Are all HDMI leads fully wired?

tonytaylor1967

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Hi all, I don't know if there is already a post on this, but I can't find one.

A couple of questions - Are all HDMI leads fully wired and if not how do you know when you buy one, that it is fully wired?

There are cheap ones from the likes of asda and the very expensive ones. I can't recall any of them saying that they are fully wired..

Also do the more expensive one give you better picture and sound quality, when as far as I understand, it is just 1's and 0's. Not like scart leads or audio leads where the signal is an analogue one and the quality of the cable does make a difference.

Hope some one can answer to the above.

Tony
 
Yes , full wiring is mandatory.

The only variation you may get these days is with Standard or High speed cables "with ethernet" , and in this case the wiring is the same , its just that a pair of wires is twisted internally to the cable that were never twisted before.

HDMI - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Note the pin out diagrams on the right hand side , all signal lines are necessary for a working HDMI connection with the exception of pin 14 , which is now part of a twisted pair for the "with ethernet" function.

Unlike Scart or some other interfaces , HDMI cables must be fully wired.

Also do the more expensive one give you better picture and sound quality, when as far as I understand, it is just 1's and 0's. Not like scart leads or audio leads where the signal is an analogue one and the quality of the cable does make a difference.

Your correct , its impossible for any working HDMI cable to have better picture or sound than any other working cable. Anyone selling you one and telling you different is trying to rip you off.

Other than mechanical strength ( say for when you might want to plaster one into a wall or something ) there is no justifcation for spending a lot of money on a HDMI cable. Get the cheapest you can , if it works its as good as it gets.
 
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Any Certified HDMI cable, High Speed or Standard, with or without Ethernet, will be fully wired.

Most non certified cables will also be fully wired – though there are bound to be some non-standard, non-certified cables somewhere that aren’t.

Price is no indicator of good or bad performance/construction and as andy1249 says if its working that’s as good as it’s going to get.

Where you’re running a long cable (5m+) and its being ‘installed’ it is worth ensuring you go with a cable that’s certified for High Speed (tend to top out at 8m unless you go amplified) and ensure you have a backup plan in place should the cable ever fail (mechanically) or cause intermittent or no signal.

Joe
 
Thankyou for your speedy reply - Just as I thought - The cheap cables are all fully wired except some have 2 twisted pairs for Ethernet use and the expense doesn't matter. I suppose the only difference is the quality of the actual connectors itself for robustness and reliability - But if it's left plugged in all the time it don't matter.

Thank You -

Tony
 
The ‘with Ethernet’ option is, as andy1249 says, simply a change in how two of the internal wires are twisted in relation to each other – the wires are in there and utilised in all cables.

There are some cables that are not marked/certified as ‘with Ethernet’ though due to the construction techniques employed will actually be fine if you were mad enough to ever use the ‘HDMI Ethernet Channel’ function 

It won’t hurt to install a ‘with Ethernet’ cable even if none of your hardware is ‘HDMI Ethernet Channel’ compliant - HDMI :: Manufacturer :: HDMI 1.4 :: HDMI Ethernet Channel

How long is the cable run your contemplating – on long runs the gauge of cable is usually the biggest factor in achieving high data rates without drop out or signal failure.

Joe
 
Thanks guys, but just a thought - I remember hearing a while back that cat6 ethernet connectivity is going to take over HDMI connectivity - Is this true?
 
Thanks guys, but just a thought - I remember hearing a while back that cat6 ethernet connectivity is going to take over HDMI connectivity - Is this true?

No , HDMI can be sent over Cat6 , by using a pair of Baluns and two runs of Cat6 cable , but this is a special case only requirement.

Usually its used for very long runs that a HDMI cable could not manage.

It should be noted that the signals sent over Cat6 cable in this way are in no way compatible with any ethernet network and such a solution cannot be part of any network as it would not work. Solutions like this are point to point only.

For most , a HDMI cable of about 1 or 2 meters is all that is required. This is unlikely to change anytime soon.
 
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Sorry Joe - The length of cables are at the most will be 2 meters - mainly from amplifier to tv - here is my setup -

Panasonic TX-P42G10
Yamaha RX-V667 Amplifier
Sky+HD - Thought not subscribed to HD
Panasonic - DMP -BD35 Bluray
Wii
Tannoy SFX 5.1 Speakers

HDMI from Amplifier to TV is 2 meters at the most. Bluray to amplifier standard length and same for other equipment. Just bought the Yamaha and Tannoy, so still getting to grips with it.

Tony
 
Very unlikely – though CAT6 is the preferred choice when you are running HDMI long distances using Twisted Pair Extenders:

HDMI and IR Ethernet extender. 1080P HD Resolution. 3D ready, 10.2 Gbps

Octava HDCATS-100-HDMI Ethernet Extender -300ft over 1 CAT 5/6 cable.

The second unit linked to uses HDbaseT transmitter/receiver chip sets – the HDbaseT alliance (http://www.hdbaset.org/) are hoping that Source and Display gear manufacturers eventually will embed the HDbaseT technology into products and at that point all you would require is a single CAT6 cable between the Source and the Display.

HDbaseT is an ‘add on' technology to HDMI that requires additional licensing costs over and above the cost of HDMI licensing so it's unlikely to ever be seen on every device that's HDMI enabled.

Joe
 
Ah Haaa so I was on the right lines then, about cat6 interface.
all I can say is - Some of these esoteric cable companies will start to lose a lot of money. I'm sure they'll find away to bamboozle us :)
It's about time things should start to get simple and standardised.
 
They have always got the likes of a certain 'Hi-Fi' magazine to pretend they can see a difference with their eyes where no difference can ascertained when using professional testing equipment. :laugh:
 
With HDMI.org making it nigh on impossible to attain High Speed certification on any cable lengths over 8m (passive) or 12m (amplified) more folk are turning to the ‘over Twisted Pair’ option – we’ve already seen one cable supplier we work with drop its 15m cables.

Joe
 

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