# HDMI Cables



## Dood (Mar 16, 2006)

I need an experts advice.

Just how important is the quality of the HDMI cable?

I have a cheap HDMI cable from Sams Club, but have been told by several people that high quality cables, like Monster, will made a HUGE difference in not only the picture/video quality, but also make the VIP722 respond faster - Such as the channel will change faster, guide will appear quicker, etc.

Can someone with knowledge address this for me?

Thank you-


----------



## Taco Lover (Jan 8, 2007)

A digital cable like HDMI either works or it doesn't. Monster Cable is overpriced trash. See www.monoprice.com for cables that work, and they are inexpensive.


----------



## LinkNuc (Jul 4, 2007)

Taco Lover said:


> A digital cable like HDMI either works or it doesn't. Monster Cable is overpriced trash. See www.monoprice.com for cables that work, and they are inexpensive.


Agreed, the only thing you migth want (really its not a big deal) is HDMI 1.3a spec if and only if you are watching a HD source such as Blu-ray for deep color, but again its like 120Hz TV's its really hard to tell the difference..but anyway HDIM cable.. it either works or it dosent ..Monster is a waste of money


----------



## spamstew (Feb 16, 2006)

Don't believe the hype!!! I'm using HDMI cables from monoprice.com.. My PQ is great!!!


----------



## LinkNuc (Jul 4, 2007)

spamstew said:


> Don't believe the hype!!! I'm using HDMI cables from monoprice.com.. My PQ is great!!!


Yup Monoprice is a great place for quality cables, HDMI is HDMI is HDMI....


----------



## dxCoqui (Nov 8, 2007)

I bought my 2 HDMI cables from amazon for about $5.50 each including shipping and the PQ in my VIZIO and DVD player are great. I would never by a monster cable, ever.


----------



## Steve_53 (Jul 6, 2005)

Another happy monoprice.com customer here, not only for HDMI cables but also Component and Optical cables too.


----------



## cdub998 (Aug 16, 2006)

Steve_53 said:


> Another happy monoprice.com customer here, not only for HDMI cables but also Component and Optical cables too.


True. They really make all of their cables great. I have a 50 ft sub cable that works awesome.


----------



## msmith198025 (Jun 28, 2007)

The "high quality" HDMI cables as many have said are overhyped. You will not gain anything by using them. In fact the only difference is how much money you have left over from buying the bargain cable


----------



## Dood (Mar 16, 2006)

Looks like it is a landslide against expensive cables. The saleman at Best Buy was pushing me hard to buy a $99 Monster cable and almost had me convinced.


----------



## snowcat (May 29, 2007)

I am another monoprice HDMI cable fan.  

I haven't heard the "respond faster" claim before. I would like to see that proven.


----------



## StlChief (Nov 9, 2007)

I love Monoprice. 

I just picked up one Optical/Toslink cable, 2 HDMI cables and 1 HDMI Switch for $40!


----------



## coldmiser (Mar 10, 2007)

I have a monoprice HDMI cable from my Sat receiver to my LCD TV and the $50 HDMI cable going from my Xbox 360 to my LCD TV. 

For giggles I swapped them out. Absolutely no difference!

Go with monoprice.


----------



## rictorg (Feb 2, 2007)

Another happy Monoprice customer. Cables is one thing I refuse to pay retail for... I only purchase through internet retailers like Monoprice.


----------



## Taco Lover (Jan 8, 2007)

The only reason you may consider a higher priced cable is length of cable run, but that doesn't mean going with Monster. Anything more than say 12 feet may need a thicker gauge to preserve the signal over a long run. The typical monoprice is 28AWG, and that is plenty for anyting less than 12 feet.


----------



## msmith198025 (Jun 28, 2007)

Dood said:


> Looks like it is a landslide against expensive cables. The saleman at Best Buy was pushing me hard to buy a $99 Monster cable and almost had me convinced.


Yeah the store makes a nice profit, im not suprised they push them like they do. But giving people false info is kind of sneaky


----------



## dxCoqui (Nov 8, 2007)

msmith198025 said:


> But giving people false info is kind of sneaky


Well that is what they do best to sell whatever they need to sell...:nono2:


----------



## projectorguru (Mar 5, 2007)

http://www.optimization-world.com/products/catid/2.html

Try here, heres where I get all mine from(and here at work too)lenghts to 50ft, if ya click on detail its says HDMI certified, which is all ya need to know. The thing about the heavy thick cables is they will last a bit longer, but are 3 times the price, not worth it, I have been using these cables from here for years, no issues with any including component,s-vid,HDMI swithces ect.


----------



## jrb531 (May 29, 2004)

I did buy a 3' instead of 6' (if you can get away with such a short cable) cable for PQ.

Not sure if there is any diff tween a 3-6 foot cable but my 622 is right next to the set so I figured why not 

-JB


----------



## Sphagnum (Oct 20, 2007)

My jaw almost hit the floor when the Best Buy quoted me a price on a 6ft HDMI cable. He wanted me to buy a $100 cable and a $150 mount for my 32" HDTV. This is only my first HDTV and it's not even that big, MAYBE I'll consider getting something better for my next 50"+ HDTV in a couple of years, but for now the cheap stuff you don't even notice a difference (except in your pocket book) so what's the point!?!


----------



## jrb531 (May 29, 2004)

Sphagnum said:


> My jaw almost hit the floor when the Best Buy quoted me a price on a 6ft HDMI cable. He wanted me to buy a $100 cable and a $150 mount for my 32" HDTV. This is only my first HDTV and it's not even that big, MAYBE I'll consider getting something better for my next 50"+ HDTV in a couple of years, but for now the cheap stuff you don't even notice a difference (except in your pocket book) so what's the point!?!


A few years ago I was at CompUSA and buying a $20 cable. The guy knew me and gave me it for the employee price (near cost) and the darn thing came out to about $2!

The markup for cables is HUGE! Not maybe a $100 cable is better than a $10 one but no way $90 better.

Some people in this work equate $$$ with better quality. You can take two identical items and put them in the same box and label one a "standard" for $10 and the second with "Premium" and charge $20.

A good percentage of the population will buy the $20 cable because it has to be better because it costs more 

-JB


----------



## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

Where do you think these stores make their money? Shoppers don't usually check prices on the accessories so they soak them in the excitement of not being able to use their new acquisition without the extras. I've seen people sold into AV receivers to support two HDMI devices on a TV with only one HDMI input.


----------



## RLMesq (Mar 9, 2003)

Dood said:


> Looks like it is a landslide against expensive cables. The saleman at Best Buy was pushing me hard to buy a $99 Monster cable and almost had me convinced.


I worked as a commissioned salesperson while in college some 25 years ago, and made about $35K a year, part time. Although I think BB and CC now pay an hourly wage (which is nowhere near what I made, even without an adjustment for inflation), the managers, I believe, are still paid on a similar commission scale.

I was paid on gross profit dollars (or "jeeps," the difference between dealer cost and the sales price). The more jeeps you generated for the store, the higher the percentage you got paid... up to 23% of gross profit dollars for a top salesperson.

Most accessories, like Monster Cable, were 75% gross profit... which would mean 75 jeeps on a hundred dollar cable. Most TV and video was about 20%, so the salesperson had to sell $375 worth to generate the same 75 jeeps.

Extended warranties are high profit items, too -- and my college employer required a certain percentage of a salesperson's total volume to be extended warranty sales (I think it was seven percent). We had a VCR with a clear plastic case to show people all of the moving parts and scare them into buying a warranty. Keep in mind that VHS Hi-Fi was a new technology, and people where paying $800 in 1983 dollars for a top of the line Panasonic VCR that would cost you a couple hundred, tops, in current inflated currency.

Finally, there were "spiffs," which were a bonus commission on certain items. One $20 video head cleaner had a five dollar spiff, so everybody tried to sell one of those with a new VCR.

Bottom line -- I think the big performance difference between Monster Cable and Monoprice (which I use) is:

1) Monster Cable stuff has great looking packaging, compared to the simple bags from Monoprice

2) If part of the cable run is exposed and your friends are geeks, they might be impressed when they recognize the pretty design on the shielding of Monster Cable, and

3) If you go to a San Francisco 49ers game, or see one on TV, you can feel important that you provided part of the money to buy the naming rights to Candlestick Park.


----------



## vlhgsd (Nov 9, 2007)

I went today to look at hdmi cables for the 722 dvr. Guy at circuit city told me to save myself the money. Says that the component cables look just as good with tv/satellite. So what's the real deal? My dvd player isn't hdmi compatible, no xbox or ps3, so do I really need one?


----------



## Marriner (Jan 23, 2006)

I am another huge monoprice fan. i have bought hdmi -> dvi cables, hdmi-hdmi cables, digital audio cables (coaxial), digital audio cables (optical), speaker wire, and component video cables. I have never been disappointed in any of my Monoprice purchases.


----------



## Marriner (Jan 23, 2006)

vlhgsd said:


> I went today to look at hdmi cables for the 722 dvr. Guy at circuit city told me to save myself the money. Says that the component cables look just as good with tv/satellite. So what's the real deal? My dvd player isn't hdmi compatible, no xbox or ps3, so do I really need one?


i have both hdmi and component cables hooked up to my westy. I came in today and noticed background noise on a black screen. I found out that my sister had changed the tv input from hdmi to component. When i switched back to hdmi, the noise dissappeared. HDMI is superior to component in PQ.


----------



## HobbyTalk (Jul 14, 2007)

vlhgsd said:


> I went today to look at hdmi cables for the 722 dvr. Guy at circuit city told me to save myself the money. Says that the component cables look just as good with tv/satellite. So what's the real deal? My dvd player isn't hdmi compatible, no xbox or ps3, so do I really need one?


It all depends on your equipment. Some have said that their component looks better then using HDMI. Some say different. Expert opinions are that it all depends on the equipment on both ends of the cable. Some info:

http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/34579/122868.html
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/2007/09/11/hdmi_vs_component/
http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/09/13/hdmi-vs-component/


----------



## aim2pls (Jun 18, 2007)

items a comsumer MUST get:
1) MONSTER CABLES > great profit items
2) HDMI cables ... the high the price the better > great profit items
3) EXTENDED warrentees > FANTASTIC profit items


----------



## dougmcbride (Apr 17, 2005)

If you're interested in a moderately detailed (but interesting) discussion of HDMI and HDMI cables, check out http://www.bluejeanscable.com and look at the HDMI section. Good, informative read. They also do excellent cables of all kinds at a reasonable price.


----------



## jpos832 (Aug 13, 2007)

ya'll slay me.. you'll spend thousands of dollars on home theatre equipment trying to get the "perfect" picture and then piss and moan about the price of cables, and even go out and buy the bargain bin specials. do ya even realize that the weakest link in any home theatre system is the cabling? i guess though, if your satisfied with the "great" PQ ya get when ya try to save a couple bucks.. more power to ya.

also ... extended service plans or warrenties are kind of hit or miss. ive had experiences goin both ways. most of the time, the extra protection has come in handy though.. sure they might be huge profits for the stores, but most of the time when my electronics have broke down on me.. i was covered and didnt have to shell out even more of my money for replacements. i would definetly rather spend another 400$ with my 3500$ tv and not have to worry if it breaks in the next 4 years then "save" the 400$ upfront and have to spend another 3500$ in 3.5 years down the road cause something went wrong with my LCD. it might be a long shot, but oh well.. again, were pissin and moanin over less then 10% of the total price of just the tv. and more times then not, if ya do get the extended service plans you'll have greater flexability with the sales staff in negotiating special deals...


----------



## HobbyTalk (Jul 14, 2007)

Extended service plans are the largest profit center for a store. They make more on them then they do the actual sale. Why? Because the chance of a customer using them is very slim.

Failure rates are under 3% during the first 5 years. 50% of those failures happen within the first 90 days which would be covered under the standard 1 year warranty.

So if 100 are sold, the warranty brings in $400,000. Lets go WAY overboard here and say they have to completely replace 5 or those sets at a cost of $20000. They still make $380,000.

Sorry, buying a service agreement is a big mistake IMHO. The customer will always lose in the long run.


----------



## seajohn (Aug 12, 2007)

LinkNuc said:


> Agreed, the only thing you migth want (really its not a big deal) is HDMI 1.3a spec if and only if you are watching a HD source such as Blu-ray for deep color


Deep color is not included in Blu-ray's specs, nor is it in HD DVD specs. You'll have to wait for a future HDV format to watch a deep color source.


----------



## msmith198025 (Jun 28, 2007)

jpos832 said:


> ya'll slay me.. you'll spend thousands of dollars on home theatre equipment trying to get the "perfect" picture and then piss and moan about the price of cables, and even go out and buy the bargain bin specials. do ya even realize that the weakest link in any home theatre system is the cabling? i guess though, if your satisfied with the "great" PQ ya get when ya try to save a couple bucks.. more power to ya.


Look if you are going to criticize our advice at least know what you are talking about. when it comes to HDMI cables(not component, composite or, s-video) the price of the cable does NOT mean quality. Dont you think most of the people on here are giving advice based on personal experience?
:nono2:


----------



## mtnsackett (Aug 22, 2007)

msmith198025 said:


> Look if you are going to criticize our advice at least know what you are talking about. when it comes to HDMI cables(not component, composite or, s-video) the price of the cable does NOT mean quality. Dont you think most of the people on here are giving advice based on personal experience?
> :nono2:


Msmith is correct 
I have not seen anyone else post this fact but all HDMI cable makers are liscensed by the HDMI.Org the Owners of HDMI technology and must pass their testing to be on the makret. so one is just as good as the others I have a Monster cable that BB gave me with my tv and some I purchesesd from Mycablemart.com and there is No picture differance between the 2 and I have a PS# and a lg HDDVD/ blueray player


----------



## T.A.C (Apr 29, 2007)

I'm sure this has been beaten to death already... With Monster cables you will get slightly better quality of materials used; however, the difference between their product and ones found just about anywhere else are marginal at best.


----------



## tnsprin (Mar 16, 2003)

mtnsackett said:


> Msmith is correct
> I have not seen anyone else post this fact but all HDMI cable makers are liscensed by the HDMI.Org the Owners of HDMI technology and must pass their testing to be on the makret. so one is just as good as the others I have a Monster cable that BB gave me with my tv and some I purchesesd from Mycablemart.com and there is No picture differance between the 2 and I have a PS# and a lg HDDVD/ blueray player


Not all HDMI cable is certified to HDMI.org's standards, and not all certified to the same standard(class). But some excellent low price cable is.


----------



## LinkNuc (Jul 4, 2007)

seajohn said:


> Deep color is not included in Blu-ray's specs, nor is it in HD DVD specs. You'll have to wait for a future HDV format to watch a deep color source.


Actually you are correct, my bad. PS3 games have the only chance and as we have seen PS3 is pretty much an aweful video Game Console...so yeah scratch the deep color worry, my bad.


----------



## Scotty_T (Oct 30, 2007)

vlhgsd said:


> I went today to look at hdmi cables for the 722 dvr. Guy at circuit city told me to save myself the money. Says that the component cables look just as good with tv/satellite. So what's the real deal? My dvd player isn't hdmi compatible, no xbox or ps3, so do I really need one?


On my 722 dvr, the picture / sound quality is noticibly better with the HDMI cable instead of the component.


----------



## Leprechuan (Apr 18, 2007)

I need HDMI cable, I'm a bit confused.
For a 6 foot HDMI cable from Momnoprice.com what do I order?
I have seen a few different type of HDMI cable so I want to make sure I get the right one.

Also, what cable to get I get for the Digital Optical output for my current DVD player?


----------



## tnsprin (Mar 16, 2003)

Leprechuan said:


> I need HDMI cable, I'm a bit confused.
> For a 6 foot HDMI cable from Momnoprice.com what do I order?
> I have seen a few different type of HDMI cable so I want to make sure I get the right one.
> 
> Also, what cable to get I get for the Digital Optical output for my current DVD player?


Almost any they have are fine. Some are rated for in wall (do you need that). Your are probably better with some of those certified class 2 (which is recommended for newer hdmi 1.3a features, but not needed with a Dish receiver). I see they have some quite reasonable that are certified.


----------



## Leprechuan (Apr 18, 2007)

Great, but what is a TOSLink cable?
I found this HDMI 1.3a Category 2 Certified Cable 28AWG - 6ft w/Ferrite Cores (Gold Plated) - BLUE
at Monoprice.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10240&cs_id=1024008&p_id=3952&seq=1&format=2


----------



## girdnerg (May 17, 2007)

Leprechuan said:


> ....Also, what cable to get I get for the Digital Optical output for my current DVD player?


Whatever length you need from this PAGE.

Rob


----------



## Leprechuan (Apr 18, 2007)

My deepest thanks to everyone who answered my questions, I placed my order with Monoprice a little while ago.
I ordered three 6 foot HDMI cables and one TOSLink cable.
One I have the speakers and the receiver hooked uop I'll let everyone know how it sounds.

Peace,

Leprechuan


----------



## Jim5506 (Jun 7, 2004)

Toslink is the fiber-optic cable for digital audio. the T, O and S are the three companies that developed it, I believe Toshiba, Onkyo and Sony.


----------



## jpos832 (Aug 13, 2007)

msmith198025 said:


> Look if you are going to criticize our advice at least know what you are talking about. when it comes to HDMI cables(not component, composite or, s-video) the price of the cable does NOT mean quality. Dont you think most of the people on here are giving advice based on personal experience?
> :nono2:


my bad.. i didnt realize that you were an expert in all things cable. and if you had actually taken the time to read my post, you'll notice that nowhere did i say that the most expensive cables are the best, i simply stated that is was funny to me that people will spend all this money on equipment and then nickle and dime the cables. i gave no product endorsement, i just implied that you get what you pay for. by all means.. if you wanna save some money, go out and buy the cheapest cables you can find. IMHO, you get what you pay for.. spend a little bit more money, and get a cable that is well constructed with high quality materials. but what do i know.. im obviously living in a cave compared to you, and have absolutely no experience with this new fangled technology. thank you for enlightening me.


----------



## msmith198025 (Jun 28, 2007)

jpos832 said:


> my bad.. i didnt realize that you were an expert in all things cable. and if you had actually taken the time to read my post, you'll notice that nowhere did i say that the most expensive cables are the best, i simply stated that is was funny to me that people will spend all this money on equipment and then nickle and dime the cables. i gave no product endorsement, i just implied that you get what you pay for. by all means.. if you wanna save some money, go out and buy the cheapest cables you can find. IMHO, you get what you pay for.. spend a little bit more money, and get a cable that is well constructed with high quality materials. but what do i know.. im obviously living in a cave compared to you, and have absolutely no experience with this new fangled technology. thank you for enlightening me.


Actually, by saying that in your opinion you get what you pay for(and we are talking HDMI here not any other kind of cable) means you think the more expensive ones are better. Or did i misunderstand? In the case of HDMI, you are incorrect. Look around, you will be hard pressed to find anyone else on here that will back you up. 
I didnt mean to come across as overly condescending, however that was the tone of your original post and it carried over into mine.


----------



## BaldEagle (Jun 19, 2006)

Dood said:


> Looks like it is a landslide against expensive cables. The saleman at Best Buy was pushing me hard to buy a $99 Monster cable and almost had me convinced.


Sometimes the mark-up on a promotional model TV is not so good. Stores try and make up for it by selling extended warranties and overpriced cables with huge mark-ups.


----------



## BattleZone (Nov 13, 2007)

Jim5506 said:


> Toslink is the fiber-optic cable for digital audio. the T, O and S are the three companies that developed it, I believe Toshiba, Onkyo and Sony.


Actually, the TOS is short for Toshiba, which owns the registered trademark on the name "TOS-Link". But the TOS-Link design has become the standard optical cable/connector design for home consumer audio.


----------



## jrb531 (May 29, 2004)

jpos832 said:


> my bad.. i didnt realize that you were an expert in all things cable. and if you had actually taken the time to read my post, you'll notice that nowhere did i say that the most expensive cables are the best, i simply stated that is was funny to me that people will spend all this money on equipment and then nickle and dime the cables. i gave no product endorsement, i just implied that you get what you pay for. by all means.. if you wanna save some money, go out and buy the cheapest cables you can find. IMHO, you get what you pay for.. spend a little bit more money, and get a cable that is well constructed with high quality materials. but what do i know.. im obviously living in a cave compared to you, and have absolutely no experience with this new fangled technology. thank you for enlightening me.


Perhaps the reason some of us have the money to spend on an HDTV is because we do not toss money "needlessly" on things that do not matter.

I laugh my a-s off when I keep thinking that people still are thinking analog when we are in a digital world.

If, for example, you need a signal rating of 40 (made up number) to get enough of a signal for the HDTV to get 100% of the information and the $5 cable gets you 50 and the $100 cable gets you 100 then what is the real point?

It's not like we have to worry about rain storms between the box and the TV (like trying to get a better signal on the dish to account for bad weather's signal reduction) LOL

I would rather spend extra where extra means something. Last time I had someone over I was showing them my new HDTV and not bringthing them around the back of my set to show them my gold plated cables 

There is a sucker born every minute and the fact that you can take two identical cables, put one in a "standard" box and one in a "premium" box and charge $5 for one and $20 for the other... a good number of "suckers" will buy the most expensive cable... well because it's more expensive 

-JB


----------



## aim2pls (Jun 18, 2007)

jrb531 said:


> Perhaps the reason some of us have the money to spend on an HDTV is because we do not toss money "needlessly" on things that do not matter.
> 
> I laugh my a-s off when I keep thinking that people still are thinking analog when we are in a digital world.
> 
> ...


in the case of HDMI .. it's a $5.00 cable in a $89.95 box


----------



## msmith198025 (Jun 28, 2007)

aim2pls said:


> in the case of HDMI .. it's a $5.00 cable in a $89.95 box


Correct!


----------



## gwar28 (Mar 10, 2007)

What is the difference between Ferrite Cores and not having them? Is there any benefit to having them?

Thanks


----------



## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

Ferrite cores are a way of filtering noise. HDMI cables should have them and it shouldn't cost extra.

As always, dont pay more than about $3-4 a foot or you will be labeled as easy money. One WWW proprietor was blowing out 6' cables (with ferrites) in onesies quantities for under $4 (not counting shipping) last week.


----------

