This HDMI thing

[solediavolo]

Sorry for what might be a dumb newby question, but I searched and didn't really find the answer I was looking for.

You guys have sold me on buying the cheaper HDMI cables and avoiding the Monster scam(thanks). I've noted I should go to a website like Monoprice. What I seem to be lost on is all the choices on Monoprice. The ranges and choices are more than a newby like me can understand, I guess.

I just got a Denon 889 and a Sony550 player and am stuck having to do a 20 ft run, so cost and quality signal is an issue. Which exact HDMI cables on Monoprice am I going to be happy with in meeting my cost and quality concerns?

Thanks!

[obiwopkenobi62]

Here's a link at Amazon. I have purchased the ones from DVI and Eforcity. Great cheap cables. They're all about the same.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw...bles&x=18&y=20

I bought those 6 footers(the first ones you'll see). They work great and were like 1.79 each. Hope that helps.

[crackinhedz]

3ft

6ft

10ft

15ft

25ft

[solediavolo]

obiwopkenobi62, you showed a 6 footer. I need 20 footers. I understand Monster is overated, but am I to assume that any of those cheap cables will work at 20' in length. crackinhedz gave me links to more expensive cables, and I guess this is where my confusion lies. The cables he linked are cheaper than the Monster, but the 25 footer is still $57 for one. That adds up to a lot of money by the time I hook everything up (For the record my receiver is on the other side of the room from my tv. There's really no way around that.)

Is part of the issue that I need the 1.3a Category 2 Certified?

[crackinhedz]

Originally Posted by solediavolo

crackinhedz gave me links to more expensive cables

well, they have a cheaper 25 footer.

the more expensive cable is silver plated copper...which may or may not provide benefit...but for longer runs, it couldn't hurt.

They also have a 20 footer.

[lewis77]

I dont know if I would completely discard Monster HDMI cables. I work at Circuit City and we have used cheaper Nexxtech HDMI cables and compared them to the higher end Monster HDMI cables and I can honestly say that I have personally seen a difference. Was it worth twice the price??? ummm......if your already spending a good amount of money (as you have) why not spend more on the higher end cable and rest assured you got the best? The monster 1000 series is 1.3a certified so you can get the high def. audio (albeit your denon has the 1.3a cabailities) and it comes with the Monster Cable for Life program. The only problem with Monster that I forsee (other than price) is that they are pretty limited with the longer lengths.

[JasonR]

^^^ It's called placebo effect. What kind of difference did you see exactly? Monster for Life? I could just buy another cable and still not spend nearly as much as a Monster cable costs...

http://reviews.cnet.com/hdmi-cable/?...content;rb_mtx

Expensive cables aren't worth it

If you walk into your typical electronics store to buy an HDMI cable, you're likely to see prices upward of $50 with promises of better performance and faster speeds. Do you really need to spend that much money on a single HDMI cable?


Absolutely not--those cables are a rip-off. You should never pay more than $10 for a standard six-foot HDMI cable. And despite what salesmen and manufacturers might tell you, there's no meaningful difference between the $10 cable and the $50 cable. Unless you see something obvious, such as dropouts or a flashing screen, the digital information transmitted by both cables is exactly the same--no cable can make the picture any better or any worse. We've used cables from many different companies in the past--such as Belkin, Accell, Monoprice, Monster, and SimplayHD--and have not run into any consistent issues with any brand of cable. With working cables and solid connections, we've seen no dropouts and "sparklies"--just consistent, dependable, high-quality audio and video. It's that simple.

[crackinhedz]

lewis77...

you have a lot of catching up to do my friend.

[plowmanjoe]

Originally Posted by lewis77

I dont know if I would completely discard Monster HDMI cables. I work at Circuit City and we have used cheaper Nexxtech HDMI cables and compared them to the higher end Monster HDMI cables and I can honestly say that I have personally seen a difference. Was it worth twice the price??? ummm......if your already spending a good amount of money (as you have) why not spend more on the higher end cable and rest assured you got the best? The monster 1000 series is 1.3a certified so you can get the high def. audio (albeit your denon has the 1.3a cabailities) and it comes with the Monster Cable for Life program. The only problem with Monster that I forsee (other than price) is that they are pretty limited with the longer lengths.

you sound just like the circuit city guy that tried talking me into buying a monster hdmi cable.

[lewis77]

I dont need to tell what difference I seen. Just know that I personally saw a difference. Does that mean you would? Absolutely not. Nobody on this specific forum makes or has designed an HDMI cable (ok that is a bit of an assumption but I'm guessing that If any of us could, we would be doing something else than posting on a forum, ha), so none of us are EXPERTS! we are novices that have first hand experience with the products and can forumalte our own opinions. Just as I had done. So is it really fair to say

"And despite what salesmen and manufacturers might tell you, there's no meaningful difference between the $10 cable and the $50 cable. Unless you see something obvious, such as dropouts or a flashing screen, the digital information transmitted by both cables is exactly the same--no cable can make the picture any better or any worse." ??????

Anyway- back to the original poster----pick and HDMI cable and be happy with it. Do your own research and choose the right cable for you. Don't let any of these posts be the "voice of God" so to speak. I seen a difference in PQ from one brand to another and maybe you would as well. Best of luck

[JasonR]

I was waiting for, "It made my 0s and 1s razor sharp!!!"

[solediavolo]

Originally Posted by lewis77

I dont need to tell what difference I seen. Just know that I personally saw a difference. Does that mean you would? Absolutely not. Nobody on this specific forum makes or has designed an HDMI cable (ok that is a bit of an assumption but I'm guessing that If any of us could, we would be doing something else than posting on a forum, ha), so none of us are EXPERTS! we are novices that have first hand experience with the products and can forumalte our own opinions. Just as I had done. So is it really fair to say

"And despite what salesmen and manufacturers might tell you, there's no meaningful difference between the $10 cable and the $50 cable. Unless you see something obvious, such as dropouts or a flashing screen, the digital information transmitted by both cables is exactly the same--no cable can make the picture any better or any worse." ??????

Anyway- back to the original poster----pick and HDMI cable and be happy with it. Do your own research and choose the right cable for you. Don't let any of these posts be the "voice of God" so to speak. I seen a difference in PQ from one brand to another and maybe you would as well. Best of luck

Not sure where you would have reasoned that I'm letting any of these posters be the voice of God, or whatever. Do some research here, have an open mind and read some of the threads that link to professional websites where actual tests have been done to prove there is no difference.

To be honest, I think you've let them brainswash you a bit. On that end, after reading so many threads here on the subject I went to Best Buy and watched a worker do the same as you in trying to convince a customer about Monster. What some here might find entertaining is when the BB worker was distracted by something part way through his demonstration I sneaked over and switched the wires. I pulled his customer aside later in the store and told him that he was just sold on cheaper cable being better than Monster. I'm willing to bet that if someone here did a blind compartive test between the HDMI's they've used and your Monster, you wouldn't have a clue which was which. Let someone here that lives near you test you, and guess Monster every time, then I'll be impressed.

Anyway, I spent all that time writing this so I wouldn't have to waste any more of my time on dealing with this thread's hijacking. My decision has been made to not buy into the scam that is Monster, and instead refine my decision on some company not intending to rip me off.

[Kryptron]

Originally Posted by JasonR

I was waiting for, "It made my 0s and 1s razor sharp!!!"

That quote is Legendary! can i use it as my signature?

[JasonR]

Originally Posted by Kryptron

That quote is Legendary! can i use it as my signature?

Go for it.

[emacs]

Originally Posted by lewis77

The monster 1000 series is 1.3a certified so you can get the high def. audio ...

the PCM audio bandwidth for HDMI as not changed since version 1.0 so all HDMI certified cables can carry lossless (i.e., high def) audio as PCM

[swedefense59]

I am growing very tired of people out there saying there is no difference between all these cables. Feel free to do any research about the HDMI technology itself and you will find that it can operate upon different bandwidths. One effect is very noticeable when comparing HDMI cables. It is called banding. Take a picture with very gradual color change (a sunset for example) and you will find that the monster cable displays a larger array of color. Thus at no specific point on the screen will you be able to pinpoint a color change. With this being said, the difference is still small. But if you want to get full quality out of your new high end television, you have to burn a hole in your pocket because there is a ton of mark-up on these high-end cables. Unfortunately this is the way our market is, because nobody other than Monster has the interest in creating high end HDMI cables. If someone did you would see the prices drop to a more reasonable range.

Summary: There is a difference between Monster and the rest but it is small. If you purchased a higher end television and want the full quality then succumb to the higher price and buy the cable. If its a mediocre television or lower end, you are in no position to pay anything more than $10 for an HDMI cable.

[My_Two_Cents]

Originally Posted by swedefense59

I am growing very tired of people out there saying there is no difference between all these cables. Feel free to do any research about the HDMI technology itself and you will find that it can operate upon different bandwidths. One effect is very noticeable when comparing HDMI cables. It is called banding. Take a picture with very gradual color change (a sunset for example) and you will find that the monster cable displays a larger array of color. Thus at no specific point on the screen will you be able to pinpoint a color change. With this being said, the difference is still small. But if you want to get full quality out of your new high end television, you have to burn a hole in your pocket because there is a ton of mark-up on these high-end cables. Unfortunately this is the way our market is, because nobody other than Monster has the interest in creating high end HDMI cables. If someone did you would see the prices drop to a more reasonable range.

Summary: There is a difference between Monster and the rest but it is small. If you purchased a higher end television and want the full quality then succumb to the higher price and buy the cable. If its a mediocre television or lower end, you are in no position to pay anything more than $10 for an HDMI cable.

LOL.

You joined just to make that statement? You obviously have a lot to learn, my friend. See the following thread/video and then try to tell folks that Monster cables are better....

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=81061

As one of the posters stated: Consumer 1, Monster 0

[ryoohki]

The higher the run, the bigger the cable need to be to ensure that the voltage will run trought the cable. Lower AVG = Bigger cable. Get the 22 if they made it or the 24..

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by swedefense59

I am growing very tired of people out there saying there is no difference between all these cables. Feel free to do any research about the HDMI technology itself and you will find that it can operate upon different bandwidths. One effect is very noticeable when comparing HDMI cables. It is called banding. Take a picture with very gradual color change (a sunset for example) and you will find that the monster cable displays a larger array of color. Thus at no specific point on the screen will you be able to pinpoint a color change. With this being said, the difference is still small. But if you want to get full quality out of your new high end television, you have to burn a hole in your pocket because there is a ton of mark-up on these high-end cables. Unfortunately this is the way our market is, because nobody other than Monster has the interest in creating high end HDMI cables. If someone did you would see the prices drop to a more reasonable range.

Summary: There is a difference between Monster and the rest but it is small. If you purchased a higher end television and want the full quality then succumb to the higher price and buy the cable. If its a mediocre television or lower end, you are in no position to pay anything more than $10 for an HDMI cable.

You really don't know what you're talking about.
The banding has nothing to do with the cable, it has to do with the source.

The cable just passes what's being sent to it.

Category 1 cables - 2.25Gbps
Category 2 cables - 10.2Gbps
1080p24 = 1.10Gbps
Hence all cables at 10ft will pass 1080p with lossless audio.

Cables don't have built in processors.

The bolded part of your statment is the most ill informed. There are numerous companies who make better built HDMI cables than Monster with just as high a mark up and, guess what, the same performance at 10ft as the $3 cable where the signal is concerned.

http://nordost.com/productdetail.asp?ProdID=44
Price for 5m - $1,000
Solid Core Silver-Plated 99.99999% OFC

[SlmShdy1]

Originally Posted by lewis77

I work at Circuit City and we have used cheaper Nexxtech HDMI cables and compared them to the higher end Monster HDMI cables and I can honestly say that I have personally seen a difference.

Damn, I work at Circuit City too. I'm kind of embarrassed to be associated with this guy.