[stevogums]

Bit of a minefield all this HDMI 1.3, 1.4 etc..
Can you advise me best cable to link a Denon1910(which i will hopefullt be perchasing this week) to a Panasonic PG10 42" .
Will be also linking SKY HD ..DVD Recorder and a BD player .
Will need a 3M HDMI for the initail link from amp to plasma then 3 or 4 0.5m HDMI connections..
Dont want to be spending vast ammounts of money..
I have looked at these types Ikuna HDMI Cables
Ikuna HDMI Cable
Which are not that expensive ..
Or should i be going for a more expensive ones like these
XO Platinum HDMI Cable
Platinum HDMI Cable
If they are worth the extra and i will see this i will opt for the more expensive ones..
Just a bit confused with all this 1.3 a,b,c and 1.4 ratings..for HDMI...

[Mini Clump]

Hi Stevogums,
I was in the same boat as you well i still am but if you read HDMI Cables - Just the facts ...

at the top of the page theres some useful links and a video in the first post by Mark Taylor which is worth a watch the more i read the more i feel the expensive cables are a rip off and if you read pg 24 of this months what hifi they mention forums etc arguing about the leads they say (what hifi) - all we can go on is the evidence of our eyes and ears.
The video i mentioned above towards the end has a piece where the guy is basically asked are expensive cables worth it long story short he laughs and says no.
As i said at the start i am in the same boat and have a very limited knowledge of this but my opinion is the expensive cables do not appear to be worth the extra hope this helps

[stevogums]

Thanks for that.. Will read up today...and then order..
Are the Ikuna cables http://ukhdmi.com/hdmi-ikuna.php 1.3 then or not as they have no rating or does it matter..?

[HDMIHead]

Hello stevogums,
The Ikuna and rest of the cables on our site our 1.3 except the Kaiser, that is 1.4.

[MarkTaylor]

Just for clarity, HDMI.org do not refer to cables using terms like 1.3 these days as that is really a source/display specification not a cable spec.

If it helps, this is a quote from the HDMI.org buying guide:

'Standard and High Speed refer to two grades of HDMI cable, tested to different performance metrics. A Standard cable can transmit a 1080i signal for 15 meters (49 feet) or more, while a High Speed HDMI cable can transmit a 1080p signal for at least 7.5 meters (25 feet).'

You will also see references to 'Cat 1' (Standard) and 'Cat 2' (High Speed) cables in some places.

Over short distances even standard cables will carry 1080p and some people have success carrying 1080p over distances much longer than HDMI.org recommend so there are no hard limits.

HDMI.org do not currently certify any unamplified cables over about 9m as Cat2 to my knowledge so do be careful with websites claiming very long cables as 'Cat 2' or 'High Speed'. Doesn't mean they will not work, just that they are not properly certified.

[dean999]

mark,

thanks for the clarification.

is it worth buying the octava cat 5/6 over hdmi amplifier to carry 1080p for 12m plus lenghts?

thanks
dean

[MarkTaylor]

Originally Posted by dean999

is it worth buying the octava cat 5/6 over hdmi amplifier to carry 1080p for 12m plus lenghts?

A lot depends on how easy it is to replace the cable if you find you need to in the future.

A lot of people are quite happily using unamplified cables of 12m or longer with their current equipment, but at some point in the future a new source or screen may not work so the cable will need to be replaced.

If you can do that easily then use what works now and replace it when it doesn't.

If you are going to bury the cable in the wall then you might want to think about using Cat5/6 solutions as at least you can always change the transmitter and receiver if you need to.

[stevogums]

Thanks for the reply chaps..
I have one last question and dont really want to start another thread so maybe you can answer my question..
I have a Denon 1910 Amp on route for next week and im ok with the HDMI connectivity ..
But i have a Wii and another Xbox 36o which are both composite connections .Can i connect both these devices to the above amp and will they be displayed via the HDMI to the plasma i am going to wall mount..
Or do i need to purchase another 3M composite cable to go through the wall with the 3M Hdmi cable i will be running..
Just not sure if the amp does this..?

[MarkTaylor]

Yes, the 1910 does handle analogue to digital video conversion so it will output over HDMI.

Big question though is are you really using composite or did you really mean component?

[dean999]

Originally Posted by MarkTaylor

A lot depends on how easy it is to replace the cable if you find you need to in the future.

A lot of people are quite happily using unamplified cables of 12m or longer with their current equipment, but at some point in the future a new source or screen may not work so the cable will need to be replaced.

If you can do that easily then use what works now and replace it when it doesn't.

If you are going to bury the cable in the wall then you might want to think about using Cat5/6 solutions as at least you can always change the transmitter and receiver if you need to.

hi mark

thanks for your valuable advice. i shall not be burying any cables.

regards
dean

[stevogums]

Originally Posted by MarkTaylor

Yes, the 1910 does handle analogue to digital video conversion so it will output over HDMI.

Big question though is are you really using composite or did you really mean component?

My mistake glad you know what i meant yes component ..Its been a long week already..
So the component will output over HDMI via the component inputs on the amp..thats what i meant...

[craig777]

Originally Posted by MarkTaylor

Over short distances even standard cables will carry 1080p and some people have success carrying 1080p over distances much longer than HDMI.org recommend so there are no hard limits.

I just purchased a 3m HDMI cable from Homebase earlier (made by Commtel), just looked on Commtel website to find out more info on the cable as the packaging didn't have anything in the way of specs on it... and I'm pretty sure it's this cable...

Commtel - 3m HDMI to HDMI Lead

Would this still be capable of 1080p even though their spec is saying 1080i ?? Doesn't really bother me, just curious, my Panny plasma isn't capable of 1080p so this cable will do me fine at the moment. Picture quality is perfect, just the same as the old (too short) Mark Grant cable that it's replaced.

[MarkTaylor]

The most anyone can say is that it will probably work just fine with 1080p, only way to know for sure is to try it.