Importance of HDMI cable?

Examinus · 12-05-2008, 18:58

Hello,

I know that the quality of SCART leads is quite important, but does the same also apply to HDMI? We're getting an HD TV delivered this weekend and I assume it doesn't come with an HDMI cable, so obviously we'll have to buy one.

I'm looking at Argos and have seen this. There is also this which is uber-cheap.

Will getting a cheapo HDMO lead reduce the quality of the picture and sound?

Thanks for any advice.

broadz · 12-05-2008, 19:02

You say the TV doesn't come with one so you assume you have to buy one. Why? What do you currently own that can output via HDMI? If it's Sky HD, that already comes with a HDMI cable. If it's an upscaling DVD player, a BluRay player or a Playstation 3 then you may well have to buy one - but don't be tempted to buy one at a more expensive price than another. They either work, or they don't. And if they work, a 99p one will give as good a quality as a £99 one. Let's face it - it's a stream of zeroes and ones being sent from one piece of kit to another.

Examinus · 12-05-2008, 19:03

We have a V+ box that didn't come with one because we didn't have an HD TV when we got it. We also have a DVD player that up-scales so we'll also need one for that.

RobAnt · 12-05-2008, 19:13

Quote:

V+ box that didn't come with one because we didn't have an HD TV when we got it.

Always ask the Virgin installer to leave ALL the leads that are included in the box. You never know when one might become useful. Plus it simply means they are returned to the depot, rather than Virgin, unused (or "acquired" by the installer).

I'm sure if you ask, Virgin would send you one if you mentioned the fact that it wasn't supplied.

Examinus · 12-05-2008, 19:15

We had it installed quite a while ago and didn't even consider asking for one.

lordladeda · 12-05-2008, 19:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Examinus

Hello,

I know that the quality of SCART leads is quite important, but does the same also apply to HDMI? We're getting an HD TV delivered this weekend and I assume it doesn't come with an HDMI cable, so obviously we'll have to buy one.

I'm looking at Argos and have seen this. There is also this which is uber-cheap.

Will getting a cheapo HDMO lead reduce the quality of the picture and sound?

Thanks for any advice.

I Bought the £9.99 one on Saturday from Argos to go with my new HDTV and it is perfect.

Examinus · 12-05-2008, 19:18

Brilliant, thanks. I think the really cheap one will be too short, so I'll go for the £10 one.

alanwarwic · 12-05-2008, 19:25

short one is about 2 1/2 feet.

I imagine quality is identical.
Gold plating is usually 99% colouring. Or am I being cynical?

LCDMAN · 12-05-2008, 20:27

The Gadget Show just did a (non-scientific) simple test but concluded there is NO DIFFERENCE between the performance of a £20 HDMI cable and a (gasp!) £120 HDMI cable. Not like them to talk sense, maybe IXOS wouldn't pay the "good-review" fee for their overpriced tat.

Or perhaps even a £3.98 or LESS (inc. VAT, and FREE next-day shipping) HDMI cable from CCL would have done?

http://www.cclonline.com/product-inf...&tid=cdlhd-002

LCDMAN

nicemms · 12-05-2008, 20:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by LCDMAN

The Gadget Show just did a (non-scientific) simple test but concluded there is NO DIFFERENCE between the performance of a £20 HDMI cable and a (gasp!) £120 HDMI cable. Not like them to talk sense, maybe IXOS wouldn't pay the "good-review" fee for their overpriced tat.

Or perhaps even a £3.98 or LESS (inc. VAT, but +shipping) HDMI cable from CCL would have done?

http://www.cclonline.com/product-inf...&tid=cdlhd-002

LCDMAN

I saw that! And nice to see another CCL shopper on DigitalSpy!

moisie · 15-05-2008, 13:51

I bought a couple of these: http://www.play.com/Electronics/Elec...U/Product.html You can get cheaper of course but I didn't want black cables (picky I know) and these have good connectors and aren't flimsy in feel, for £9.99 I feel it's a reasonable price.

atvmidlands · 15-05-2008, 22:43

You can get HDMI leads for less than a fiver on Amazon and they work fine

Trollslayer · 21-05-2008, 22:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Examinus

Hello,

I know that the quality of SCART leads is quite important, but does the same also apply to HDMI? We're getting an HD TV delivered this weekend and I assume it doesn't come with an HDMI cable, so obviously we'll have to buy one.

I'm looking at Argos and have seen this. There is also this which is uber-cheap.

Will getting a cheapo HDMO lead reduce the quality of the picture and sound?

Thanks for any advice.

It's only when you get to long lengths (say 10-15 metres) at 1080p that it is worth being careful. Otherwise it's digital - works onless you crush the cable.

alanwarwic · 21-05-2008, 23:02

another few months and they will be in Poundland.

I very much doubt that Argos pay much more than £1 for theirs.

RobAnt · 22-05-2008, 02:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by alanwarwic

short one is about 2 1/2 feet.

I imagine quality is identical.
Gold plating is usually 99% colouring. Or am I being cynical?

If it says "gold plated" then it is gold plated. To claim it is something it's not would be an offence.

Apparently the reason for using gold is to avoid premature corrosion. It's not necessarily a better conductor than some other metals, I don't think, but protection against corrosion would be a desireable attribute.

But if they're very cheap, who cares? Replacing every few years would resolve any oxidisation worries, and there are other good conductive materials, such as copper.

GratingCheese · 25-05-2008, 21:28

As digital is binary (a series of 0s and 1s) rather than waves, theres absolutely no possibility of a cheap HDMI cable giving an inferior picture. Like with digital TV, you either get a crystal clear picture or a completely mangled one - and obviously no cable would be made to give the latter as they'd all be returned.

draig goch · 01-06-2008, 23:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by alanwarwic

another few months and they will be in Poundland.

Not too far off...I've seen them in Home Bargains !

Gilbertoo · 05-06-2008, 11:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by GratingCheese

As digital is binary (a series of 0s and 1s) rather than waves, theres absolutely no possibility of a cheap HDMI cable giving an inferior picture. Like with digital TV, you either get a crystal clear picture or a completely mangled one - and obviously no cable would be made to give the latter as they'd all be returned.

On the whole, I agree. The one thing I've always wondered is this; would extra shielding on the cable make the signal less prone to interference? The reason I ask this is that with digital radio, the signal can degrade due to interference from other digital devices (i.e. digital phones)...

I wonder if a better shielded cable (therefore more expensive) would be better than the standard HDMI cable supplied?

niall campbell · 05-06-2008, 12:53

shielding on any cable is a good idea.......... so as well as picking up interference it doesnt SEND as well

however how much to pay is a personal choice

Q. What are the advantages of HDMI over existing analog video interfaces such as composite, S-Video and component video?
Quality: Because HDMI is a digital interface, it provides the best quality of the video since there are no lossy analog to digital conversions as are required for all analog connections (such as component or S-video). The difference is especially noticeable at higher resolutions such as 1080p. Digital video will be sharper than component, and eliminates the softness and ghosting found with component. Small, high contrast details such as text bring this difference out the most.

http://hdmi.com/learningcenter/faq.aspx#3

niall campbell · 05-06-2008, 12:56

and then the speed of cable? Does it make a difference........ I dont know

Q. What is the difference between a “Standard” HDMI cable and a “High-Speed” HDMI cable?
Recently, HDMI Licensing, LLC announced that cables would be tested as Standard or High-Speed cables.

Standard (or “category 1”) cables have been tested to perform at speeds of 75Mhz, which is the equivalent of a 1080i signal.
High Speed (or “category 2”) cables have been tested to perform at speeds of 340Mhz, which is the highest bandwidth currently available over an HDMI cable and can successfully handle 1080p signals including those at increased color depths and/or increased refresh rates. High-Speed cables are also able to accommodate higher resolution displays, such as WQXGA cinema monitors (resolution of 2560 x 1600).

12-05-2008, 18:58	#1
Examinus Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 16,994	Importance of HDMI cable? Hello, I know that the quality of SCART leads is quite important, but does the same also apply to HDMI? We're getting an HD TV delivered this weekend and I assume it doesn't come with an HDMI cable, so obviously we'll have to buy one. I'm looking at Argos and have seen this. There is also this which is uber-cheap. Will getting a cheapo HDMO lead reduce the quality of the picture and sound? Thanks for any advice.

12-05-2008, 19:02	#2
broadz Banned User Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 2,313	You say the TV doesn't come with one so you assume you have to buy one. Why? What do you currently own that can output via HDMI? If it's Sky HD, that already comes with a HDMI cable. If it's an upscaling DVD player, a BluRay player or a Playstation 3 then you may well have to buy one - but don't be tempted to buy one at a more expensive price than another. They either work, or they don't. And if they work, a 99p one will give as good a quality as a £99 one. Let's face it - it's a stream of zeroes and ones being sent from one piece of kit to another.

12-05-2008, 19:03	#3
Examinus Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 16,994	We have a V+ box that didn't come with one because we didn't have an HD TV when we got it. We also have a DVD player that up-scales so we'll also need one for that.

12-05-2008, 19:13	#4
RobAnt Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: South West Posts: 10,218	Quote: V+ box that didn't come with one because we didn't have an HD TV when we got it. Always ask the Virgin installer to leave ALL the leads that are included in the box. You never know when one might become useful. Plus it simply means they are returned to the depot, rather than Virgin, unused (or "acquired" by the installer). I'm sure if you ask, Virgin would send you one if you mentioned the fact that it wasn't supplied.

12-05-2008, 19:15	#5
Examinus Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 16,994	We had it installed quite a while ago and didn't even consider asking for one.

12-05-2008, 19:16	#6
lordladeda Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: St Ives-Cornwall Posts: 71	Quote: Originally Posted by Examinus Hello, I know that the quality of SCART leads is quite important, but does the same also apply to HDMI? We're getting an HD TV delivered this weekend and I assume it doesn't come with an HDMI cable, so obviously we'll have to buy one. I'm looking at Argos and have seen this. There is also this which is uber-cheap. Will getting a cheapo HDMO lead reduce the quality of the picture and sound? Thanks for any advice. I Bought the £9.99 one on Saturday from Argos to go with my new HDTV and it is perfect.

12-05-2008, 19:18	#7
Examinus Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 16,994	Brilliant, thanks. I think the really cheap one will be too short, so I'll go for the £10 one.

12-05-2008, 19:25	#8
alanwarwic Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: the wild world web Posts: 28,132	short one is about 2 1/2 feet. I imagine quality is identical. Gold plating is usually 99% colouring. Or am I being cynical?

12-05-2008, 20:27	#9
LCDMAN Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Yorkshire, God's County Posts: 5,182	The Gadget Show just did a (non-scientific) simple test but concluded there is NO DIFFERENCE between the performance of a £20 HDMI cable and a (gasp!) £120 HDMI cable. Not like them to talk sense, maybe IXOS wouldn't pay the "good-review" fee for their overpriced tat. Or perhaps even a £3.98 or LESS (inc. VAT, and FREE next-day shipping) HDMI cable from CCL would have done? http://www.cclonline.com/product-inf...&tid=cdlhd-002 LCDMAN

12-05-2008, 20:43	#10
nicemms Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 769	Quote: Originally Posted by LCDMAN The Gadget Show just did a (non-scientific) simple test but concluded there is NO DIFFERENCE between the performance of a £20 HDMI cable and a (gasp!) £120 HDMI cable. Not like them to talk sense, maybe IXOS wouldn't pay the "good-review" fee for their overpriced tat. Or perhaps even a £3.98 or LESS (inc. VAT, but +shipping) HDMI cable from CCL would have done? http://www.cclonline.com/product-inf...&tid=cdlhd-002 LCDMAN I saw that! And nice to see another CCL shopper on DigitalSpy!

15-05-2008, 13:51	#11
moisie Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Herts Posts: 2,378	I bought a couple of these: http://www.play.com/Electronics/Elec...U/Product.html You can get cheaper of course but I didn't want black cables (picky I know) and these have good connectors and aren't flimsy in feel, for £9.99 I feel it's a reasonable price.

15-05-2008, 22:43	#12
atvmidlands Banned User Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bedfordshire Posts: 1,274	You can get HDMI leads for less than a fiver on Amazon and they work fine

21-05-2008, 22:14	#13
Trollslayer Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 6	Quote: Originally Posted by Examinus Hello, I know that the quality of SCART leads is quite important, but does the same also apply to HDMI? We're getting an HD TV delivered this weekend and I assume it doesn't come with an HDMI cable, so obviously we'll have to buy one. I'm looking at Argos and have seen this. There is also this which is uber-cheap. Will getting a cheapo HDMO lead reduce the quality of the picture and sound? Thanks for any advice. It's only when you get to long lengths (say 10-15 metres) at 1080p that it is worth being careful. Otherwise it's digital - works onless you crush the cable.

21-05-2008, 23:02	#14
alanwarwic Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: the wild world web Posts: 28,132	another few months and they will be in Poundland. I very much doubt that Argos pay much more than £1 for theirs.

22-05-2008, 02:54	#15
RobAnt Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: South West Posts: 10,218	Quote: Originally Posted by alanwarwic short one is about 2 1/2 feet. I imagine quality is identical. Gold plating is usually 99% colouring. Or am I being cynical? If it says "gold plated" then it is gold plated. To claim it is something it's not would be an offence. Apparently the reason for using gold is to avoid premature corrosion. It's not necessarily a better conductor than some other metals, I don't think, but protection against corrosion would be a desireable attribute. But if they're very cheap, who cares? Replacing every few years would resolve any oxidisation worries, and there are other good conductive materials, such as copper.

25-05-2008, 21:28	#16
GratingCheese Inactive Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 2,485	As digital is binary (a series of 0s and 1s) rather than waves, theres absolutely no possibility of a cheap HDMI cable giving an inferior picture. Like with digital TV, you either get a crystal clear picture or a completely mangled one - and obviously no cable would be made to give the latter as they'd all be returned.

01-06-2008, 23:07	#17
draig goch Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Cymru Posts: 1,122	Quote: Originally Posted by alanwarwic another few months and they will be in Poundland. Not too far off...I've seen them in Home Bargains !

05-06-2008, 11:16	#18
Gilbertoo Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 19,059	Quote: Originally Posted by GratingCheese As digital is binary (a series of 0s and 1s) rather than waves, theres absolutely no possibility of a cheap HDMI cable giving an inferior picture. Like with digital TV, you either get a crystal clear picture or a completely mangled one - and obviously no cable would be made to give the latter as they'd all be returned. On the whole, I agree. The one thing I've always wondered is this; would extra shielding on the cable make the signal less prone to interference? The reason I ask this is that with digital radio, the signal can degrade due to interference from other digital devices (i.e. digital phones)... I wonder if a better shielded cable (therefore more expensive) would be better than the standard HDMI cable supplied?

05-06-2008, 12:53	#19
niall campbell Forum Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Aberfeldy Posts: 7,035	shielding on any cable is a good idea.......... so as well as picking up interference it doesnt SEND as well however how much to pay is a personal choice Q. What are the advantages of HDMI over existing analog video interfaces such as composite, S-Video and component video? Quality: Because HDMI is a digital interface, it provides the best quality of the video since there are no lossy analog to digital conversions as are required for all analog connections (such as component or S-video). The difference is especially noticeable at higher resolutions such as 1080p. Digital video will be sharper than component, and eliminates the softness and ghosting found with component. Small, high contrast details such as text bring this difference out the most. http://hdmi.com/learningcenter/faq.aspx#3

05-06-2008, 12:56	#20
niall campbell Forum Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Aberfeldy Posts: 7,035	and then the speed of cable? Does it make a difference........ I dont know Q. What is the difference between a “Standard” HDMI cable and a “High-Speed” HDMI cable? Recently, HDMI Licensing, LLC announced that cables would be tested as Standard or High-Speed cables. Standard (or “category 1”) cables have been tested to perform at speeds of 75Mhz, which is the equivalent of a 1080i signal. High Speed (or “category 2”) cables have been tested to perform at speeds of 340Mhz, which is the highest bandwidth currently available over an HDMI cable and can successfully handle 1080p signals including those at increased color depths and/or increased refresh rates. High-Speed cables are also able to accommodate higher resolution displays, such as WQXGA cinema monitors (resolution of 2560 x 1600).

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Importance of HDMI cable?