Want to buy some decent HDMI cables

[max123_ind]

Hi guys, I purchased the Oppo-83. It comes with a HDMI cable, is it decent enough? Either ways, I want to buy some more HDMI cables for other connections.... I see some brands on Amazon (a friend will bring it so shipping is no issue) :

1. Belkin AM22302-06 6-Foot HDMI-toHDMI Cable by Belkin (13.31 dollars)
2. AmazonBasics High-Speed HDMI Cable (5 dollars)
3. Mediabridge Ultra Series - 6ft High Speed HDMI Cable - Category 2 Certified (9 dollars)
4. Fanatic Digital Hdmi Cable-2 Meter (6 Ft) Gold Plated V1.3 Hdmi to Hdmi Cable with Ferrite Cores by Fanatic Digital (~4.99 dollars)
5. Fanatic Digital Imperial Series 6ft v1.3c 120hz+ HDMI Cable- Gold Plated, Double Insulated by Fanatic Digital (6 dollars)
6. Cables To Go Velocity Series 40315 HDMI Cable (Blue, 2 meters) (18 dollars)

Are those companies just using buzzwords to dupe us into buying them are will any cheap HDMI cables do?

Please help me choose which ones to go... I might buy 2-3 of them as they may come in use. Thanks in advance.

 

[pnreddy]

You could try some of the local vendors like MX. I have been using their component and composite video cables for some time and I have had no problems. The other day I bought a toslink cable for Rs.110 at a local electronic shop for connecting my WDTV media player to my Onkyo AVR and it works without a fault. I feel that some of these name brand cables abroad are over priced. I am not sure if paying extra you are getting VFM.

P.N. Reddy

 

[VSG12777]

You could try some of the local vendors like MX. I have been using their component and composite video cables for some time and I have had no problems. The other day I bought a toslink cable for Rs.110 at a local electronic shop for connecting my WDTV media player to my Onkyo AVR and it works without a fault. I feel that some of these name brand cables abroad are over priced. I am not sure if paying extra you are getting VFM.

P.N. Reddy

I agree with you 100%. I bought a Taiwanese HDMI cable a few months back for my WDTV HD Media Player and I paid about 350 bucks. It said it was fully compatible with HDMI 1.3b and to me, the picture quality looks fine. No problems. MX is supposed to be good too, in the local brands.

I would suggest not wasting money on big brand cables like Bandridge, Profigold, Belkin, Monster Cable etc. Too expensive and not much quality difference.

---Venkat

 

[govindp]

i got a couple of them from monoprice.com. I'm happy with the quality (both build and signal). In fact, I have a 10 meter HDMI (1080P) cable from them. I would recommend them for sure..

 

[anshu22]

HDMI is used for transmitting digital data from source to end. thus the entire data will either be transmitted or not at all. there is no midway lossy tramission in this case like analog transfer. analog cables lose signal when travelling over long wire paths or have interferrences. thus they require costly quality material to protect the signal from attenuation. this is not a case with digital transfer. thus expensive HDMI cables are a gimmick. there is absolutely no loss in data with cheap HDMI cables as well. you can relax with the cable you have or any cheap cable you can purchase.

 

[subhash]

by all means a better quality HDmi definetly makes a difference , it may be pricy but sure will make a difference ---this depends on your other sources too

 

[cmsajith]

The difference will come out only with time \ usage. With expensive cables, the connectors, build quality will be better. So if you are frequently plug-in n unplugging, the normal cables cannot withstand. And also if you are running the cables for long distance (the max length possible for HDMI w/o any loss is ~30-50ft). So a cheap or a decent cable will have the same performance as the expensive ones. Since the reliability : price ratio is not matching, better settle for a decent one than an expensive cable.
CNET Quick Guide: HDMI and HDMI cables: What HDMI cable should I buy? - CNET Reviews (not sure whether this link was mentioned before)

 

[ma5yk]

Try eBay. Many start at Rs. 150 inclusive of delivery.

hdmi cable prices on eBay India

I bought a really nice cable yesterday and after one of those eBay coupons I paid a total of Rs.70 :yahoo:

The one that I bought is no longer listed but was super nice with braiding, gold plating and ferrite blocks on the ends.

 

[anshu22]

by all means a better quality HDmi definetly makes a difference , it may be pricy but sure will make a difference ---this depends on your other sources too

digital data transmitted is 0's and 1's which are recieved on the HDMI target from the HDMI source. either the data will be recieved in full or it wont be at all. there is no midway in this.

think of it like this.. when you transfer a pic from a flash drive to a comp... it doesnt matter if you use a gold plated usb drive or a cheap one. the file's content will not change you will recieve the same file with the same quality and since both will comly with a usb 2.0 standard speed too will be the same.

same way a 1.3 HDMI will trasnfer the same data at the same speed. whether its a 300 Rs. cable or a 2000 Rs. one

 

[Tracer29]

Hi Max,

I bought both mediabridge and Cables to go.The mediabridge conked after 3 months,either it could be because of my handling as i was rearranging my setup frequently and I could have damaged in the process or it was faulty,difficult to say.
Bought cables to go as they had an offer and it is working fine.The cable you get with oppo is decent but if u still want to to buy more you can also try by blue jean.
Posting a link for a good read on hdmi cables.
HDMI Cable Speed & Features Explained — Reviews and News from Audioholics

 

[giddavr]

have always used monoprice.com for all my cable needs. Not a single complaint.

 

[just4kix]

I purchased a 10m HDMI cable on eBay.in for Rs. 2750/- (including shipping). No problem at all. It has gold plated connectors too.

eBay India: Ultimate HDMI Cable with Gold Plated Metal Plugs 10 m (item 120579130078 end time 12-Jun-2010 00:13:29 IST)

 

[prasanth.kumar81]

HDMI is used for transmitting digital data from source to end. thus the entire data will either be transmitted or not at all. there is no midway lossy tramission in this case like analog transfer. analog cables lose signal when travelling over long wire paths or have interferrences. thus they require costly quality material to protect the signal from attenuation. this is not a case with digital transfer. thus expensive HDMI cables are a gimmick. there is absolutely no loss in data with cheap HDMI cables as well. you can relax with the cable you have or any cheap cable you can purchase.

Very Well explained....:clapping::clapping::clapping:

 

[murali]

I have read some interesting and favorable views on Pangea HDMI cables in audio asylum and practically all users feel they are reasonably priced and excellent performer.

In my case, having recently secured a Pioneer Kuro, I have gone one step ahead and ordered a Wireworld Silver Starlight, a bit expensive but available in stock close sales from Apollo a-v in USA.

cheers.
murali

 

[allajunaki]

I Got a Bandridge HDMI 9Ft (or was it 10? ) for 1990. Feel kinda stupid now... Got it along with my PS3. Anyways, the cable holds good. Both Gaming and Movies come through fine.
Since we are in digital domain here, if the cable is bad, you should see some stutters or blank screens, and perhaps audio popping, if the audio is also streaming through HDMI

you will NOT get better quality video via one cable.
At the most ur cable may not support 1080p video. In which case, you should see the devices connected down scaling to more apt res. which you can easily check.