Long HDMI cable prices?!

howieeb

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I'm after a long, 10 meter plus (12 would be ideal), HDMI cable to attach a PS3 to a projector. So far i've seen quotes up to £400 and am a little taken back. Is that kind of cash really needed? I'd like to send a 1080p signal but really can't afford some of these 'hd certified' cables.

If anyone has any experience with hdmi cables of this length, or suggestions of cables to try, i'd much appreciate the advice.
 
How about the forums own cable guru Mark Grant?

10m HDMI
 
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Hello all

geomuss - up to 5m the folk behind the HDMI standards say all cables ought to perform equally - over 5m and you start to find some cables work in all systems whilst others work in some systems but at a limited range of resolutions.

The quality if the HDMI Transmitter fitted to your Source device and how it interacts with a 10m cable will affect what you see on screen - if your lucky a very low cost cable may work for you; if not its back to the drawing board.

(PS A bit misty down your way today!!!)

warbie - have a look at the BetterCables Silver Serpent 1080p cables (UK SRP 171.95 GBP).

These are tried and tested in lots of installations with all manner of signals up to and including 1080p; see http://www.bettercables.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=125

Joe
 
i thought there was no degradation in picture quality up to a length of approx 25 mtr ?

yeah it was a bit bad till later on this afternoon, are you from around my neck of the woods or where you doing the sensible thing and driving

really fast past us ha ha

whoops meant 15m sorry
 
Hello geomuss

25' maybe :)

Lots of 10m+ cables simply wont work in lots of systems or will suffer from sparkles with higher resolution source signals.

Joe

These days were based at Romanno Bridge (nr Peebles) - from 93 to 2001 we were at Fisherrow Ind Est on Newhailes Road; just up from the Harbour.
 
what is it you do joe?

whoops thats a bit of a dofus question , just read your sig!
 
know its not a know name etc but is HDMI cables not 99% same quality due to the fact of it being digital.....

Nope -100% :)

If you buy a cable and you see _any_ artifacts, get a refund cos it's faulty. If you buy off ebay, it's probably worth buying from a big seller based in the UK for that reason. The guys selling here are a good source generally, cos they have a reputation to uphold.
 
Hello goemuss

Some days I do wonder if the Sig is in Invisible mode :)

Aside from this Home Theatre lark we get involved in all manner of projects - the technical fit out at the Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick being our most 'public' local work; see http://www.seabird.org/home.asp

Joe
 
£21 for 10m HDMI cable.

http://www.audiovisualonline.co.uk/...es.set/ref/58/hdmi-to-hdmi-cables/browse.html

I have the 10m AVO HDMI->DVI version and there is no visible problems when hooked up to my projector and displaying on my 80in projector screen :smashin:

As others have alluded to HDMI doesn't specify length but acceptable error rate. Therefore for longer lengths thicker data wires and better shielding is needed to be used to counteract any signal degradation (which DOES occur) so that the voltages representing the 1's and 0's at the other end can be decoded reliably enough back into 1's and 0's. As long as there is a signiifcant enough difference between these two voltages (and tests show it can get quite close and still differentiate) then signal is restored.

As to how much people charge for using these thicker wires and/or better shielding? well that's an entirely different matter :D
 
I'm using a 10 metre cable from Keene (link below) that works fine at 1080p....BUT I tried a 10M one before from CPC that would only work at 720p. The CPC one looked jittery and sparkerly at 1080p. Also I use a 4 in 2 out switcher/splitter that may help boost the signal on the longer run. (It is a useful device if you want to feed a TV and a Projector from the same source BTW).


http://www.keene.co.uk/electronics/multi.php?mycode=HDHD10
 
I think some people are making a lot of money for nothing on hdmi cables. I use cheap 10m hdmi cables on my projector projecting 1080p upto 3metres screen size and pictures perfect. Theres a lot of smelly cow stuff being spread. If you are prepared to pay the money for the best then go for it. But sensible money is on the cheap cables. Unless you have interference issues try the cheap ones before you blow the best part of £100.
 
Indeed as just to point out that the £21 including delivery cable I linked to is being sold on ebay for over £11 extra plus delivery on top.
 
Hello city and Neil Watson

Maybe you both missed the bit where KelvinS1965 couldn't get one of the cables he tried to work at all required resolutions :)

If you have a working system at all resolutions without laying out big cash its great news - though it doesn't mean everyone will get the same result using the cable you recommend; some cables will deliver consistent results in all systems and where your 'installing' a cable its often worth paying for that consistency.

Joe
 
This will be a long debated subject but being an electrical engineer I prefer to rely on science than voodoo to explain reasons why cheap hdmi cables work just as good as expensive ones. They either work or dont you get no halfway house with digital. See this interesting article for explanation its from a PS3 forum but the HDMI cable is still relevant. http://boardsus.playstation.com/playstation/board/message?board.id=ps3&thread.id=828972 might save someone a few bob?
 
Joe,
no I didn't miss his post at all and appreciate that in his case the cable he 1st tried didn't work for him. As in all forums negative experience is always reported far more than positive so how many people are successfully using the cheaper cables vs those where it unfortunately failed?

I also appreciate that where someone is paying for an installation to be done then the cables used should be consistent.

What I do not agree with is that someone with any certainty can say that the cable I suggested is any more or less consistant than another based on price alone ;)

So lets take another example of a cable a bt further up the price range.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/HDMI-Cable-...2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1177429559&sr=1-2

10m HDMI 1.3 cable for £32.99. Blurb mentions its got a lifetime guranteed and its rated to 10.2Gps. Surely that suggests it should be relatively consistent at the mere 5Gps rating required for 1080p?

Anyway - we digress. All I was saying is that for the price (£21 delivered for a 10m HDMI cable) isn't it worth people (who aren't paying for an installation and are doing it themselves) personally trying the cheaper one 1st? Or does that detract from sales of the more expensive cables :)
 
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Hello all

city - I think your mixing up two different scenarios; on a short cable run (sub 5m) most HDMI cables will work equally well in most systems. Once you get to 10m+ its a different matter and you do get in-between stages between working and not working; especially so at 1080p and whilst price is no indictor of quality it is true that for consistent 'they always work' results the lowest cost cables aren't often the ones that installers will turn too when they don't want any potential problems.

Neil Watson - its not just folk who are 'paying' for an installation who have to be aware of the potential pitfalls its folk who are installing cables into 'decorated' rooms too; ripping out a cable that only works with certain resolutions can be a messy and expensive business for many.

As you say the price of a cable cant guarantee consistency - but knowing that a few thousand installed cables from a certain brand are working consistently with no problems is a 'better' indicator.

When your comparing a 20.00 GBP cable assembly with a 30.00 GBP cable assembly from the same range/manufacturer often the main 'difference' between the cables is how the gold plating is applied to the HDMI plug; the lower cost cables have a 'sprayed on' finish that is easily worn away after only one or two 'insertions' whilst the more expensive cable assembly has a more durable 'plated' finish to the plug; the higher the gold content of the plating the higher the cost of the cable assembly.

There will likely be no difference between how these two cable assemblies work in terms of 1080p over a longer cable run.

Joe
 
Joe

I think we will have to disagree I know I have spent a lot less on HDMI cables than others who have spent £50 plus each. The HDMI cable myth is continuing and some people are getting rich. :)
 
Hello city

Which part of the myth was KelvinS1965 suffering from - CPC are a reputable company selling reputable products; why didn't the cable work if cables are all the same? :)

Joe
 

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