reliable HDMI cables?

cooljammer00

So I bought a PS3 last weekend and I ordered an HDMI cable off Amazon (from Eforcity). My friend set up my system with HDMI yesterday and everything was fine until just now when the HDMI no longer seems to work. I don't get any audio or video and I'm pretty sure I tried everything so it's probably the cable that's busted.

I should have figured this would happen, seeing as it was a really cheap cable off Amazon. This time, perhaps I will stop being so cheap and actually get some decent cables. But how do I find reliable cables that aren't trying to rip me off (Monster cables, etc.)?

muninn

monoprice.com

You are welcome.

Esh

I bought this one from Amazon and it works like a charm.

RUNN1NGMAN

Second recommendation for Monoprice. I get all of my cables there. You can't beat their prices and I haven't had any problems with any of the HDMI or toslink cables I've bought from them.

Every week I see Best Buy advertising $85 HDMI cables in their flier and I have a good laugh.

Peter Principle

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882339182

I've used this one for a month and a half with no problems.

What is this with cables failing, anyway? How does a cable fail? (Other than, say, the cable pops out of the back of your TV and then you accidentally step on the end of it and crush it.)

cooljammer00

RUNN1NGMAN wrote: »

Second recommendation for Monoprice. I get all of my cables there. You can't beat their prices and I haven't had any problems with any of the HDMI or toslink cables I've bought from them.

Every week I see Best Buy advertising $85 HDMI cables in their flier and I have a good laugh.

I was going to do Monoprice, but then I saw the cable for a penny over on Amazon and thought I could save myself the 8-15 bucks on a Monoprice cable. Also the GUI on Amazon is just nicer.

Improvolone

Yea, the layout on Monoprice can be a pain, but I've never had an issue with their cheap stuff. Penny items make me cautious.

vonPoonBurGer

cooljammer00 wrote: »

I saw the cable for a penny over on Amazon and thought I could save myself the 8-15 bucks on a Monoprice cable.

8-15 bucks?? You don't need to spend that much on an HDMI cable at Monoprice unless you really want the 24-gauge stuff, which you don't really need unless you're running the cable behind a wall. I bought four of these for $3.34 each, three are in use and one is a spare, and I've had no problems with any of them.

Also:

Peter Principle wrote:

What is this with cables failing, anyway? How does a cable fail? (Other than, say, the cable pops out of the back of your TV and then you accidentally step on the end of it and crush it.)

Are you sure it's the cable? Unless one of the connectors got yanked or crushed, or the cable got kinked badly, it's just not very likely for a cable to go from working to not working overnight. I'd try resetting the PS3's video (power off PS3, then hold down the power button until it beeps twice) if you haven't already, OP. Maybe it's an HDMI handshake issue.

cooljammer00

So I turned on my PS3 this morning and lo and behold, it works and I am currently demolishing Arkham's thugs in glorious 1080i.

Not exactly sure what happened, but when I turned it on it said that it noticed there was an HDMI device and that I could make it look shinier, so I did. Can cables overheat?

MegaMan001

cooljammer00 wrote: »

So I turned on my PS3 this morning and lo and behold, it works and I am currently demolishing Arkham's thugs in glorious 1080i.

Not exactly sure what happened, but when I turned it on it said that it noticed there was an HDMI device and that I could make it look shinier, so I did. Can cables overheat?

Not really, no. Most likely it was loose or something or maybe your port is a little wonky.

I use exclusively the cheapest cables on amazon.com (the three cent one) and have never had any issues.

Orestes

Cables fail by the internal wires fraying, or the solding connections comming loose. They also fail if the shield or drain is damaged, or poor to being with, thus interferance and noise can become an issue. I know some of you might be like "pfft, what kinda interferance can knock out a cable?!". Trust me, a microwave can knock out your CAT5 cables if they weren't shielded.

Cheap cables fail because they cut too deep into the shell and gash the cord and thus cause it to fail easily. Or because the solder is cheap and comes out.

Cheap cables fail easy, end of story.

Oh, and cheap cables means cheap conductors, which means high capacatance cords, which means if you run them longer then need be, the signal will be degraded to begin with, and as I mentioned, if the shield is poor to begin with, then you have a cable that's supectable to noise and interferance.

Improvolone

Yea, for a 50 ft run you might want to spring for a medium grade cable.