Are they all the same?Besides the length,what makes one better than another?I need one to hook up my PS3 to my new HDTV,but don't want to spend $100 for 1 cable?I only need 3-4' long.

Nothing. It's a digital signal, so basically it either works or it doesn't.
Order one online. http://firefold.com or something like that.

I got one for around $15 and it had gold plated ends. There are ones even cheaper.

The stores are price gouging on HDMI cables to make up for the thin margins on flat screen TV's. Don't play their game.

Go with with w/ what ScottC said. I have seen cables for 2 bucks a piece. I think one good place to get any good AV cables is http://www.monoprice.com/home/index.asp. A few people I work with have purchased from them and were happy.

At on-line places like www.tigerdirect.com (http://www.tigerdirect.com) and www.amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com) you can find them for much less, as low as $10-$12. Now I assume the quality of those doesn't match the more expensive ones but I got a 6 ft one with gold plated connectors for $22 plus S&H from tiger direct. It works fine. Whether a $70 one would make the picture better I don't know but this will do for now.

I bought a Phillips one for about $30. It was either at Meijer's or Walmart. The others mentioned may be just as good but this appeared to be a good quality cable. Gold plated connectors and braided shielding.

This is where I bought mine: HDMI Cables (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&Description=HDMI%20Cable&bop=And&Order=PRICE)

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/ is also a good source.

As said there really isn't much difference since the signal being passed is digital; it's either there or ir isn't. Not at all like analog signals.

But, there is definately a difference between a 2 dollar 3 ft HDMI cable and a 20 dollar 3 ft HDMI cable. Shielding, construction quality, quality ends. The thickness of the gold plating on the terminals comes to mind. The gold plating isn't to enhance the signal quality, it's to prevent the deterioration of it. Cheap cables - the gold plating will be scratched off the moment you insert the connector leaving you with no corrosion (oxidation) protection. Over time the signal will be compromised.

Dan

I got mine for about 30 bucks also. Sams club. Its also a Phillips. Best buy had a section of these cables in thier "Magnolia home theater" Dept. For 100 bucks range. They claim its better since they are gold lined or something like that since gold conducts better. It makes sense on paper I suppose but performance wise I cant say. However, 100 bucks or more just for a cable? No thanks. Im happy with the Phillips cable for 30 bucks.

The only thing really worth paying extra for is the gold plated connectors. Gold is a soft metal so it does a good job of mating up to the contacts in your TV/DVD player/etc.

Gold is a soft metal and also a better conductor of electricity than copper or aluminum. But as stated it's used on connectors because gold does not corrode which copper and especially aluminum are prone to do. With low amperage signals like video a small amount of corrosion on a pressure fit contact and all of a sudden you have no signal.

I got mine for about 30 bucks also. Sams club. Its also a Phillips. Best buy had a section of these cables in thier "Magnolia home theater" Dept. For 100 bucks range. They claim its better since they are gold lined or something like that since gold conducts better. It makes sense on paper I suppose but performance wise I cant say. However, 100 bucks or more just for a cable? No thanks. Im happy with the Phillips cable for 30 bucks.


Gold is a better conductor but all that means is you can push more current through a gold wire than through a copper wire of the same size. Since the current in an HDMI cable is in the milliamp range wire size and amperage are not a concern. A copper wire will provide just as 'clean' a signal as a gold wire. The only place you will find gold wire is in consumer products where some manufacturer is trying to take advantage of your lack of knowledge on the subject.

I know gold is a better conductor. But im not sold on the entire core being made of gold really being worth the extra expense of a HDMI cable. I was really saying that I have a great signal with my 30 dollar cable and just cant justify paying that much.

We just did this for my sons PS3/Flat screen with HDMI
Bought the fan kit, charger and cable for $40.00 on line through Best Buy. The fan kit alone was worth the money.
The Internet provides info confirming what all of the folks above said. Up to 50' no issue with reasonably made cables.

www.monoprice.com (http://www.monoprice.com) for all your cable needs. Don't work there or know anyone who does, but good stuff.:thumbsup:

I know gold is a better conductor. But im not sold on the entire core being made of gold really being worth the extra expense of a HDMI cable. I was really saying that I have a great signal with my 30 dollar cable and just cant justify paying that much.

I was trying to say that you won't get a better signal because the wire is gold, or gold plated, or gold lined or gold anything. It's just marketing hype. Now gold plated contacts are a different story but even the less expensive cables have gold plated contacts.

Thanks guys.

I was trying to say that you won't get a better signal because the wire is gold, or gold plated, or gold lined or gold anything. It's just marketing hype. Now gold plated contacts are a different story but even the less expensive cables have gold plated contacts.

That confirms exactly what I was thinking.

Gold is a soft metal and also a better conductor of electricity than copper or aluminum. But as stated it's used on connectors because gold does not corrode which copper and especially aluminum are prone to do. With low amperage signals like video a small amount of corrosion on a pressure fit contact and all of a sudden you have no signal.

x2. On many of the contacts we use in the automotive industry we have to drive a minumum amount of current through them to keep them clean. Usually about 10mA minimum. Digital cables like HDMI are driving currents in the uA range so the gold helps because it does not oxidize like say a copper contact will.

Is there a noticable difference between the gold-plated RCA type cables I'm currently using and the HDI cable? Hard to believe that one little wire does it all (I think)!

Is there a noticable difference between the gold-plated RCA type cables I'm currently using and the HDI cable? Hard to believe that one little wire does it all (I think)!

Well it's not one wire, it's a bunch of wires. HDMI cables along with the digital video signal also carry digital audio, like Dolby Digital 5.1 surround. I switched to HDMI to get rid of the mess. I honestly can't say I saw an improvement in the picture but I only have a 42" screen, perhaps on a bigger screen or if my eyesight was better it would make a difference.

I assume the cables you're using, 3 of them, are component video and not 1 composite video.

Well it's not one wire, it's a bunch of wires. HDMI cables along with the digital video signal also carry digital audio, like Dolby Digital 5.1 surround. I switched to HDMI to get rid of the mess. I honestly can't say I saw an improvement in the picture but I only have a 42" screen, perhaps on a bigger screen or if my eyesight was better it would make a difference.

I assume the cables you're using, 3 of them, are component video and not 1 composite video.


Hank, the HDMI is just one cable that takes care of video and audio right? Yes I'm using 3 cables + an audio I think. I'll have to check.

In theroy you should realize a better picture using HDMI vs. component or composit. Reason is because everything remains in the digital domain. Example: from your DVD player to the flat panel. The DVD is in digital format, the lazer reads the 0's and 1' and, if you are using HDMI, the video and audio bit streams remain digital all the way to the TV.

If you use component or composit, the DVD player reads the 0's and 1's, then has to convert them into an analog signal, send them over the wires, and then the TV has to read the analog and convert them back into digital. Additionally, because the analog signal is subject attenuation (signal loss) the signal received by the TV may be difficult for the D/A converters to read.

Lots of variables with the analog connections: The quality of the cable, the length, the quality of the D/A converters, proximity to A/C lines, etc.

Dan

Hank, the HDMI is just one cable that takes care of video and audio right? Yes I'm using 3 cables + an audio I think. I'll have to check.

That's right, everything in the one cable, multiple wires. As Dan said in theory you should have a better picture with HDMI than with component, we won't even talk about composite because that's not capable of carrying an HD signal at all. Component is but as Dan said it's analog not digital. Now if you have good quality shielded component cables will you see a difference? Hard to say, like he said lot's of variables. In addition to the ones he mentioned, how big is your screen. You every notice how the cheapest 13" TV can have such a crisp, bright looking picture? The bigger the screen the easier it is to see any flaws in the picture. Also what is your source, cable TV converter, DVD, sat? If you don't have something that provides a full 1080 pic then that will really be the limiting factor on picture quality.

Again for me it was $30 to clean up the mess plus I used my old component cables on my other widescreen which does not have HDMI. I was going to have to buy something one way or the other and HDMI seemed like the best choice.

Hey guys, I just went HDMI, and boy am I glad!

Picture looks better, most notably brighter. But the sound is great! Got rid of the humming I was dealing with. I actually did have a good set of cables too, but this is great.

Thanks for the tips :hurray:

In theroy you should realize a better picture using HDMI vs. component or composit. Reason is because everything remains in the digital domain. Example: from your DVD player to the flat panel. The DVD is in digital format, the lazer reads the 0's and 1' and, if you are using HDMI, the video and audio bit streams remain digital all the way to the TV.

If you use component or composit, the DVD player reads the 0's and 1's, then has to convert them into an analog signal, send them over the wires, and then the TV has to read the analog and convert them back into digital. Additionally, because the analog signal is subject attenuation (signal loss) the signal received by the TV may be difficult for the D/A converters to read.

Lots of variables with the analog connections: The quality of the cable, the length, the quality of the D/A converters, proximity to A/C lines, etc.

Dan

That's kind of what I was thinking.

I just bought a plasma TV and I have Verizon FiOS so I called them and asked what would be the best way to hook it up. They told me the component connection was best. I bought a set of Monster Cables at CompUSA. 25% off due to the going out of business sale. They definitely look better than the regular RCA's I was using.

I figured the HDMI was the way to go so I don't know why Verizon said the components were better.