HDMI cable ?

[elykoj]

here's my setup:
42'sony LCD 720P.(only 1 hdmi input)
ATT UVERSE HD CABLE.
in market for BLU-RAY player.

i am going to use a hdmi switcher.APOGEE 3X1 V1.3B 1080P, 25M AMPLIFIED
(highly rated by CNET).

going to plug my blu-ray and cable box into the switcher and then one line to the TV HDMI input.

my cable lengths are short, no longer than a 6ft. cable.

should i buy standard category 1 hdmi cables or high speed category 2 hdmi cables? with my tv only being 720, will cat.2 make picture any better?

also will the hdmi switcher degrade picture at all? CNET says no.

thanks for any help...

[Hammie]

Originally Posted by elykoj

here's my setup:
42'sony LCD 720P.(only 1 hdmi input)
ATT UVERSE HD CABLE.
in market for BLU-RAY player.

i am going to use a hdmi switcher.APOGEE 3X1 V1.3B 1080P, 25M AMPLIFIED
(highly rated by CNET).

going to plug my blu-ray and cable box into the switcher and then one line to the TV HDMI input.

my cable lengths are short, no longer than a 6ft. cable.

should i buy standard category 1 hdmi cables or high speed category 2 hdmi cables? with my tv only being 720, will cat.2 make picture any better?

also will the hdmi switcher degrade picture at all? CNET says no.

thanks for any help...

My opinion is to always go Category 2 cabling. This will future-proof your setup in the event you ever upgrade anything. It should not affect the picture one way or another if you use Cat1 or Cat2 HDMI cables in your setup. It may once you go 1080p since Cat1 cables only support 720p/1080i. However, that doesn't mean that a 1080p signal cannot run through it successfully. It may very well perform just as good as a Cat2 cable. I'm just going based on standards and specs that I have read about the two cable types.

I have not used an external HDMI switcher, but I do have everything running through my receiver. I have not noticed any PQ differences.

[syncguy]

Yes, it is better to go for HDMI Category 2 cable (although Cat 1 may work in your configuration since the cable length is short). You will never know until you test the cable.

A bad quality switcher could indeed degrade the PQ. Digital PQ degradation is not like analogue. A picture with sparkles, breaking up the picture could be digital problems. Since CNET has rated this switcher high, it should be good and you should not have any problems. Otherwise you will not know until you test it.