 IowaCowboyWant to go back to IowaPremium
join:2010-10-16
Springfield, MA
 ·Comcast
 ·Verizon Broadban..
2 edits | HDMI cables I have an older Monster cable HDMI cable from 2008 that I got on clearance at RadioShack a few years ago. I picked up a $12.99 Dynex cable at Best Buy that says it is high speed with Ethernet.
What does high speed with Ethernet mean? And I would like to know (opinions please) if the Best Buy Dynex cable ($12.99) is just as good as the Monster cable ($79.99, got it on clearance at radio shack for $29.99 a few years ago).
I am using it to hook up a Comcast cable box.
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I've experienced ImOn (when they were McLeod USA), Mediacom, Comcast, and Time Warner. They are much better than broadcast TV.
I have not and will not cut the cord. |
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| said by IowaCowboy:What does high speed with Ethernet mean? And I would like to know (opinions please) if the Best Buy Dynex cable ($12.99) is just as good as the Monster cable ($79.99, got it on clearance at radio shack for $29.99 a few years ago).
HEC allows for a 100 Mbit/s Ethernet connection between the two HDMI connected devices so they can share an Internet connection. I'd say the "better" cable is the one supporting the latest HDMI spec (presuming the newest if there's any difference at all). For a "basic" connection, though, I'd say each is equally good.
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"...but ya doesn't hasta call me Johnson!" |
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Reviews:
·Suddenlink
| reply to IowaCowboy
Unless your HDMI devices actually support Ethernet transfer via HDMI then it doesn't really matter. Support for Ethernet over HDMI didn't come along until version 1.4 of the HDMI spec.
I have several $2-3 HDMI cables in use here and they work just fine. IIRC, I got 3 for $6, including shipping from Meritline. I also have a few from Monoprice that were very cheap, but only because I was already buying other, heavy items that covered most of the shipping charge.
There's enough HDMI spec info here: »en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hdmi to give you a headache.  |
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 Steve MehsGun Control Is Using A Steady HandPremium
join:2005-07-16 | reply to IowaCowboy
They're all rip offs! Two years ago when I bought all new home entertainment gear, I got five 6' HDMI 1.4 cables, five 6' CAT6 Ethernet cables and 50' of CAT 6 for around $27 bucks including shipping from Monoprice.
Go to a TV studio, you'll never see that overpriced Monster shit in use. |
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sk1939Premium
join:2010-10-23
Washington, DC
kudos:9 Reviews:
·T-Mobile US
| said by Steve Mehs:They're all rip offs! Two years ago when I bought all new home entertainment gear, I got five 6' HDMI 1.4 cables, five 6' CAT6 Ethernet cables and 50' of CAT 6 for around $27 bucks including shipping from Monoprice.
Go to a TV studio, you'll never see that overpriced Monster shit in use.
No, but go to a recording studio and you'll find Mogami wire all over. The cable madness originates from the audio world. |
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 ArthurSWatch Those Blinking LightsPremium
join:2000-10-28
Hamilton, ON | said by sk1939:No, but go to a recording studio and you'll find Mogami wire all over. The cable madness originates from the audio world.
Actually Mogami, Canare, Gotham sell decent stuff for professional applications that is not ridiculously overpriced. You'll see a lot of star quad used in broadcast. I see lots of Belden, Gepco, Clark, Boston cable in facilities around here as well.
The cable madness originated in the hifi (or should I say "high-futility") world, not in broadcast or recording studios, though there may be some spill over due to owners being duped into thinking the crazy expensive cables provide some "benefit". |
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sk1939Premium
join:2010-10-23
Washington, DC
kudos:9 Reviews:
·T-Mobile US
| said by ArthurS:said by sk1939:No, but go to a recording studio and you'll find Mogami wire all over. The cable madness originates from the audio world.
Actually Mogami, Canare, Gotham sell decent stuff for professional applications that is not ridiculously overpriced. You'll see a lot of star quad used in broadcast. I see lots of Belden, Gepco, Clark, Boston cable in facilities around here as well. The cable madness originated in the hifi (or should I say "high-futility") world, not in broadcast or recording studios, though there may be some spill over due to owners being duped into thinking the crazy expensive cables provide some "benefit". The retailers like to price gouge you on the cost of said cable though. I went to get a pair of 15ft Mogami's from AMS and they wanted $55/ea. |
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ArthurSWatch Those Blinking LightsPremium
join:2000-10-28
Hamilton, ON
2 edits | said by sk1939:The retailers like to price gouge you on the cost of said cable though. I went to get a pair of 15ft Mogami's from AMS and they wanted $55/ea.
If you compare similarly constructed cables from various manufacturers (star quad cable, neutrik connectors), you'll find the price differences are not that extreme. Do some comparison shopping here:
»www.markertek.com/Cables/Audio-C···ec.xhtml
AMS doesn't have that great of a selection of cables it seems, only listing a top of the line mogami cable or cheap CBI cables that even I wouldn't buy! Hard to make fair comparisons on their website. |
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 RoboticsSee You On The Dark SidePremium
join:2003-10-23
Louisa, VA
·Verizon Wireless..
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| reply to IowaCowboy
I like monster mainly because of the way they are made. They are rigid. I had a 15ft. HDMI from best buy (don't recall the brand name) and after two years of use, it shorted out where the cable hits the part you hold to plug and unplug the cable. This was the end that was plugged into my TV, which never moved. I guess the weight of the cable trying to do a 90 from the back of the TV and down to the cable box caused it to short.
This wont happen with monster cables (and maybe other "better" cables out there). Their (Monster) end pieces are metal, the outer jacket is more rigid, and the type wire inside and how its wound inside will make it last much much longer.
I would try to stay away from lower price cables that best buy has on their shelf. Spending a little extra I feel will save you grief down the road.
Picture quality wise, I honestly cant say I see a difference, so not sure on that subject.
On another note, Monster cables are far better when it comes to leakage in signal within the cable.
I have found this out since I have a scanner radio near where the cable is. I don't hear noise on the scanner anymore with the Monster cable, but with the one I had from best buy, I had to lock out a few channels on the scanner due to the constant noise.
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Long you live and high you fly, and smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry,
and all you touch and all you see, is all your life will ever be. |
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| said by Robotics:I like monster mainly because of the way they are made. ... Monster cables are far better when it comes to leakage in signal within the cable. You drank the water too? Why all HDMI cables are the same. 1-word: monoprice
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That's "MISTER" Kafir to you. |
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 Camelot OnePremium,MVM
join:2001-11-21
Greenwood, IN
kudos:1 | reply to IowaCowboy
When it comes to a digital signal (HDMI is all digital), the signal is either passed completely or it isn't. Monster cables will not give you a better picture than a monoprice cable. (I can't speak for Dynex crap)
And on that note, the new Redmere cables from monoprice are flat out amazing. Longer runs, thinner cables, and still at a fraction of the price of Monster. (and dynex for that matter) |
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Reviews:
·AT&T U-Verse
·magicjack.com
| said by Camelot One:And on that note, the new Redmere cables from monoprice are flat out amazing. Longer runs, thinner cables, and still at a fraction of the price of Monster. (and dynex for that matter)
I agree with Redmere. I went out on a limb a paid the extra $1.00 for Redmere recently based on being thinner - nothing else. That was a personal preference, not a technical preference.
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That's "MISTER" Kafir to you. |
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ArthurSWatch Those Blinking LightsPremium
join:2000-10-28
Hamilton, ON | reply to Robotics
said by Robotics:I like monster mainly because of the way they are made. They are rigid. I had a 15ft. HDMI from best buy (don't recall the brand name) and after two years of use, it shorted out where the cable hits the part you hold to plug and unplug the cable. This was the end that was plugged into my TV, which never moved. I guess the weight of the cable trying to do a 90 from the back of the TV and down to the cable box caused it to short. However the flip side of this is having a cable too rigid that there is no "give" for the connector it's plugged into. The majority of electronic components have connectors soldered directly to the printed circuit board, the problem is that many of these manufacturers "cheap out" and hardly do anything to secure the connector to the chassis. So after a while, your stiff and expensive cable is actually causing stress on the soldered connections on the printed circuit board, eventually causing failure here. DAMHIK!
What is important is to find a cable with adequate strain relief, and at the same time don't do anything crazy to contort the cable into sharp angles that will eventually cause failure in the electronics and/or cable. |
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Camelot OnePremium,MVM
join:2001-11-21
Greenwood, IN
kudos:1 | said by ArthurS:However the flip side of this is having a cable too rigid that there is no "give" for the connector it's plugged into.
I ran into this last week. Had to replace a guy's receiver because the bend in his rigid HDMI cable broke loose the connector inside the receiver. |
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Reviews:
·AT&T U-Verse
·magicjack.com
| I did the same thing - wall mounted TV, installed (yet another cheap hi-speed HDMI cable), push it back on wall - bend. Ruined that cable. I then bought a HDMI Port Saver (Male to Female) - 90 Degree and all is well. I also saw some swivel-head HDMI as well.
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That's "MISTER" Kafir to you. |
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RoboticsSee You On The Dark SidePremium
join:2003-10-23
Louisa, VA Reviews:
·Verizon Wireless..
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| reply to ArthurS
I agree. And I will for now on use the cable strap on the back of my big screen meant just for this purpose. (live and learn)
I looked into the other cables most seem to be talking about here. And I will continue to use Monster brand cables when it comes to HDMI.
Just the fact a lot of their cable require a ferrite core (more weight for one) says a lot.
Even their own words hint to the problem:
"They are used to suppress EMI/RFI electronic noise on the cable by absorbing the unwanted high frequencies and dissipating them as very low-level heat. This is the simplest and cheapest form of electronic noise reduction and is most effective on small gauge cabling, which is inherently more susceptible to electronic noise interference than thicker cables".
"This is the simplest and cheapest form of electronic noise reduction".
A better way is to make the cable right to begin with. Then you wont have a need to provide a "cheap way" of shielding RFI/EMI
This is just my opinion, and experience, being I am in the communications field and run into this situation often.
What ever works for the individual, is fine.
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Long you live and high you fly, and smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry,
and all you touch and all you see, is all your life will ever be. |
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ArthurSWatch Those Blinking LightsPremium
join:2000-10-28
Hamilton, ON | said by Robotics:Just the fact a lot of their cable require a ferrite core (more weight for one) says a lot.
Even their own words hint to the problem:
"They are used to suppress EMI/RFI electronic noise on the cable by absorbing the unwanted high frequencies and dissipating them as very low-level heat. This is the simplest and cheapest form of electronic noise reduction and is most effective on small gauge cabling, which is inherently more susceptible to electronic noise interference than thicker cables".
"This is the simplest and cheapest form of electronic noise reduction".
A better way is to make the cable right to begin with. Then you wont have a need to provide a "cheap way" of shielding RFI/EMI
This is just my opinion, and experience, being I am in the communications field and run into this situation often.
What ever works for the individual, is fine.
Ferrite cores have been around for a *very* long time, and are a valid method for the suppression of interference in modern high speed data cables. To judge a cable's worth on whether it uses them or not is utter nonsense! Furthermore their premise on the "thickness" of the cables determining susceptibility of noise interference is dubious at best. A thicker gauge wire means less signal loss (which is pretty inconsequential for the typical home theatre setup where the average cable length is under 20 ft). Interference will enter the wire the same way. What is *more* important in terms of interference rejection is the twisting of the conductors, and the shielding around it, not how thick a cable is. For that matter, you can buy a cable with a very thick rubber/pvc jacket, and assume they work better according to these schmucks. Sorry, you've bought into their snake oil marketing "hook, line, and sinker!" |
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Camelot OnePremium,MVM
join:2001-11-21
Greenwood, IN
kudos:1 | reply to Robotics
said by Robotics:I looked into the other cables most seem to be talking about here. And I will continue to use Monster brand cables when it comes to HDMI.
While I disagree with your opinion, I am very glad you feel that way. The profit Best Buy makes on you helps keep their stores open, and I rather enjoy window shopping there. |
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Reviews:
·AT&T U-Verse
·magicjack.com
| reply to Robotics
AudioQuest 16m crap at Buy.com | 
Monoprice.com 60' with RedMere |
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That's "MISTER" Kafir to you. |
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 Vchat20Landing is the REAL challengePremium
join:2003-09-16
Columbus, OH | reply to IowaCowboy
As other have already stated and pretty much covered ad nauseam in this forum is this: HDMI is all digital. It works or it doesn't. And if it doesn't, rarely is it ever the cost or quality of the cable that comes into question but some form of rare defect or caused by what is connected to either ends of the cable.
Along those lines, many people (including myself) swear by Monoprice for not only HDMI cables but any cable in particular. I have bought many over the years from short to long (including a good 50 footer) ethernet cables, Toslink, HDMI, Component, etc.. for very cheap and they still have great build quality regardless and have never failed me. One I have had is an in-wall braided sheath which I bought back in 2008 when I got my first flat screen and it's still connected today. Little stiff and in hindsight with added experience I would have went with a standard cable but it works!
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I swear, some people should have pace-makers installed to free up the resources. Breathing and heart beat taxes their whole system, all of their brain cells wasted on life support.-two bit brains, and the second bit is wasted on parity! ~head_spaz |
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