HDMI Cables

[LUkassZ]

Originally Posted by Bravoxena

From what I've read here, an HDMI cable will either work or it wont.

The "best" Monster cable claims to transfer at 10.2 gbps. If that is gigabits, then 10.2 gbps = 1.28 gBps (gigaBYTES per second).

The "best" Monster cable would be transfering a completly full 50GB blu-ray disc in less than a minute. That sounds unnecessary to me.

As I said, if your Wal-Mart cable is working without problems, then you are getting the most out of your PS3.

thats what i figured. It's just so much fun to buy new accessories for the home theater I was kind of hoping you would say the monster is worth it.

[Durentis]

Originally Posted by LUkassZ

... I was kind of hoping you would say the monster is worth it.

No.

And you can save yourself even more over Wal-mart prices by ordering online at monoprice.com.

[My_Two_Cents]

One of the many informative quotes from dobyblue:

Here is Blu-ray Disc:

Let's look at uncompressed 1080p24 on Blu-ray Disc with 24-bit True Colour, representing the current encodings.

1920 * 1080 = 2073600 number of pixels
2073600 * 24 = 49766400 (8-bit color)
49766400 * 24 = 1194393600 (24 frames per second)
1194393600 / 8 = 149299200 convert to bytes/sec
149299200 / 1024 = 145800 convert to KB/sec
145800 / 1024 = 142.3828 convert to MB/sec

That's 1100 Mbps you would need for uncompressed 4:2:0 1080p24, as found on Blu-ray.
Add in the maximum possible audio rate, which is uncompressed 5.1 24/192 = 27.648 Mbps
That’s 1127.648 Mbps you’d need currently for the maximum uncompressed Blu-ray feed.
That converts to 1.10121875 Gbps for uncompressed 4:2:0 1080p24 with maximum PCM audio.
That means Monster’s lowest cable is still over twice as fast as they’re claiming you need for 720p/1080i without lossless multi-channel audio and it not Cat2 certified.

Cat1 = 2.25Gbps
1080p24 is 1.10Gbps

If your player outputs (upscales) 1080p24 with 36-bit deep colour (12-bit) you're still at only 1.66Gbps for 1080p24.

All of monoprice's category 1 cables should pass 1080p24 from Blu-ray. This has been shown in tests time and time again.

Even if you set your player to output at 1080p60 you're still only at 2.78Gbps.

http://www.audioholics.com/education...ion-conclusion

NEVER believe the Monster marketing hype.

[liquidice]

Originally Posted by Ricshoe

All wires? I know you're supposed to cross over power lines/cables at 90 degrees

whoa whoa whoa...what's this 90 degrees crap. I haven't heard of this before, I just try not to let my power touch the audio and that's it. Should I be doing more?

Crack, your gonna call me a sceptic, but the gauge of the cable, and this damn "catagory 2" thing is driving me up a wall! I fell like if I pull the trigger on anything less than 24 awg, and cat 2, then I'm gonna miss out on something...like I'll always be looking for errors. It's a mental thing I can't get over.

[JimboTHX1138]

Monsters speed ratings are a load of rubbish. It's all just marketing spiel when it comes to Monster.

There 500 series cable is rated at 2.23gbps which they claim supports only 720p/1080i. Fact is that it's also enough to pass 1080p24 and infact if you buy the 500 series cable in a short length it can do everything that there 1000 series cable can do.
http://www.audioholics.com/education...esting-results

Also Monster aren't even listed as an HDMI adopter.
http://hdmi.org/learningcenter/adopters_founders.aspx

And lastly, they are just a bully in the industry the way they are with there frivolous law suits, i'd urge you to stay away from Monster and not to give them a cent. Buy from Monoprice or Blue Jeans.

[brett_day]

not hype guys really, as much as i hate monster and in no way support them all they are doing is this...

instead of putting what version the cable is like:

HDMI version 1.1
HDMI version 1.2
HDMI version 1.3

They are just putting the speeds at which they operate. each of the 3 speeds the op posted are relevant to the 3 HDMI versions that are available. So not hype, just monsters way of making themselves sound better

As a consumer who might be ill informed about HDMI they would feel better about spending $200 on a cable that is worth $5 when they see that it works at 10.2Gbps

and on a closing note

http://www.monoprice.com

[CasualKiller]

HDMI cables don't have version numbers, the numbers refer to internal testing and QA issues etc.

Q. What is the difference between HDMI 1.3 and HDMI 1.3a, or 1.3b?

For consumers, there is no difference between HDMI version 1.3 and 1.3a or 1.3b. These minor revisions to the specification typically relate to manufacturing or testing issues and do not impact features or functionality. In addition, HDMI Licensing, LLC is actively working with manufacturers to reduce confusion for consumers by de-emphasizing version numbers and focusing instead on product features and functionality.

For Adopters, the latest HDMI Specification is v1.3a and the latest HDMI Compliance Test Specification

http://hdmi.org/learningcenter/faq.aspx#112

As for cable speeds there really are only 2:

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).

[My_Two_Cents]

Originally Posted by brett_day

not hype guys really

Yes, Brett, it's hype. They're posting speeds, but they're also making false/misleading claims. This was the other post I was looking for that better describes Monster's claims:

Originally Posted by dobyblue

Why is this nonsense getting posted?
What 12-bit sources are you watching?

Blu-ray is 48 Mbps. What HDMI cable can't handle that within 25ft?

75Mhz is still 2.25 Gbps which is 2,304 Mbps or 48 times faster than Blu-ray Disc's maximum data rate.

Here's Monster's chart:



Even Monster's graph shows that their LOWEST cable offering can handle everything Blu-ray Disc has to offer.

It's just sad that they label that their lowest cable is only capable of 720p/1080i, not capable of 120Hz and not capable of dts-ma/TrueHD when we all know it is perfectly capable of transporting it - it's well above a high bitrate Blu-ray encode with lossless 7.1 audio.

They list their standard cable as handling 2.25 Gbps, which again is 48 time faster than Blu-ray's maximum a/v rate! They're fooling people by giving what would seem to be UNCOMPRESSED specs for video transmission.

[crackinhedz]

Originally Posted by liquidice

Crack, your gonna call me a sceptic, but the gauge of the cable, and this damn "catagory 2" thing is driving me up a wall! I fell like if I pull the trigger on anything less than 24 awg, and cat 2, then I'm gonna miss out on something...like I'll always be looking for errors. It's a mental thing I can't get over.

well, for one thing...24awg is thick as hell. If you're only running a few feet (I always say 10ft or less), 28awg is just fine.

...if you were missing something, you would know it.

[crackinhedz]

I would buy ANY/ALL hdmi cables from monoprice.

[crackinhedz]

you can also consider:

BJC Series-F2 Belden Bonded-Pair HDMI Cables

another fair priced, quality cable.

[LUkassZ]

So with this said straight from HDMI.org considering I have a two+ year old HDMI cable from wal-mart, is it likely that its standard and I'm not getting true 1080p??


As for cable speeds there really are only 2:

Quote:
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).
__________________

[brett_day]

Originally Posted by arsnlrob

If anyone's interested, I have a couple spare white 15 ft. HDMI 1.3a cables available for $10 + shipping. I got them from monoprice but waited too long to return them. They're $25/ea from monoprice. PM if interested.

how much for shipping?

[LUkassZ]

Originally Posted by Ricshoe

All wires? I know you're supposed to cross over power lines/cables at 90 degrees, but what about, say, component cables over HDMI cables? Or speaker wire over S-video? BTW, the back of my rack looks just like yours!

this is something you have to worry about when using dc power, ie installing car audio amplifiers. Its not an issue with ac power.

[JimboTHX1138]

Originally Posted by LUkassZ

So with this said straight from HDMI.org considering I have a two+ year old HDMI cable from wal-mart, is it likely that its standard and I'm not getting true 1080p??


As for cable speeds there really are only 2:

Quote:
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).
__________________

No, you're fine. The standard cables can handle 1080p24 and if it's not too long should be able to handle 1080p60 as well. If you are getting a picture with no obvious problems you are getting 1080p and the cable you have is fine.

[liquidice]

Originally Posted by LUkassZ

this is something you have to worry about when using dc power, ie installing car audio amplifiers. Its not an issue with ac power.

Really?...I thought you were supposed to keep them seperate due to possible interferance issues.

[liquidice]

all of the BJC Series-2 HDMI Cables are on clearance at bluejeanscable due to discontinuation. Here is the link

http://bluejeanscable.com/store/hdmi...rance-sale.htm

[CasualKiller]

This is not true, I had this argument with a friend so I went to Costco and Picked up a generic HDMI cable.

I have a "display" button on my remote that shows you what signal you are receiving.

I first plugged in my Monoprice cable, 1080p, then a generic PS3 cable I bought in a kit, 1080p, then the Costco cable.... 1080i. We then tested his 9 dollar cable he bought at Canadian Superstore, 1080i.

While some category 1 cables can indeed pass 1080p you are not guaranteed that every cable you purchase will be able too. Save yourself the worry and just spend the 3 dollars on a category 2 cable.

[crackinhedz]

Originally Posted by liquidice

all of the BJC Series-2 HDMI Cables are on clearance at bluejeanscable due to discontinuation. Here is the link

http://bluejeanscable.com/store/hdmi...rance-sale.htm

those are the chinese made...the other one I mentioned are made in the USA.

[liquidice]

Originally Posted by crackinhedz

those are the chinese made...the other one I mentioned are made in the USA.

shoot, I'm down with China man! They probably made my plasma!...and no I'm not going to check for sure, but something tells me you are!