Tell me about HDMI cables...Tell me Everything!

CoJoeTheLawyer

So I purchased a PS3 for my nephew for Christmas, but I have absolutely no clue as to what would be the best way to hook it up to the television for him. Based on my sister's examination, their television is HDMI compatible, so I assume that the solution is HDMI cables, but after that I'm completely stumped.

For example, Dose the quality of the cable really make that much of a difference? Some sites (including here on PA based on a quickie search) say not really, others sources swear the quality makes a huge difference. Is the price you pay comparable to the quality you get, or do certain brands/makers offer a better bang for your buck? I don't really want to spend the extra $60 on the "official" PS3 cables, but if it will make a difference I will.

Any explanations would be great, but I'm not much of a tech guy, so please use small words. Think of it as if you have to explain HDMI cables to a particularly slow-witted chimpanzee. In the alternative, if you just want to recommend cables, that's cool too.

Robos A Go Go

I was told to just get the cable from Monoprice for a couple of dollars and change.

If you aren't satisfied with the picture then you can just buy another cable, but by all accounts you'll probably be satisfied.

Deadfall

I could be wrong, but as far as I know, HDMI is HDMI.

I've always just bought the cheapest cables I could find off the shelf and I've never had any problems whatsoever.

I do, however, know from a few years working in the warehouse of Soundtrack that those fancy Monster cables and such, the kind that salesmen will try to upgrade you to, are a complete ripoff. Do not buy Monster unless you like throwing money away.

ManonvonSuperock

The only thing I know about HDMI cables is if you work at popular videogame retailer and buy 314 of them for a couple of bucks a piece online and sell them to your store for assorted assloads of money and store credit, then you get a shitload of people fired, despite the fact that its technically not against policy.

RUNN1NGMAN

Cable quality can make a difference for longer runs...but price is independent of quality really. Monoprice cables are very good quality, and they cost next to nothing compared to Monster.

L*2*G*X

Categories on the HDMI cables indicate their signal carrying capabilites, amongst which their quality. Normally longer cables have to be category 2, which works out ok, since newer ones usually are that or better.
However if you get a long older cable in category 1 the HDCP signal that prevents you from copying might not come trough all the time, which prevents you from watching.
So if the cable has been lying in the store for a long time it might be an issue. If the cable is shorter than a few meters (2 or 3) there should be no problem.

EclecticGroove

Unless you are going to be wrapping your cable around a magnet, through Dexters Lab, from one side of your house to another, or it's going to be exposed to environments that are prone to rust/corrosion... you don't have a need for more than the cheapy cables. It's a digital signal, and you don't need anything special unless you're trying to work through some known issues that the vast majority of people will never have to worry about.

The biggest pitfall of HDMI is not the cable, it's the devices themselves. HDMI is a standard, but lots of companies have gone the MS route and follow the standard to their own definition of the term. That's not even counting all the different specs of HDMI out there.

This is an issue if your device (in your case your PS3) and your TV (and/or receiver) do not "speak" the same HDMI. You will wind up having them plugged in but not actually talking (properly or at all), and there may or may not be ways around it.
Anyone who installs a large number of varied HDMI capable equipment knows this pain. Hopefully the PS3 and the TV your sister have play nice. HDMI will also carry the sound to the TV (if the TV is capable of that).

Smurph

From what I've read Category 2 cables can support up to 1080p while Category 1 only supports 1080i or 720p. I think most cables are Cat. 2 nowadays though. Buy a cable for $10 online and you'll probably be good.

Willeth

Before going HDMI, ensure that the TV is HDCP-compatible. If not, you will have problems and component might be better.

illig

yeah, and research the TV compatibility a bit by googling the TV and model number.... some TVs have issues with PS3s even thought they're officially HDCP certified...

my Westinghouse has signal drops every few minutes due to the fucking HDCP handshake not working out 100% of the time

Djeet

For a 2-meter run, you can't really go wrong with Monoprice. For a 10-15 meter run it's likely worth your while to try a cheaper cable first, but you may need to spend more to get a cable to push 1080P over that distance. Gizmodo had a nice write up (parts 1 and 2) including testing several cable lengths and pitting Monster against Monoprice and some mid-range brand. The upshot being that for most people the cheapest Monoprice will do, though if you have a long run (like from a ceiling mounted projector to a source on the floor and across the room) to push 1080P you may need to get a Monster-type cable. The mid-range cable was apparently crap (outperformed by Monoprice). The write up is a year+ old, and only sampled a few offerings from Monoprice/Monster.

CoJoeTheLawyer

This is what television they would be using with the PS3. It's an Insignia® 42" Flat-Panel Plasma HDTV. According to the website, it offers 2 HDMI-HDCP support

http://www.insignia-products.com/pc-298-1-insignia-42-flat-panel-plasma-hdtv.aspx

Is there anything else I should be aware of? I think I'll just order some Monoprice wires for it and be happy.

Willeth

Order some monoprice cables and if it doesn't work you're only out a couple of bucks. If it does work it works just as good as any other cable.

MagicPrime

You're really over thinking the problem. Just go with the Monoprice, I got a cheap 3ft. cable off Monoprice and I get 1080p off my PS3 on my 42" LCD just fine.

wasted pixels

Willeth wrote: »

Order some monoprice cables and if it doesn't work you're only out a couple of bucks.

This. My girlfriend and I both swear by monoprice.com for her gaming needs and my business needs ($8 DVI cables? 1,000 feet of cat5e for under $70? Yes, please), and the stuff has always been high quality. You should be able to find an HDMI cable there for a fraction of what you'd pay at an electronics store.

It bears mentioning that a few very specific games are not well suited to HDMI, though; there is a very, very slight (we're talking in the dozens of milliseconds) amount of lag introduced by using a digital signal on most TVs, and while 95% of games will be fine, some popular titles (Mirror's Edge Rock Band 1/2 on drums spring to mind) can be a huge pain with HDMI. If you happen to know that either of those titles is a big priority for them, you might suggest that they use component instead.

eternalbl

As far as quality, being a digital signal, it either works or it doesn't. Getting a monster cable is a complete waste of your money. HDMI cables can be had for less than 10 bucks off e-bay including shipping. If you prefer being able to return faulty products to a physical store, I've found HDMI cables for less than 20 bucks at some non chain computer stores around town.

Also, output lag is the term for what wasted pixels is talking about, and has to do with image processing the tv will do. Some TVs have a game mode to minimize output lag.

Doc

Monoprice. Cable quality can make a difference with analog stuff, but with digital, not so much. If the bit starts as a 1 or a 0 and comes out the same way, then the cable will be just as good as a Monster.