Future proofed HDMIcable for picture only?

[john184]

Hi All,
I've trawled through a handfull of posts and although proabibly have the general grasp on the subject I would like some more informed opinions on what I need.
I am currently ceiling monting my 3 year old projector due to baby considerations (Hitachi PjTX-300 720p projector) and have most of the upstairs floors ripped-up to install the speaker cables from the rest of the system). I don't want to repeat this task anytime soon and so want the main 10-12 meter HDMI cable future-proofed even though my current system cannot use the additional features. No audio is currently transmitted through the cable - although I don't know whether this has any benefit on video transmission.
I have been looking at the 10 meter 'Konig 1.3C' cable on fleabay for £40. It would hurt to pay any more but like it's 'listed' ability to transmit up-to 2160p resolutions.

Would I be better to shell-out for a 1.4 spec (ethernet enabled?). I am quite a late adopter of technology but as said I want to be future proofed.
Thanks in advance, rgds John.

 

[Member 319784]

Hi John,

They key consideration for you is the distance involved.

You should ignore HDMI version numbers - these are a red herring and irrelevant to cables and cable selection. HDMI version numbers relate to the HDMI interface as a whole, i.e. the technology - not the cable.

The higher the version number - the more HDMI technology features that the HDMI device can take advantage of, not the cable. Features like deep colour are 1.3 features for devices (i.e. the device can output deep colour video). Future devices may have HDMI 1.4 features such as being Ethernet enabled to watch iplayer or youtube.

For cables, length is the key factor. Up to 8m long, a cable can be classified as "High Speed". Over 8m, a cable can only be classified as "Standard".

If you have a genuinely certified cable that is “High Speed” (ask to see the certificate) you can be sure that your cable can be the conduit for 1080p deep colour video and beyond for the foreseeable future. It should also be able to cope with 2160p if that ever emerges. The only things that it won't be able to be the conduit for is ‘ethernet'. For that you will need a “High Speed with Ethernet” cable. These are listed on our site as High Speed with Ethernet for HDMI 1.4.

“Standard” HDMI cables are not guaranteed to work with V1.3 features, however that is not to say that they won't. In real-world applications many certainly do. Ours certainly do at 10m.


I guess the best advice would be to see if you can get the run down under 8m for 100% peace of mind with either a High Speed or a High Speed with Ethernet HDMI cable.