Back at GIZMODO (http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/hdmi-cable-battlemodo/the-truth-about-monster-cable-part-2-268788.php) , they are testing HDMI cables. See how Monster stacks up with Monoprice. Interesting read you don't want to miss.

What were our findings?
1) At short distances up to 6ft (2 meters), you can pretty much get away with any cable. Not all cables are the same, however, and in truth, it's the medium-priced cables that may be the real rip-off.

2) At longer distances, cheaper cable tends to choke up. A 720p signal will make it, but even today's standard 1080p signal can fry out inside of a long cable that isn't built as well. If you are trying to hook up a 1080p projector to a Blu-ray or HD DVD player, this is a concern.

I'm not surprised, but why pay 5-6 times more for Monster when Blue Jeans makes broadcast quality HDMI cables that are probably at least as good if not better?

Check out:

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/dvi/index.htm

are the HDMI handshake issues due to faulty HDMI cables?

I am a little surprised that the 35' Monoprice cable failed the 1080P real world test. The monster 10 meter (32.81 feet) is obviously shorter than the 35 foot Monoprice that was tested though and the extra couple of feet might make a difference at 1080P.

I used the 6 foot cheapy (included with the HD-A1) Toshiba HDMI cable connected to the Monoprice 2X1 switcher (http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10110&cs_id=1011001&p_id=2786&seq=1&format=2&style=) and then a 25 foot Monoprice heavy duty cable (http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&cs_id=1024001&p_id=2806&seq=1&format=2&style=) out to a JVC RS1 and both Blu-ray and HD DVD worked perfectly at 1080P resolution. So you are talking 31 feet of cable and a non powered switcher with no problems at all.

But then again I have the 22 gauge Monoprice HDMI cable and not the 24 gauge Monoprice HDMI cable that was tested at Gizmodo.

are the HDMI handshake issues due to faulty HDMI cables?
guess that depends on the distance.

I'm not surprised, but why pay 5-6 times more for Monster when Blue Jeans makes broadcast quality HDMI cables that are probably at least as good if not better?

Check out:

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/dvi/index.htm


Right on! Blue jeans is the way to go for my part! :) I wrote them several questions a while ago and they took the time to reply to each and every one of my concern while i havent bought anything yet. They won my business by the way i have been treated and their cables are just as good as Monster! ;)

I'm using a 25' HDMI from BlueJeans and it's been flawless. Never a handshake issue between my PS3 and my AE700U PJ and no noise of any ind- save for the source material.

I am a little surprised that the 35' Monoprice cable failed the 1080P real world test. The monster 10 meter (32.81 feet) is obviously shorter than the 35 foot Monoprice that was tested though and the extra couple of feet might make a difference at 1080P.

I used the 6 foot cheapy (included with the HD-A1) Toshiba HDMI cable connected to the Monoprice 2X1 switcher (http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10110&cs_id=1011001&p_id=2786&seq=1&format=2&style=) and then a 25 foot Monoprice heavy duty cable (http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&cs_id=1024001&p_id=2806&seq=1&format=2&style=) out to a JVC RS1 and both Blu-ray and HD DVD worked perfectly at 1080P resolution. So you are talking 31 feet of cable and a non powered switcher with no problems at all.

But then again I have the 22 gauge Monoprice HDMI cable and not the 24 gauge Monoprice HDMI cable that was tested at Gizmodo.


They should re-test with the 22 gauge.

This makes no difference to me as my 22 gauge Monoprice is only 3 ft.

Yes, I would definitely like to see them test the 22 gauge as well, as my longest run is a 25ft 22AWG.

I have been using the 35' Monoprice 22 cable with no problem with my PS3 and Toshiba XA2. They really should retest with th 22 cable.

I have used a 50 ft Monoprice HDMI cable and had no problems. So much for this test!

I didn't spend a ton of time reading the linked article, I will admit. But could someone clarify what was meant by failure? Are they talking total failure (i.e. no data), or failure in terms of degradation of signal?

Ya, I don't know what my monoprice cable would do on their test, but it passes my test of running 1080p every day to my TV. And so does my other monoprice 1080p cable.

Seems like a ******** test to me, maybe there is some really cool and learned stuff going on with that equipment, but to me it looks like they have 20,000 dollars of test equipment when they should have instead just tested whether or not they got a good HDTV on a set across the room.

Here's for common sense.

I didn't spend a ton of time reading the linked article, I will admit. But could someone clarify what was meant by failure? Are they talking total failure (i.e. no data), or failure in terms of degradation of signal?They're talking "failure" as a bad looking eye pattern on a scope...they didn't test against actual displays to look for green sparkles, etc., so the whole thing is highly dubious.

My real world eye test on my 25' hdmi momprice cable is flawless. That is all that matters - the eye test. If you can't see the difference then it does not matter. IMO, buy monoprice and monster cables are a big ripoff.

I have been running an HDMI 25' mono price cable for a year now, No problems. I also have their HDMI switcher which so far hasn't let me down.

Right on! Blue jeans is the way to go for my part! :) I wrote them several questions a while ago and they took the time to reply to each and every one of my concern while i havent bought anything yet. They won my business by the way i have been treated and their cables are just as good as Monster! ;)

They have treated me exceptionally well too. I was shocked at the level of detail and care that Kurt and the others put in answering all my e-mails - many of them not even sales related. They definately have won me over as a customer.

I think their cables are better than Monster's - you simply cannot buy better cables than what you get from Blue Jeans.

Right on! Blue jeans is the way to go for my part! :) I wrote them several questions a while ago and they took the time to reply to each and every one of my concern while i havent bought anything yet. They won my business by the way i have been treated and their cables are just as good as Monster! ;)

Although I have not tried Blue Jeans HDMI cables, I have bought numerous other cables from them. I agree with everyone else about Blue Jeans Cable, the service is excellent and they have great products at great prices.

B

The test is invalid. From a purely experimental methodological point of view, they needed to use an actual display and dump the test equipment. There is no way to know if their assumptions regarding their measurements have any meaning visually.

Example: Here is their statement

"The argument goes like this: it may all be 1's and 0's, but what is being sent over that cable is electric current. When too much data is sent over a shabby cable, the device on the other end can't tell what is a 1 and what is a 0. The end result is video that is either jittery, full of digital snow, or flat-out not there."

Really? Then why not demonstrate that outcome. If this was being submitted for peer review it would be rejected by any reputable journal.

One of the posters on that site said it well

"It would be nice to see what those muddy shots look like real-world -- hoked up to a BR/HDDVD drive and a 1080p TV. While I am certain that the Monoprice 50ft would have failed, I guess I am a little unclear what failure means in real world picture quality."

Exactly. This guy has earned his Ph.D ;)

The test is invalid. From a purely experimental methodological point of view, they needed to use an actual display and dump the test equipment. There is no way to know if their assumptions regarding their measurements have any meaning visually.

I guess you missed this part or did you read at all?

Stay tuned for HDMI Cable Battlemodo: The Truth About Monster, Part 3, where we try to match the laboratory results with basic, in-home testing. If the Digital Serial Analyzer said a cable fails, but it works just fine in my basement, maybe I'll have to call BS.

I have used a HDMI 35 foot Monoprice cable without issues. I have also used a Monster 35 HDMI cable without issues. I do use HDMI Blasters these days because I am paranoid! :D Now I did once have a bettercables.com HDMI 35 footer that caused sparklies. Lots of them. When I replaced it with a Monster magically they were all gone... :eek:

I have used a HDMI 35 foot Monoprice cable without issues. I have also used a Monster 35 HDMI cable without issues. I do use HDMI Blasters these days because I am paranoid! :D Now I did once have a bettercables.com HDMI 35 footer that caused sparklies. Lots of them. When I replaced it with a Monster magically they were all gone... :eek:

Which gage you pick for that length?

I have the 25' cl2 22awg from monoprice and it works flawlessly, even have a wall plate and another 6' 24awg from monoprice in the path.

It was mentioned in one of the earier articles on gizmodo that Monster supplied both cables. How is that for an objective test?

I too cry fowl. It wasn't a fair test.

Besides, Monster is known for deceptive "comparison tests." If their cable is 22 gauge and Monoprice is a lesser gauge then that could lead to these findings at these lengths.

If it's a straight 22 to 22, I have a hunch Monoprice would be at least as good at a fraction of the price.

However, I have not tried a Blue Jeans Cable HDMI cord. Any better than Monoprice when given an equivalent gauge?

Dan

Couple of things.

They didn't specify whether they used the 22AWG or 24AWG 35ft monoprice cables.

An eye diagram is a valid form of test, but pass/fail I think is an overly simplistic result. If you look at the actual eye diagram that is in the article, if you can visually determine the "eye" then there is a good chance your equipment will not have any problems.

I've personally tested the 35ft 24AWG and 22AWG at 1080p 60Hz using nVidia 6600GT and Sharp LC-45GX6U and the picture was perfect, no sparkles, streaks, or other video problems. This was even going through 2 HDMI->DVI converter dongles.

I think part 3 of the report will be interesting.

All you have to do to find out which monoprice cable they are referring to is.... look at the price.

the $4.79 6ft cable was 28ga. since the MSRP is $4.79

The monoprice CL2 6" cable is 24Ga@$15.44
The monoprice CL2 35" cable is 24Ga@ $35.17
The monoprice CL2 50" cable is 22Ga@ $53.64

I guess you missed this part or did you read at all?

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Now now lets not be snippy. Yes I read it...and the data they present is useless until they do the eyeball testing.

Should be easy to determine if you have sparklies and other anomalies. I use a 25' HDMI and I would be able to notice signal errors in less than 30 seconds.

It isn't like analog where you straining to see subtle PQ differences. The glitches are either there or they are not.

The great thing about Monoprice is they will take their cables or switches back with no questions or restocking fees. I would suggest that the way to settle the issue is to buy a Monoprice cable in the length you need and try it. If you see no sparkles going from a 1080p output to a 1080p input you should be fine. I would also recommend the new 4x1 Monoprice switch which they have on sale this weekend for about $43.00. It works great for me and I am thinking of ordering a second one.

I have a 35 feet 24 awg HDMI cable from BlueJeans. It runs from a Sony AVR to a Sharp LCD TV, and it hasn't given me any trouble whatsoever. It was about $70 -- imagine what the Monster would have cost!

As far as I'm concerned, all HDMI cables "fail" because the standard calls for twisted pair, not coax. That having been said, my 35' cheapass cables work just fine.

Hmm, I have 1 25 foot HDMI to DVI Monoprice cable, and i have to say... It was VERY affordable, THICK, and Blows away monster crapple er' I mean cable;)

Also have 1 6 foot HDMI Monoprice, again awesome hard to bend thick cable:D

i read some where that PureLink says "HDMI cables made of copper have resistance (impedance) capable of creating data errors in runs over 15 feet. Thats why we sell fiber optic HDMI cables. They can take the signal, with no data errors, 330 feet."


BTW i use a monoprice HDMIcable works fine.