HDMI Cable

Did you just recently buy an LCD television set today? In order to further amp up your viewing experience using your new home appliance, make sure that you purchase your own HDMI cable. If you step into an electronics shop right now, you will come across literally hundreds of HDMI cable types of different brands. If you are a novice regarding this technology, which one of these HDMI cable should you get? Would you be better off if you choose the more expensive, Monster HDMI cable types? Or are the cheap HDMI cables sufficient enough?

Actually, there is no need to buy those ultra-hyped, expensive HDMI cables. What matters is if the signal is successfully passed and not the kind of HDMI cable you use. Don’t be afraid to check out all your options since the worst thing you can purchase is a defective cable and not the wrong one.

If you had indeed purchased a defective HDMI cable, you will immediately know because peculiar pink dots will sprout up all over your screen. An HDCP error may also flash on your TV, DVD or Blu-Ray player when you are having problems with your HDMI cable.

During your search for the suitable HDMI cable, you may notice on the packaging that certain compatibility versions of the cable ranging from version 1.0 to 1.4A. These versions however are not important as the HDMI cable is designed to be the same regardless of what version they might be.

Those snag-free, longer HDMI cables might catch your attention but try not to be hooked to them. You can certainly purchase them if you can afford so, but if not, move along and try to find an HDMI cable that’s perfectly suited to your budget.

With the advent of high-definition TVs, Blu-ray disc players, cable boxes, and game consoles, the older analog methods of connecting them with each other, such as component video, coaxial cable, DVI, VGA, or S-video, are no longer sufficient to deliver the clear and crisp images stored in the HD DVDs or in the chips of game consoles. Attenuation and crosstalk are common with analog cables, especially the cheaper versions.

These new audiovisual devices require new methods of interface that are capable of transmitting uncompressed digital video and audio simultaneously with neither loss of signal nor interference from other signals. This is where HDMI cables come in. HDMI means high-definition multi-media interface. They are designed to support uncompressed TV or PC video formats, whether standard or high-definition, and up to eight channels of digital audio, whether compressed or uncompressed; and this they accomplish with a single cable. In addition to this, HDMI also supports CEC or Consumer Electronic Control connection and an Ethernet data connection. This means that if your HDTV and source of HD content both feature a 1080p resolution, you will need an HDMI cable to fully appreciate their full potential.

First developed in 2002, there are now two categories of HDMI cables –Category 1, referred to as standard HDMI, which support 720p and 1080i resolutions; and Category 2, also called high-speed HDMI cable, which support all resolutions including 1080p, the highest resolution currently available. HDMI versions 1.3 and higher fall into the latter category.

Cable length is material when purchasing HDMI cable. With a cable that is too long, signal loss is sufficient to cause the blinking of images on the TV screen. It is recommended that Category 1 cables be limited to 4.8 meters. Category 2 cables can go as long as 10 meters. Beyond these lengths, you will need HDMI equalizers, extenders, or repeaters. These are used to connect 4.8- or 10-meter HDMI cables with each other without any signal degradation, and thus extend their effective reach.