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Hdmi cables
Grimm
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
so i just went out and bought myself a brand new 46 inch, 1080p, 120hz, hd tv. As my last tv is over a decade old, im new to alot of this new technology. What im looking for is a place to get a Hdmi cable to connect my laptop to the tv. I seem to remember something about how you should always get your cables online because its cheaper. Is this true or am i just imagining things again? also please excuse any formating or other problems with this post as im typing it on a cell phone that is just about unusable.
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In general its cheaper online, as most online stores avoid the massive markup. However, if you live near a Fry's, and want one right away, you can get a 10' HDMI for only $2 bucks there (saw it in their their latest ad, not sure how long it will stay that way).
Early HD cable boxes, for example, will only have DVI and component.
but hdmi has sound and dvi is video only.
If he's using the cable to transmit sound, he needs HDMI.
Essentially HDMI is an extension of the DVI standard with a better plug.
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Does DVI allow HDCP, though?
Some stuff that uses DVI can understand and do HDCP, some can't.
Yes, but it's not widely implemented (HDCP came after DVI, so a lot of DVI devices don't support HDCP). But that's kind of missing the point. Everything that DVI supports, HDMI supports. So if you got some DVI-only device hanging around that you want to plug into an HDMI television, it will work, assuming you have the adapter. That's why I suggested getting a couple, they're good to have available.
I'll give a good example of this, when I bought my PS3 I hooked it up to my old spare monitor via a HDMI->DVI cable adapter. Unfortunately unknown to me the PS3 by default uses HDCP for everything so all I got was a black screen. (my old monitor obviously doesn't support HDCP over DVI) I had to hook it up to my new monitor which supports HDCP.
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I've got a spare copy of Portal, if anyone wants it message me.
@gamefacts - Totally and utterly true gaming facts on the regular!
So you want to find the cheapest cable for the HDMI version you want. Monoprice is a good place for this.
What are HDMI versions? Well each higher version (I believe they're up to 1.4 now) supports more bandwidith, better audio, better visual qualities. Each version (especially 1.3) have different letters like 1.3a, 1.3b, etc, this is just to distinguish manufacturing methods. All 1.3s support the 1.3 standard. Note that these are not the same as different HDMI connectors which also following the letter scheme.
How do you know what version of HMDI an HDMI cable supports? It should be labeled on the cable itself or be in the product description. If it is not, I would assume it's the base HDMI.
What version should you get? As high a version as your hardware supports. What does your TV/audio support? It should say in the manuals. I think the latest 1.4 HDMI supports stuff like 3d video and other features that really no one takes advantage of so you won't need it. Don't stress about getting the best, by the time you upgrade your setup any newer version HDMI will be cheap to buy.
Long story short?
Buy the cheapest HDMI cable you can find for the version you need. Version 1.3 is going to be the best bet.
It's always funny listening to people justify buying these overpriced cables, when the information is sent digitally there is no need for stupidly expensive cables. The digital signal either gets there or it doesn't, in which case you'll quickly notice it in the video as it has problems decoding the digital video or audio.
Sort of like my uncle, he is absolutely convinced that wireless digital speakers have less quality than wired analog speakers. No matter what I say he is convinced that his stupidly expensive cabled surround sound setup is far better than any wireless digital one could be, even though the wireless setup is lossless digital and is from a technical standpoint delivering better quality.
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I've got a spare copy of Portal, if anyone wants it message me.
On the other hand, I bought a 1080i HD TV/monitor for use in disassociate dorm rooms in university (typing this out on it right now, in fact.) It's only 15 inches and is meant as a space-saver, so it doesn't support a lot of audio options. It uses DVI but does support HDCP; my PS3 talks to it perfectly fine. So it's not impossible, just rare.
A lot of audiophiles don't buy into the loss less digital. They claim (and have backed it up with tests) that analog provides a better signal. So its not the fact that the speakers are wireless, its the fact that they are digital.
Wait, what? Now we're citing audiophiles as a credible source of information?
The signal strength on the cabling has nothing to do with the output quality of the audio as well. Digital is digital, whether it's going across solid gold cabling or a coat hanger.
EDIT: I always laugh when I read this.
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I've got a spare copy of Portal, if anyone wants it message me.
Any time some one tells me that vinyl is the best for any reason s OTHER THAN nostalgia, my ears turn off.
But it is, IF you have good equipment. It just isn't a convenient format. We constantly trade quality for convenience.
If analog recordings weren't better, they wouldn't be used in every major recording studio (that knows what they're doing) to this day.
Sup, evan?
That's true; you can thank all those decades-old masters that were recorded on tape for the DVD-Audio, SACD, and DTS CDs that are floating around. To be fair, I think we are on the verge of digital audio catching up, though. Those hi-fidelity discs sound pretty good (they just haven't really taken off).
I mean seriously.
monoprice.com /thread
Wait, I mean Monoprice yeah that's the one.
Gamer Tag: LeeWay0
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Most TVs still have legacy ports - one component, one s-video, one rca/composite. I'd just get a cheap old RCA switch and plug as many things as you can in there - stuff like the NES and VCR that won't automatically upscale. All you might need to worry about then is the 360, gamecube, original Xbox, and DVR. The 360 should go HDMI if yours supports it, otherwise plug it in through component. The Xbox should go component if possible; I don't know about the DVR, but the gamecube should be fine through s-video.
Isn't the frequency range of analog still better than any digital format we have? Where's your proof that it sounds better because it's worse? That sounds like complete bunk to me.
Of course it's not producing true to life sound; nothing does, or else we would constantly be fooled by recordings, thinking that what we were hearing was actually in the room. But I don't see CDs or mp3s doing any better.
But like I said before... Do I sit around listening to records at home? In the car (lol)? At work? No, of course not. It's simply not feasible.
Well i have the black 360 plugged in with an hdmi cable so thats taken care of. For the moment i have the dvr/cable box from atlantic broadband (my isp) connected with coaxel cable. Guess im gonna have call up atlantic and see what it cost to upgrade to a hd box now that i have the tv to handle it. Im gonna need to find a switch to handle the rest of my stuff, not to mention a wii when i have some more disposable cash. I still have one free hdmi port right now.
I mean seriously, how do stores get away with that?
Consumer ignorance, and nothing more.
@gamefacts - Totally and utterly true gaming facts on the regular!
Monster Cable gives stores lots of money to only carry their cables. Seriously, go to a place like Best Buy and try to find any other brand for sale.
They have blast processing.
Wow, that ethernet cord has some of the best reviews of any cable ever, I think I need 17 of them.
http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AKDL1-Dedicated-Link-Cable/dp/B000I1X6PM/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
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