Speaker wire and HDMI cable questions

Monoprice and Blue Jeans are good sources of cables, hdmi and speaker. Search AVS for Blue Jeans + HDMI for reviews, specs, and distance limitations.

Keep in mind it's usually the hardware, and not the hdmi cable, that causes issues. Sure, a cable could cause an issue - but usually not. For long distances (30-75 feet), go for quality hdmi cables. I forget which Blue Jeans cable is good for these longer distances. Longer than 75 feet (some would say 50 feet), forget hdmi, and use an extender.

This reminds me, I need to order another cable from Monoprice. Thanks.

check amazon for Aurum Ultra HDMI cables. 1.4a compatible with ethernet, and they come as short as 1.5 feet I believe, and are very inexpensive. a few bucks per cable. I just bought about 7 or 8 of them myself ranging from 1.5' to 35' and they work just fine.
The cable is carrying a digital signal so the ones and zeros either reach the other end or they don't. Analog cables would be more sensitive to having quality cables for a quality throughput signal, and for those (RCA interconnects/speaker cable) I make my own using Bluejean LC-6 coax and locking RCA connectors with techflex covering, and some heatshrink with Knukonceptz 'cable pants' for a tidy look. For speakers, choice of wire is yours. I use Knu's bi-wire 12awg cable. If you want to be fancy, you can use fine 99.99% pure silver jeweler's wire and a wire twisting rig to make some braided, twisted pure silver interconnects for signal path. Some say the sound is a lot better with silver conductor wire.. if you want, I have some links to guides on DIY cables.

This myth gets repeated over and over again.

So you think paying $60+ for an HDMI cable gives you a better picture?
I'd like to hear your reasoning. I've yet to see an HDMI compliant cable deliver data that was anything less than what any other compliant HDMI cable delivers.

No, did I say that somewhere?


The signal on the wire is analog, It can degrade to the point where the receiver can't tell if it's a high or a low, resulting in errors. It's not an all or nothing situation that you seem to think it is.


You've never seen a eye pattern.

Well yes, I am aware that a one or zero is in truth a voltage range for each, and that voltage range gets closer and closer to the fringe area as teh signal weakens. That's the case for any digital signal, I've just never seen it have an effect when we're talking about an HDMI signal being sent from one component to another. I'm sure it probably happens, but I've not seen cable quality be the thing that determines that, unless we're talking about a really crappy cable wherein the connector is the problem.. now that I have seen, in any number of cables and applications. Not just HDMI.

I see what you're saying now. It just helps when you explain why something is a myth, instead of just labling it so. Even if I understand, someone else might not. Thanks for clarifying.

I think I read somewhere that manufacturers aren't allowed to stamp their packaging with 1.4 and 1.4a. Look for 'High speed HDMI cable with Internet'.

Yes, that's the case.
http://www.bluejeanscable.com/articl...e.htm?hdmidept

yup, that is how it's listed.
http://www.amazon.com/Aurum-Ultra-Se...7086785&sr=8-2

I think Monty Python could make a heck of a skit out of this!

Craig

monoprice sells hdmi over cat6 cables. If you have long runs I would do this as they are much easier to install and less bulky.

hdmi 1.4 or hdmi 1.4a? I wouldn't bother with hdmi with ethernet support since there really isn't much equipment that have built in hdmi ethernet support and buying them is big $$$$$.

umm what?

10' high-speed HDMI cable with ethernet and ARC

They have lengths available from about 1.5' to 50' and I don't believe any of them are more than $25. They even offer CL3 rated in-wall versions for about the same price.

I do agree that for multi-room or long runs for HDMI that ethernet/cat6 is the way to go, and it is cheaper and easier to route in-wall, but HDMI cables aren't that expensive. I use the Aurum Ultra cables in my own system and they work just as well as the expensive (read: overpriced) ones.

I use MediaBridge High Speed HDMI cables and they work just fine. No problems at all.

1.4 and 1.4a are hardware specifications, not cable specs. Certified, High Speed HMDI is all you need. Period. Ethernet support is not necessary because there aren't any devices that support it yet, but it can't hurt to get a cable that has been certified for that for future use. And there is no need at all to buy expensive cabling, Monoprice, MediaBridge, BlueJeans, etc will work just fine.

I will say I bought HDMI cables capable of 3D, ARC, and with ethernet (cheap, as noted above) for my install simply because I don't want to be replacing them, particularly the in-wall ones, with every replacement of my AV components. I wanted to somewhat futureproof my install. As it stands, I don't have a 3D TV, nor do I want one, as I think 3D is a fad, and I can't use it anyway.. but the audio return channel is useful, and maybe ethernet over HDMI will be too in time.

I remember when people thought cat5e was "overkill" in the IT world, too.

^^^^ yeah, I agree. My cables can certainly handle more than is currently available (4k in addition to what you mentioned) but for what I paid for them, why not? If High Speed HDMI comes with "extras" that's ok by me. At least I didn't have to pay a monster price for them If I was installing new cables in a wall, I'd certainly use a conduit of some kind and also run CAT5e or CAT6 in addition to HDMI for future use. HDMI to CAT5e or 6 seems to be the direction that cables are going.

I just connected my entertainment center with Amazon Mediabridge HDMI cables. Very pleased with the quality of the product.

All of my cables are MediaBridge Certified High Speed HDMI (I also use MediaBridge sub-woofer cables) and have been very happy with them as well. In fact, after I connected everything up, I just forgot about them.

yeah on the note of the me-too bandwagon, I'm using all mediabridge/aurum ultra high-speed HDMI with ethernet/ARC/3D cables (1.4a) and I used the mediabridge subwoofer cables to run below my livingroom floor from the speaker binding post/RCA plate under my AV rack, to the two RCA output wall-plates at opposing corners of the living room for subwoofers. The cables going from wall-plate to subs are DIY IC cables, though, so they match the ones behind all the gear.