How to differentiate HDMI 1.3 from other versions

[SNAP]

You and the rest of the Monster bashers are far from totally educated on this subject. I have been in the A/V business for over 15 years and have come to realize that all cables are not equal. I myself was once like you-a believer that Monster was not worth the money. I was proven wrong by conducting tests between cheap cables and Monster. I highly doubt you were able to compare two TV's next to each other using the same source with different cables. There is a difference--not only in picture quality but sound as well. The Monster HDMI cables are also manufactured by hand. Yes, this is true. I have personally witnessed the process. Also, I bet you did not know that Monster guarantees their HDMI cables for life. They guarantee that their cables will support all future technologies. If not, they will send you a brand new up-to-date cable for free!! This is no BS!!. What other cable company will do that for you???? Don't believe me, check it out. Sure you can buy a $10 HDMI cable and watch TV, but trust me you get what you pay for. Buying a cheap HDMI cable for your nice HDTV is like buying $20 tires for your BMW. Below is a link to Monster's site explaining the importance of good HDMI cables. I realize that it is from Monster, but there is a lot of good info here.......Check it out & tell me what you think. Is it all propaganda or are the correct??

http://www.monstercable.com/hdmi/advancedhdmi.asp

Originally Posted by mgonzo2u

Is that your way of saying a WAY OVERPRICED MONSTER cable provides better viewing than some other HDMI cable not named MONSTER?

Because if that is what you are trying to say, you are 100% wrong.

I bought a Sony TV so I didn't buy the cheapest HDTV on the market at the time. When the time came to buy an HDMI cable for another device I used my self taught understanding of HDMI cables to purchase a reasonably priced, far more affordable HDMI cable than anything labeled MONSTER.

That's called being an educated consumer. Nothing more, nothing less.

[Iceman_II]

Imagine that, monster having a link to the "importance" of good quality cables.

Dont get me wrong, I think quality cables like monster and others are important for transmitting analog signals, but with short (5 feet or so) cable lengths, the issues with signal degridation on digital are simply not significant... it is more important with long lengths, and much MUCH less so with shorter lengths.

[Xerious]

i buy monster... because i like monster... and that's an excellent point... why buy $20 tires for your $50k bmw... do you need expensive tires? no... you can drive on cheap tires... is it safe, prolly not, but hey, you can drive right??? i don't let best boob employees stick it to me with their monster cable mumbojumbo... i make my own choices.

[SNAP]

The HDMI400 series cables are 1.3 also.

Originally Posted by Zaphod

Monster M series M1000 and M850, also their new line the 1000hd and the 700hd are all HDMI 1.3 certified by the ISF.

There is really no way to tell which ones are 1.3 unless the manufacturer tells you.

[BStecke]

Originally Posted by SNAP

You and the rest of the Monster bashers are far from totally educated on this subject. I have been in the A/V business for over 15 years and have come to realize that all cables are not equal. I myself was once like you-a believer that Monster was not worth the money. I was proven wrong by conducting tests between cheap cables and Monster. I highly doubt you were able to compare two TV's next to each other using the same source with different cables. There is a difference--not only in picture quality but sound as well. The Monster HDMI cables are also manufactured by hand. Yes, this is true. I have personally witnessed the process. Also, I bet you did not know that Monster guarantees their HDMI cables for life. They guarantee that their cables will support all future technologies. If not, they will send you a brand new up-to-date cable for free!! This is no BS!!. What other cable company will do that for you???? Don't believe me, check it out. Sure you can buy a $10 HDMI cable and watch TV, but trust me you get what you pay for. Buying a cheap HDMI cable for your nice HDTV is like buying $20 tires for your BMW. Below is a link to Monster's site explaining the importance of good HDMI cables. I realize that it is from Monster, but there is a lot of good info here.......Check it out & tell me what you think. Is it all propaganda or are the correct??

http://www.monstercable.com/hdmi/advancedhdmi.asp

Yeah, it's still propaganda. I've tested my set, same source, calibrated with Avia, with two HDMI cables, one Monster, one Blue Jeans, and it's the same. Don't even get me started on their component cables.

[SNAP]

You are absolutely correct on that point.

Dontget me wrong, I think quality cables like monster and others are important for transmitting analog signals, but with short (5 feet or so) cable lengths, the issues with signal degridation on digital are simply not significant... it is more important with long lengths, and much MUCH less so with shorter lengths.[/QUOTE]

[SNAP]

Component.....what's that??.........lol........I do like Monster's lifetime guarantee though.

Originally Posted by BStecke

Yeah, it's still propaganda. I've tested my set, same source, calibrated with Avia, with two HDMI cables, one Monster, one Blue Jeans, and it's the same. Don't even get me started on their component cables.

[Bluray_ne1]

Originally Posted by TruBlu2

Is the PS3 HDMI 1.3 compliant?

http://formatwarcentral.com/index.ph...-have-hdmi-13/

Check this article out (You never know with some sites...they seem a little biased in favor of HD-DVD). I'm not so sure it is. It may be "1.3 Ready" (?). Apparently it only supports the "Deep Color" portion of the HDMI spec. Can it be fully compliant with firmware? Is it already compliant with a previous update?

I'm not savy enough to know if DTS-MA can be added via firmware or by hardware only. Perhaps one of you more experienced folks can help me understand. I know I'd like to know once and for all.

[tron3]

Originally Posted by BluRay_ne1

http://formatwarcentral.com/index.ph...-have-hdmi-13/

Check this article out (You never know with some sites...they seem a little biased in favor of HD-DVD). I'm not so sure it is. It may be "1.3 Ready" (?). Apparently it only supports the "Deep Color" portion of the HDMI spec. Can it be fully compliant with firmware? Is it already compliant with a previous update?

I'm not savy enough to know if DTS-MA can be added via firmware or by hardware only. Perhaps one of you more experienced folks can help me understand. I know I'd like to know once and for all.

From what I hear, probably not. That 1.3 standard may be on a chip which is not flash upgradable. On the other hand, you never know what kind of "overlay" they may produce with a flash upgrade. In short, the old 1.2 version is still there, but is over written by the firmware when it boots.

Time will tell. Besides, I if don't want people standing in front of the TV when I watch a movie, why do I want PIP commentary? To each his own.

[statikcat]

Please explain how a digital signal degrades on a 5-10ft cable. Seriously I would love to hear it. . A lot of Monster's marketing are things that sound good but really bear no or little importance in the real world and what you see/hear.. even their analog audio cables have bs marketing. Time winding alignment is a perfect example.. simple math shows this gains you nothing audible. Even Monster rep admitted to me in the past. They are durable and have a warranty you can not beat.. and that is it.

[SNAP]

A lifetime warranty is enough for me.

[reiella]

Originally Posted by turboLAZER

HDMI 1.3 is the format built into the hardware(TV, receiver, blu-ray player). any hdmi cable is capable of hdmi 1.1, 1.2, 1.3. every hdmi cable has the same number of connecting pins. So to recap, hdmi 1.3 is built into consumer electronics , not the cable.

By similar tokens, it doesn't matter if a cable is RJ5 or RJ6. It's the same connector for networks, you'll be getting gigabit ethernet over either... [ point of clarity : this is not true ]

Summary of the point, just because they use the same connector, doesn't mean they can carry the same bandwidth.

Now, the thing mentioned, in order to be an HDMI cable, the cable itself has to meet the requirements.

[CAB]

I think there is a race each Wednesday morning to open a new HDMI cable thread.

All jokes aside, I live in the data world and know from experience that all cables are not created equal. The problems in the A/V world is that there doesn't seem to be any agreement on testing. The biggest myth I hear is "it's digital so it doesn't matter about the cable. They are all the same". Nay!

Here is a decent high level article that does a decent job of explaining some of the methods used by HDMI to make sure what is sent is received.

All hype and marketing aside:

a. find a manufacturer that will stand behind the product for the specs they advertise.
b. do your own testing - see what looks and sounds best for you.
c. when running cable, avoid power lines, electric coils, florescent lighting, anything with EMI.
d. distance, EMI, and the connection points at each end are the enemy. Keep distance down, avoid EMI, and get stuff that makes good contact.
e. price your cables (as with any component) in line with the rest of your equipment. Spending $300 on a receiver then spending $600 on cables probably isn't good balance.

I have come to trust monoprice for HDMI connects and yes, I spend the extra for the 1.3 "tested" because IF I have a problem I can expect the vendor to help me. For my analog interconnects and speaker cables, I spend a bit extra and <3 Nordost's stuff because they fit both my budget and my desire for performance. They sound the best to me for what I have to spend.

Don't hate on someone else's opinion.