I have observed and read with lots of research on the subjects over the years. I am not a formally "schooled" person in video technology, so I very well could be incorrect on some points. I think the above information is fairly accurate though based on what I have gleaned from others around and seen with my own eyes after too many long nights of internet surfing, talking with others, and looking at displays. :lol:


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