HDMI prices? I'll just wrap it in foil and call it a day!

[rbarone69]

OK...

This confuses me.

Interfearance with analog cables causes severe problems, I know that much. I understand that to interfear with a digital signal it's much less sensitive.

With a digital signal, how the hell is a $200 cable going to be any different than a $15 cable? I mean unless you are getting packet drops (if that's how HDMI works, I dont know) wouldnt one be just as good as the other?

If shielding is a problem I wrap the damn thing in foil! lol.

 

[dlmac]

Yeah, I really don't know what the reason for the higher prices are. I just got a 25'' HDMI cable for 70$ and it works perfectly fine. Though, I have yet to actually use it with HDTV, I'v only used it with my DVD player that upscales them. But I see no problems yet.

 

[rbarone69]

The price comes from better shielding, Materials used, and gauge of wire used. You will notice the higher priced cables use gold and the wires are much thicker.
You also pay more for big name brands.

Sure that's all said and good...

BUT

If you dont have a problem with interference, and your getting the data fine on a regular cheap cable, would there be any reason to spend the extra $$$ on a "better" built cable? Since it's digital, quality will not degrade by using cheaper cables. You either get the digital signal w/out loss or you dont, right?

I personally dont see the need to use 1000lb steel wire for bass fishing.

I am about to purchase cables, but just am unsure of what I should get. I guess try the cheap one and if it works it works, no need to go more expensive.

 

[spongebob]

OK...

This confuses me.

Interfearance with analog cables causes severe problems, I know that much. I understand that to interfear with a digital signal it's much less sensitive.

With a digital signal, how the hell is a $200 cable going to be any different than a $15 cable? I mean unless you are getting packet drops (if that's how HDMI works, I dont know) wouldnt one be just as good as the other?

If shielding is a problem I wrap the damn thing in foil! lol.

You should notice no difference between a $200 cable and a $15 cable. It's all about marketing and profit margins.

http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/deals/hdmi-cable-price-gouging-180281.php

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,121777-page,1/article.html

http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm

 

[Whizzard9992]

I have friends who work for a large retail outlet....

Monster Cables sell at about a 50% (or more) margin at RETAIL.

Are they better cables?
Yes.

Will they provide a better quality signal?
Yes, but only if analog (e.g. Component cables). It takes a LOT to cause a digital signal to lose integrity.

Does that mean I should buy "Monster" cables for analog?
No. Not only is it unlikely you'll notice a difference between signal quality, but it's unlikely that there will even be a difference in signal quality on the line, unless you've had problems before. Line distance and RF interference are the only 2 items that will likely cause a problem, and that's rare.

Does that mean I can use any cable for my connections?
No. Not all cables are the same. Make sure you use component cables for component video, and NOT RCA cables (or otherwise). There are certain tolerance ratings that cables must meet before they can be dubbed "Component" or otherwise. These standards are set and are usually padded well enough that all cables should provide the same quality (with few exceptions).


One more thing: HDMI is being pushed more so from a forward-compatability and DRM, yes DRM, standpoint. Digital signals can be better encrypted, and it's easier to provide backwards-compatability using digital handshakes than analog. Not only does HDMI provide audio and video over the same line, but it allows the two devices to communicate bi-directionally (with each other). For example, if the cable box decides it's appropriate, it can actually turn your TV off via HDMI. While these are nice features, they don't provide better HD quality, with the exception of 1080P (which you can't get with component video cables; but you need a $6,000+ TV).

Hope I've helped.

 

[rbarone69]

Oh yes, this confirmed exaclty what I assumed! I am not an audio / video buff, but I understand the basics of eletronics.

Thank you very much for elaborating on this. I'm sure others will find this information helpful as well.