TV & Home Theater

[kmazza28]

Can you really tell the difference between a 10$ hdmi cable and a 200$ one. If so can you please explain. I think my TV looks amazing but if there really is a BIG difference I would look to know thank you.....Also is using the optical input better than the rest?????

[Entropy]

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kmazza28 wrote:

Can you really tell the difference between a 10$ hdmi cable and a 200$ one. If so can you please explain. I think my TV looks amazing but if there really is a BIG difference I would look to know thank you.....Also is using the optical input better than the rest?????

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No.  Either it works or it doesn't, simple as that.  In some cases, if the $10 cable is really bad, you'll have oddball issues like the image flickering in/out as the TV/monitor is receiving insufficient signal.

That said, I use generic cables from an online vendor with an excellent price/performance reputation and have never once had a problem.

Never buy Monster products.  They are massively overpriced compared to what they deliver, without fail.  Even for their analog audio cables, it's been proven in double blind listening tests that the claimed "superior construction" gives no actual improvement in audio quality - Monster was beaten in one test by RCA connectors soldered to a coat hangar!

[kmazza28]

awsome thank you.... how about that optical ? on audio is it worth it.... i have an old reciever no hdmi input and i notice that my samsug blueray has the optical input as well so i could connect the two together i just dont know if it's worth  it..

[TheLexMachine]

The optical output isn't really worth it unless you've got a good speaker system to use that multi-channel audio. You'll also have to configure the optical output settings on your Blu-Ray player to get a format that your older receiver will handle. Otherwise, you will get nothing but high-pitched digital garbage that can blow your speakers if it's turned up too loud.

[Entropy]

If you have a surround receiver with optical inputs, yes it is definately worth it.

Optical is at such low bandwidth that even the cheapest of cables will be more than sufficient.  I usually get mine online, but in a pinch go to an independent electronics specialist.  (One of the rare ones that still carries REAL electronics - resistors, capacitors, ICs, heatshrink tubing, etc.  Even RS no longer fits in this category.  )

Even a number of surround receivers on the market now only offer HDMI switching and not actual HDMI audio processing.  (Mine switches HDMI but only passes the signals through, it doesn't provide surround from an HDMI signal.  I use optical for all of my audio sources - which is pretty much my old PC and my cable box.)

[crock921 · Accepted solution]

no difference with hdmi.  just got one shipped from the online auction site starting with e and ending with bay for$5 total. good luck.

however, if you have a long run in the wall, be sure to have a good cable. there could be some loss over long distances.

[Entropy]

Yeah.  There's a vendor that starts with an m and comes highly reccommended by both CNN Money and AVSForum that carries some really long HDMI cables with thick wire gauges.  (This vendor will, unlike Monster, actually tell you the AWG of the wire used for each cable.  Note that a lower number for AWG actually means a thicker cable, which is lower loss.)

[deepen03]

No there is No difference.. All these salesman are trying to get your money.. I just bought two cables off e Bay and a couple are already plugged into my blu ray and dish hd and i have no issues. Take a look at this: http://reviews.cnet.com/hdmi-cable/

[paulmohr]

As far as how they work, nope no difference. The only difference may be in the quality control and the qaulity of the materials used. If you are getting the cheapest thing you can get, don't be shocked if you happen to have quality control issues with connectors and sub par materials.

I honestly wouldn't get monster cable stuff either, I know others that are audiophiles that think monster is cheap crap and think nothing of spending hundreds on speaker wires.

[deepen03]

   </p><blockquote><hr>paulmohr wrote:<br><p>As far as how they work, nope no difference. The only difference may be in the quality control and the qaulity of the materials used. If you are getting the cheapest thing you can get, don't be shocked if you happen to have quality control issues with connectors and sub par materials.</p><p> </p><p>I honestly wouldn't get monster cable stuff either, I know others that are audiophiles that think monster is cheap crap and think nothing of spending hundreds on speaker wires.</p><hr></blockquote><p> </p></p>there is no difference in quality man. on CNET, they said that they use cheap $2 HDMI cables in testing at their facilities. Those cables take serious abuse and they work fine for them. So for home use a $2 HDMI cable will still give you crystal clear HD quality. all this brand name stuff is gimmicks to get your money. They assume that you would want to buy wires the day you buy your TV. So you buy a 1000 dollar TV and they have to upsell you the wires when you buy it to make money. Instead, I'd rather just plug in composite cables for a couple of days, order my cables on e Bay and wait a couple of days. I have seen prices for HDMI cables at best buy in the $100 dollar range! thats ridiculous! I am using $2 e Bay HDMI cables in all my peripherals and have no issues. I compared with expensive cables too and no difference.