To what extent does the quality of an HDMI cable matter?

Question

Walmart.com has some really cheap HDMI cables for sale that you can only order online, and shipping is apparently free. But honestly, how crappy will a $4-$7 HDMI cable be? The brands they have listed are "Link Depot", "Iogear", "Ampac", "Ematic", "Startech", etc. The price increases from one brand to the next, in the same order listed, but they're all still under $15.

When I went into the Walmart store, the cheapest they had was a 6 foot cable for $24, but I forget the brand. I also went into Best Buy, and I think their cheapest cable was a 6 foot for $25 or $30 dollars. And they had the next size up for 40 something dollars.

Since I really don't want to spend a lot of money on this cable, would it be okay to go ahead and order from Walmart's Web site? I mean, I'm buying this cable because my boyfriend has an HD TV, and we like to watch anime and old cartoons together, but it's uncomfortable crouching around my laptop to do so. So I wanted to get an HDMI cable so that we could just stream from my laptop and watch on his TV. And I only get to see him during the summer and on holidays since I'm away for college during the school year. So we wouldn't be using it all the time.

Would a cheap cable like that even work properly? It would it fall apart after a couple months of use? I've never bought an HDMI cable, or used one, so I don't know what problems can occur. Or how quality will effect it's function.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Answer 1

the QUALITY won't be any different, but how long it lasts might, as might the "features". it really depends on the "version" of HDMI cables they are.



the latest versions (1.3 and 1.4) have all kinds of extra features not found in the earlier versions, such as various types of Dolby & DTS updates for the latest types of surround sound (though you will need qualifying equipment to utilize these features), and ethernet (internet) over HDMI cable, for sharing a data connection between two compatible HDMI devices.



of course, if you don't use or think you will use these features, then any old ethernet cable will probably be fine, since there is no real difference in them. they are digital signal senders. they either work and you get a picture, or they don't and you take them back. it's not like with the old analog cables, where you had to spend a cool hundred to get decent signal strength. even version 1.0 supported 1080p, which is the new standard for HD video.



here is a comparison chart for you:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI#Versions



there are various other differences, such as throughput, but it won't be anything that anyone would be able to notice (barring that you are a videophile). honestly, i've been using cheap $2 HDMI cable (v1.4 even) that i bought from eBay:

http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?LH_ItemCondition=11&LH_BIN=1&LH_PrefLoc=1&_trkparms=65%253A12%257C66%253A3%257C39%253A1%257C72%253A5056&rt=nc&_nkw=hdmi+cable&_sticky=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_sop=15&_sc=1

and i usually NOTICE details like these, but the quality of them is great, so who cares what the price is? if you go to Best Buy, you will find $200 surge protectors, but that doesn't mean that the $25 ones at walmart don't work well...



just make sure you get the right length! and HDMI cable should not be super long, or else it will lose signal (nothing over 45 feet), though i doubt most people would be selling these, let alone you needing them ;)



almost all cable comes with shielding of some sort nowadays, so you should be fine.

Answer 2

The cheap cable won't fall apart, but it may be built with lower quality wires and shielding. This can introduce signal noise. Even though HDMI is a digital signal the cable still carries an electronic signal. Get a better quality cable, not necessarily the best the store sells, but not the cheapest quality.

Answer 3

An HDMI cable is not a critical item.. The cheapest will work as good as an expensive one.!!!

Answer 4

The price is the built quality, $15 will get you a high build quality one

Answer 5

0%.



It's digital, so it either works or it doesn't.



- 17R3W