Buying guide: Choosing the right HDMI cables
By Justin Montgomery
HDMI cables, while simple in what they accomplish, can be very confusing for even tech-savvy individuals. Why is there such a variance in price? What do the different versions mean? Is HDMI different from DVI? These are all questions many people have, and we’re here to help you figure it all out.
Let’s start at the bottom- just what is HDMI and why do I need it? HDMI stands for “High Definition Multimedia Interface,” and to be as simple as possible in my explanation: it’s the highest quality connection type for high-definition-enabled components. The principle idea behind HDMI is the use of a single cable instead of several cables when connecting an audio/video source to another. As high-definition technology becomes more prolific, HDMI cables will become the norm for all HD hookups. The bottom line is, if you want the highest quality video and sound from any of your home theater components, HDMI is the answer. So, what do you look for?
The various HDMI versions. This is probably the most confusing aspect of choosing HDMI cables, when really it doesn’t mean much. HDMI was first introduced in 2002 as version 1.0. Since then, various iterations have been introduced with nothing more but enhanced bandwidth and support for future technologies. To put this in context, HDMI can support up to 5Gbps of bandwidth, which is more than twice the bandwidth needed for today’s HD technology. Being so advanced for today’s standards means you really don’t have to worry about the version number for a long time. The newest version of HDMI currently on the market, for example, is version 1.3. This version includes support for “Deep Color” technology, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD. All of these technologies, while fully supported by most HDMI cables on the market today, are still not found on 95 percent of components. In other words, don’t pay much attention to the version number associated with any particular HDMI cable, they all perform the exact same way.
The “type” of HDMI cable. There are currently two different types of HDMI cables; Type A and Type B. Type A is the mainstream consumer type of HDMI cable, consisting of 19 interwoven wires within the cable to produce both HD audio and video. Type B is similar, but differs in size of the plug itself and the amount of internal wiring within the cable. While Type A has 19 wires, Type B has 29, meaning higher quality. Most normal users will never be able to tell the difference, and most of today’s components only support Type A HDMI plugins. Type B is designed for the motion picture industry and other extra-high-quality professional applications such as HD camcorders, etc.
Length of the cable. The overall length of the cable makes a slight difference in performance as it does with any cable. HDMI is rated to perform its best at around 15 feet in length or under. While the differences will most likely be un-noticeable, it’s still something to think about, especially if you’ve hung a television on a wall and need to run an extra-long HDMI cable to your components located elsewhere.
The bottom line: Price. There’s a huge misconception that higher-priced HDMI cables provide better quality video and sound than cheaper alternatives, when this couldn’t be further from the truth. An HDMI cable is an HDMI cable no matter who makes it and who’s selling it. In many big-box electronic stores, HDMI cables can run upwards of $100 with promises that it will perform better because of different materials, etc. Truth is, when compared side-by-side to a $20 HDMI cable found online there’s almost no difference whatsoever. With that said, HDMI cables that are obviously under-priced should also be avoided. If it’s under $15-$20, continue shopping. A standard HDMI cable should cost anywhere from $20-$35, and can be found for this price all over the internet. While the higher-priced cables may have better packaging and come from a name-brand (think Monster Cable) they contain the same bones as the $20 cable hanging next to it.
Another question many people have is trying to distinguish HDMI from DVI. They both carry un-compressed digital video, so which one is better and which one should you use. DVI was introduced first, in 1999, as the first true digital interface connection type- mainly for computer monitors, but then televisions as the technology evolved. Within three years, HDMI was introduced. HDMI was actually derived from DVI, so the similarities are immense. The two main differences are that HDMI translates both digital audio and video, while DVI only translates digital video. Also, HDMI incorporates a technology known as HDCP, or High Definition Content Protection. HDCP is a Digital Rights Management technology that allows for two components connected via HDMI to communicate with each other to verify that each other is “authorized.” It’s something that will become more and more important in the future, as copyright issues become more prominent. DVI, while still used, is a fading technology soon to be fully replaced by HDMI. DVI and HDMI are easily interoperable as well with the use of simple adapters. If you’re TV only has DVI inputs and your cable box has HDMI, you can use an HDMI cable with a simple and inexpensive HDMI to DVI adapter and still enjoy all the benefits.
While the aspects mentioned above should help you in your quest for the perfect HDMI cable, it really all comes down to price and what you’ll be using the cable for. For 99% of home entertainment setups consisting of HD cable/satellite service, game consoles, DVD players, etc. a simple and inexpensive HDMI cable will be more than sufficient for years to come.
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February 1st, 2009
Justin:
I enjoyed reading your HDMI cable article. However there are quality differences between many of these cable products. When HDMI was first deployed things did not go as smooth as many had hoped. We had many reports of problems in the field. When investigated we found that many of these problems were caused from the integrity of the products that were being used. Two years ago we started an independent testing agency that told the story. Although all of these products had passed HDMI compliance standards we found that many of them were operating “on the edge”. When integrated with other products the aggregate of the entire system introduced many anomalies. The testing process is quite involved so I won’t bore you with the details. You can always check out our web site if you would like to learn a bit more. At the end of the day you are correct in that from a operational standpoint all these products will supply the same video and audio qualities, however this only happens if the system works at all. It is not how good the picture looks, it is how good the reliability is. The DPL program scores these products and rates them strictly by their performance characteristics. This performance ONLY measures it reliability not is looks.
Your are also correct in that the prices of these products are all over the map.
Please, if you need any more information do not hesitate to write. We only work with HDMI and its peripherals.
Jeffrey A Boccaccio
President
DPL Labs
Supporting a Performance Based Industry
February 1st, 2009
Jeffrey-
That’s an interesting point, the overall reliability is something I thought would be unanimous across the board since the makeup is relatively the same, but I guess that’s not quite true. Interesting.
March 11th, 2009
I want to say something about the price point as well, my cousin brought a cable from monster.com over a hundred bucks, and I brought a cable from cableblowout.com just a few days ago with a coupon blowoutsell10. I told him the price thing, he was freak out. Can anyone tell the differences other than the look? I mean will both cable show the proper quality?