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Watchdog BBC1 Tonight (20140604) HDMI leads |
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#76 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Nailsworth, Gloucestershire
Posts: 10,402
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AlanO;73178659
£30 for a 1.5m Optical cable [url http://www.richersounds.com/product/av-interconnects/audioquest/forest-optical-1.5m/audi-forest-opt-1.5m[/url]
The problem is that anything that involves any form of digital technology instantly sounds complicated and very technical and so it is too easy for the salesperson to baffle the "average" punter with plausible-sounding BS. |
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#77 |
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Reading
Posts: 27,902
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Quote:
I think it is relative, though.
If you are in the fortunate position of buying a system costing hundreds of thousands of pounds you're probably not going to worry that a mains lead costs £3000 or whatever. However for the rest of us in the real world it does matter. Just because it has been cryogenically treated and has some nice wooden blocks that do sod all in the lead?
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#78 |
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Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Nailsworth, Gloucestershire
Posts: 10,402
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Quote:
But why on earth would anyone waste 3 grand on a mains lead that does nothing one costing 3 quid does equally well?
Just because it has been cryogenically treated and has some nice wooden blocks that do sod all in the lead? ![]() |
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#79 |
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 5,007
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Quote:
I have never understood why so many on this forum have an issue with gold or silver plated connectors.
![]() The one problem with copper is that when exposed to the air it tanishes and corrodes. Gold and silver don't. Therefore for any electrical equipment connector it is eminently more sensible to use a thin coating of gold or silver as it prevents any problems in the future due to corrosion of the copper wires. |
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#80 |
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,438
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I bought a Poundland Signalex HDMI cable last week to go with my new Toshiba Blu-ray player. There really is no notable difference in the picture quality compared to the Alba one I use with my PS3. I guess some people just have more money than sense.
As a footnote, I notice Poundland have recently started selling Belkin SCART leads. Good value for a brand name lead. Good quality SCART leads DO make a difference, however. |
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#81 |
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Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: North Derbyshire
Posts: 41,783
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Quote:
Good quality SCART leads DO make a difference, however.
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#82 |
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,438
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Quote:
The operative word there is 'good' - which isn't the same as 'expensive' - there's no need for a good SCART lead to cost more than £5.
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#83 |
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Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: North Derbyshire
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Quote:
The cheap ones with thin cabling-or "shielding", I believe it's called-have a rather fuzzy picture over thicker cabled ones which work just fine.
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#84 |
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Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Darn Sarf
Posts: 28,728
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Quote:
But why on earth would anyone waste 3 grand on a mains lead that does nothing one costing 3 quid does equally well?
Just because it has been cryogenically treated and has some nice wooden blocks that do sod all in the lead? ![]() Baffled of Bournemouth |
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#85 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,901
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Quote:
Yes, they are all instructed to sell expensive leads at any cost - as it's a BIG money maker.
Where they might make only 10-20% profit selling you a TV, they will make 500%+ on an expensive (and pointless) lead. And how about Independents such as the one you work for? Does your employer sell a cheap HDMI lead comparable to the price on Amazon? Or is the cheapest HDMI lead well over £ 10? And do they stock 'premium' HDMI leads and try to up-sell customers to them? I'm not disputing there is up-selling in the electricals market, I am contesting that Currys are the only place which do it. Funnily enough its one area where Argos & the supermarkets can claim innocence, because of their self-serve nature, so it's down to the customer to choose what lead to buy. |
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#86 |
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Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Nottingham
Posts: 5,539
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Quote:
Are you seriously saying that Currys is any more prone to this than John Lewis or Richer Sounds?
And how about Independents such as the one you work for? Does your employer sell a cheap HDMI lead comparable to the price on Amazon? Or is the cheapest HDMI lead well over £ 10? And do they stock 'premium' HDMI leads and try to up-sell customers to them? I'm not disputing there is up-selling in the electricals market, I am contesting that Currys are the only place which do it. Funnily enough its one area where Argos & the supermarkets can claim innocence, because of their self-serve nature, so it's down to the customer to choose what lead to buy. Not sure about supermarkets, They could potentially try to sell expensive cables if a customer enquired about a TV with staff in the electrical department, but have not heard of this happening. |
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#87 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 11,688
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Quote:
I have never understood why so many on this forum have an issue with gold or silver plated connectors.
![]() The one problem with copper is that when exposed to the air it tanishes and corrodes. Gold and silver don't. |
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#88 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: North Derbyshire
Posts: 41,783
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Quote:
Are you seriously saying that Currys is any more prone to this than John Lewis or Richer Sounds?
Quote:
And how about Independents such as the one you work for? Does your employer sell a cheap HDMI lead comparable to the price on Amazon? Or is the cheapest HDMI lead well over £ 10? And do they stock 'premium' HDMI leads and try to up-sell customers to them? Quote:
I'm not disputing there is up-selling in the electricals market, I am contesting that Currys are the only place which do it. |
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#89 |
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Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Nailsworth, Gloucestershire
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Quote:
Silver tarnishes (goes black), gold doesn't. However unless the sockets on your TV or STB are gold plated as well there is no point in the lead being plated.
Go in to any telecoms or IT equipment room and you will not find a single copper connector pin, they are all either gold or silver plated for that reason. |
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#90 |
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 5,007
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Quote:
Go in to any telecoms or IT equipment room and you will not find a single copper connector pin, they are all either gold or silver plated for that reason. |
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#91 |
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Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Nailsworth, Gloucestershire
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Quote:
Well when I worked for ntl (now VM), pins were certainly not copper, much too soft, but the were not gold or silver plated either.
however it is an argument in semantics. The reality is that pins and connectors are always either a non-tarnish, or tarnish resistant, material, for the precise reason that copper does corrode and tarnish easily when exposed to the atmosphere. |
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#92 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: North Derbyshire
Posts: 41,783
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Quote:
Really? You have never used BT Type 43 connectors? They are almost always gold plated.
however it is an argument in semantics. The reality is that pins and connectors are always either a non-tarnish, or tarnish resistant, material, for the precise reason that copper does corrode and tarnish easily when exposed to the atmosphere. |
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#93 |
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Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: North Devon
Posts: 1,568
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Yep, most connectors are tin plated. If they look silver, it's really tin. If it looks gold, then it's a very thin gold coating.
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