I bought my HDMI cable at Wal-Mart. I think it was a phillips brand. I payed like 16 bucks for it, which i knew was overpriced. But I didn't want to wait for cables to get shipped to me.
I can understand perfectly why brick stores push monster cables and their expensive knock-offs. They are both going to be "more solid" than the cheaper cable you can find elsewhere. Are they going to have the same value, heck no. Could you get the same kind of quality in a cheaper cable, probably - part of what you are paying for is the name brand and the distribution. However the real reason they are going to push those kinds of cables over the very cheap variety, is that it reduces the chance that you are going to come back to the store with a problem, and they figure if you are already spending a ton of money on a new TV, you'll not mind spending more on "quality" cables.
Now, for HDMI the quality of the cable isn't that big of a deal. It does mean more as the lengths get longer, but you won't really notice issues all the time if your cable isn't passing the data clear enough - in most cases it will either work or not work. In the days of Composite or Component cables, the quality of the cable made a significantly larger difference in the quality of your picture, but with HDMI it doesn't send video streams the same way anymore.
I'd generally only recommend higher quality cables whenever you are working around lots of other EMI generating equipment and going for longer distances. However in those cases you really shouldn't be working with a brick and morter store - and rather getting it right from a distributor or through a cabling contractor (after making sure they are using high quality cabling, and making sure that everything works in the production environment once the work is complete), and probably not going with the brands that will nick you for their namebrand. For the average everyday user who needs less than 25' of HDMI or DVI cabling, going with the cheapest possible is generally best. If you are going for Component cabling, then I'd recommend spending a little more for some higher quality cables (I still would not recommend monster though).
When I was looking for an HDMI to DVI cable I looked at monoprice first, then thought "eh, i'll check local stores to see if any are close so I can have it today." I was shocked. The best buy jockey claimed the quality would be lower. I said for 5 bucks, I'd take the risk over his 60 dollar mess. ri-god damn-diculous.
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KageraImitating the worst people. Since 2004Registered Userregular
edited February 2008
Monster cables are basically bling and nothing else.
Except I don't know anyone who would be impressed by this kind of bling.
When i worked at a certain big box electronic store for a time, they pimped these things hardcore (along with service plans) in fact the comission structure was set up in such a way that you would only make around five bucks on a 5000+ dollar tv unless you sold the monster cables and shit. The fact that they encouraged us to pretty much out and out lie to the customers in some cases was a big part of why i left said company.
also according to the store's computer system a 150 dollar Monster HDMI costs the company around 6 dollars
I straight up asked a guy in Radio Shack last weekend if he had any non-rip-off cables in stock. He answered sincerely... "no".
I went to RatShack for standard headphone/mike cables and they wanted to charge me $20 for one 2foot long cable. I went to tiger direct and got three 5foot long cables for $5.
Are Monster cables better for non-HDMI media cables though?
I mean, I was going to insult the company and all, but it sounds like they're fine except for offering an HDMI version of their cables that is basically just spending $100 extra for peace of mind to uninformed people.
I don't think that there is any performance benefit to using more expensive cables for HDMI or audio. There might be some better shielding which could be helpful to really long cables, but if it's just goes from your X-Box to the TV you won't see a difference.
Are Monster cables better for non-HDMI media cables though?
I mean, I was going to insult the company and all, but it sounds like they're fine except for offering an HDMI version of their cables that is basically just spending $100 extra for peace of mind to uninformed people.
Under normal conditions unless you're running very long wires you're really not going to notice a difference. I work in professional video stuff actually. Monster cables are made to look fancy. The cables I have that I hook up professional decks that cost 10s of thousands of dollars? Well-insulated plain old BNC cables. A ten foot BNC cable designed for SDI(which is similar to HDMI with embedded audio) would cost maybe 30 bucks. If you feel like it a regular 75 OHM video cable works fine anyway.
I've been doing this like 2 years. You know how many times I've seen dropouts on an SDI connection like that I could trace back to the cable? Maybe 4 or 5 and every single one of those was because someone didn't crimp the connector right or the cable was physically damaged.
(sidenote: who needs a fifty foot length of HDMI cable, anyway?)
The most effective means of silencing noisy electronics, namely personal computers, is to place the whirring bastards in an unused room, behind a closed door. My PC is two rooms and twelve meters away from its workstation. Perhaps, one day, the world will come to understand the beauty of a silent workstation.
As regards the value of expensive cables for long runs, I experience some loss of image quality - only noticable on block colours and on websites with fucking awful colour schemes... ha ha, like this one! - but I imagine that is mostly because I am still using VGA connections. My USB components and 3.5mm audio work perfectly.
Not that I'd ever buy monster cables, but there are some times where some of the features come in handy. In a car audio setup with multiple amps, the signals are analog and there's a fuck-ton of noise. That's a case where over sized, well shielded cables make a noticeable difference over cheap cables. Battery terminals and the ground point (generally a wire leading to a metal ring bolted to the chassis) can and will erode, rust, and disintegrate. Gold plating at those points does come in handy.
What does this have to do with HDMI cables? Not a whole helluva lot, but one can see how the idea of big cables and shiny connectors being a good thing took hold in the mind of consumers.
On the topic of CDRs, there is such a thing as low quality. I remember my company sending out a whole lot of CDs with demo software years ago. Once we got a box of off name CDRs from our supplier because they were sold out of the regular ones. You could actually see through these things. The failure rate went from about 1% to 35% after putting them through the courier. The regular CDRs we used were crappier than anything you'll find in Best Buy these days, but bad CDRs did (do?) exist.
I think that the internet has been for years on the path to creating what is essentially an electronic Necronomicon: A collection of blasphemous unrealities so perverse that to even glimpse at its contents, if but for a moment, is to irrevocably forfeit a portion of your sanity.
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Monster cables really are top quality and "better" than most cables except a few that use alternatives (Monster patents everything they can) to match monster. The thing is with DVI & HDMI it usually doesn't matter and rarely did. Because as stated before pros can make cables that match Monster for a fraction of the cost. My issue with Monster is their jacked up prices and that's why I refuse to buy them.
I live in an area that for some reason is full of disturbances. So some of the dirt cheap cables just don't work right properly in my area, I don't know why. So I bought a fancy Belkin HDMI with extra shielding for my PS3 and yes I was ripped off at $32 after tax. A few weeks later the store dropped the prices by $10 so they're not too bad for people who don't/can't wait for internet orders.
I use component cables for my HD cable box/DVR combo and used them for my Xenen 360 before it died. If I needed more than 6 feet I got bad static if I wasn't using a pair with extra shielding. So while it's not an issue for most people (be thankful) for some of us it is. I'll be buying a few HDMI cables when I get an HDMI selector from monoprice since my HDTV is older it only has 1 HDMI & 3 component. I'm hoping they work better than the $2 one I order off some site and just gave away. Incidentally it worked fine for the other person's 360.
(sidenote: who needs a fifty foot length of HDMI cable, anyway?)
The most effective means of silencing noisy electronics, namely personal computers, is to place the whirring bastards in an unused room, behind a closed door. My PC is two rooms and twelve meters away from its workstation. Perhaps, one day, the world will come to understand the beauty of a silent workstation.
As regards the value of expensive cables for long runs, I experience some loss of image quality - only noticable on block colours and on websites with fucking awful colour schemes... ha ha, like this one! - but I imagine that is mostly because I am still using VGA connections. My USB components and 3.5mm audio work perfectly.
(sidenote: who needs a fifty foot length of HDMI cable, anyway?)
The most effective means of silencing noisy electronics, namely personal computers, is to place the whirring bastards in an unused room, behind a closed door. My PC is two rooms and twelve meters away from its workstation. Perhaps, one day, the world will come to understand the beauty of a silent workstation.
As regards the value of expensive cables for long runs, I experience some loss of image quality - only noticable on block colours and on websites with fucking awful colour schemes... ha ha, like this one! - but I imagine that is mostly because I am still using VGA connections. My USB components and 3.5mm audio work perfectly.
...You never have to change any discs?
My computer is right next to my monitor. But if it were in the other room, it wouldn't be a big deal. I use my disc drive once every 6 months or so. I mean, how often do you need to install software from a disc? I guess if you're into PC gaming and need to swap game discs, it could be a problem.
Are Monster cables better for non-HDMI media cables though?
I mean, I was going to insult the company and all, but it sounds like they're fine except for offering an HDMI version of their cables that is basically just spending $100 extra for peace of mind to uninformed people.
Yes and no. The quality is better, but it's still a cost/benefit trade off, and the better quality generally isn't worth the extra $60 you'll be spending.
When it comes to console specific component cables, you will always find at least 4 different brands. The super cheap 3rd party cable (about $10). The official 1st party cable (usually $30). The "high-end" 3rd party cable ($40-60), and the Monster Cable ($70-100).
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BlackDragon480Bluster KerfuffleMaster of Windy ImportRegistered Userregular
edited February 2008
Only piece of Monster equipment that I own is a power conditioner that I have the majority of my HT stuff plugged into. It does a great job (I have a satellite, Denon AV-R, pre-amp for stereo, sub-woofer, 2 game systems, and HDTV in it), and I got it scratch-and-dent so it was actually cheaper than the APC that I was originally looking at.
But yeah, if it had been regular price (700 bucks!) I wouldn't have picked it up.
BlackDragon480 on
No matter where you go...there you are. ~ Buckaroo Banzai
I must admit I was suckered into buying monster back in the day (I am ashamed). I bought a PS2 and Xbox Svideo cable and a Xbox component cable. Guess fucking what? Both Svideo cables broke (the video connectors FELL OFF). Fuck monster! FUCK THEM IN THE EAR!
*side note: I have never had another brand break on me... no matter how cheap...
Greg USN on
FFXIV Petra Ironheart Infinity Mog 21 and over Free Company Sargatanas Server. Recruitment currently closed.
(sidenote: who needs a fifty foot length of HDMI cable, anyway?)
The most effective means of silencing noisy electronics, namely personal computers, is to place the whirring bastards in an unused room, behind a closed door. My PC is two rooms and twelve meters away from its workstation. Perhaps, one day, the world will come to understand the beauty of a silent workstation.
As regards the value of expensive cables for long runs, I experience some loss of image quality - only noticable on block colours and on websites with fucking awful colour schemes... ha ha, like this one! - but I imagine that is mostly because I am still using VGA connections. My USB components and 3.5mm audio work perfectly.
...You never have to change any discs?
I don't have any physical media drives. No DVD, nor CD, nor floppy.
On account of me not living in the fifteenth fucking century.
(sidenote: who needs a fifty foot length of HDMI cable, anyway?)
The most effective means of silencing noisy electronics, namely personal computers, is to place the whirring bastards in an unused room, behind a closed door. My PC is two rooms and twelve meters away from its workstation. Perhaps, one day, the world will come to understand the beauty of a silent workstation.
As regards the value of expensive cables for long runs, I experience some loss of image quality - only noticable on block colours and on websites with fucking awful colour schemes... ha ha, like this one! - but I imagine that is mostly because I am still using VGA connections. My USB components and 3.5mm audio work perfectly.
...You never have to change any discs?
I don't have any physical media drives. No DVD, nor CD, nor floppy.
On account of me not living in the fifteenth fucking century.
So you don't install software, ever? That sounds like you either don't use your computer for a whole lot or you pirate everything.
I can't recall any recent, notable PC software that only comes on physical media.
Yeah, it's pretty possible to live entirely without physical media...especially if you don't run Windows. Unless I'm mistaken modern systems can boot off of USB, and I imagine there are some linux installations that will install just fine off a 1GB (or larger) USB drive. I don't, however, know how you'd get Windows on it without access to another computer on your network (for a net boot...which I imagine you can install Windows from).
I too have a hard time remembering the last thing I installed from a physical disc that wasn't an older PC game or Windows.
I remember back when I was going through trainings at a BBR. Practically everytime they told me to recommend "solutions" (AKA: overpriced accessories and cables not included with a TV), they told me to go with Monster Cable.
I did get a customer who wanted to buy a surge protector, once. I think my CCity only carried MC, but they also had what must have been five to six different protectors, with the only visible difference being additional plugs or gold prongs. I had no idea what the hell I was talking about (a testament to the high quality of their training software), and I'm pretty sure I sounded like a complete douchebag idiot trying to explain the difference between them all.
Luckily, the guy was old, so he probably thought I was some whiz-kid.
EDIT: I just read the Monster Cable Wiki article. They went and tried to sue other things that used Monster in their names.
These apparently include Monster Enery Drink (energy drink = HDMI cable?), Snomw Monsters (a children's skiing group), and, yep, Pixar's Monsters, Inc..
o_O
Omeks on
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The_SpaniardIt's never lupinesIrvine, CaliforniaRegistered Userregular
I remember back when I was going through trainings at a BBR. Practically everytime they told me to recommend "solutions" (AKA: overpriced accessories and cables not included with a TV), they told me to go with Monster Cable.
I did get a customer who wanted to buy a surge protector, once. I think my CCity only carried MC, but they also had what must have been five to six different protectors, with the only visible difference being additional plugs or gold prongs. I had no idea what the hell I was talking about (a testament to the high quality of their training software), and I'm pretty sure I sounded like a complete douchebag idiot trying to explain the difference between them all.
Luckily, the guy was old, so he probably thought I was some whiz-kid.
EDIT: I just read the Monster Cable Wiki article. They went and tried to sue other things that used Monster in their names.
These apparently include Monster Enery Drink (energy drink = HDMI cable?), Snomw Monsters (a children's skiing group), and, yep, Pixar's Monsters, Inc..
Posts
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
Now, for HDMI the quality of the cable isn't that big of a deal. It does mean more as the lengths get longer, but you won't really notice issues all the time if your cable isn't passing the data clear enough - in most cases it will either work or not work. In the days of Composite or Component cables, the quality of the cable made a significantly larger difference in the quality of your picture, but with HDMI it doesn't send video streams the same way anymore.
I'd generally only recommend higher quality cables whenever you are working around lots of other EMI generating equipment and going for longer distances. However in those cases you really shouldn't be working with a brick and morter store - and rather getting it right from a distributor or through a cabling contractor (after making sure they are using high quality cabling, and making sure that everything works in the production environment once the work is complete), and probably not going with the brands that will nick you for their namebrand. For the average everyday user who needs less than 25' of HDMI or DVI cabling, going with the cheapest possible is generally best. If you are going for Component cabling, then I'd recommend spending a little more for some higher quality cables (I still would not recommend monster though).
Monster fiber-optic digital audio cable with gold plated connectors.
you gotta be shittin' me. Thats a joke right?
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
http://www.superwarehouse.com/Monster_Cable_Interlink_LightSpeed_Digital_Audio_Cable,_6'/ILSR2M/p/1494798
Except I don't know anyone who would be impressed by this kind of bling.
also according to the store's computer system a 150 dollar Monster HDMI costs the company around 6 dollars
I went to RatShack for standard headphone/mike cables and they wanted to charge me $20 for one 2foot long cable. I went to tiger direct and got three 5foot long cables for $5.
I mean, I was going to insult the company and all, but it sounds like they're fine except for offering an HDMI version of their cables that is basically just spending $100 extra for peace of mind to uninformed people.
Under normal conditions unless you're running very long wires you're really not going to notice a difference. I work in professional video stuff actually. Monster cables are made to look fancy. The cables I have that I hook up professional decks that cost 10s of thousands of dollars? Well-insulated plain old BNC cables. A ten foot BNC cable designed for SDI(which is similar to HDMI with embedded audio) would cost maybe 30 bucks. If you feel like it a regular 75 OHM video cable works fine anyway.
I've been doing this like 2 years. You know how many times I've seen dropouts on an SDI connection like that I could trace back to the cable? Maybe 4 or 5 and every single one of those was because someone didn't crimp the connector right or the cable was physically damaged.
As regards the value of expensive cables for long runs, I experience some loss of image quality - only noticable on block colours and on websites with fucking awful colour schemes... ha ha, like this one! - but I imagine that is mostly because I am still using VGA connections. My USB components and 3.5mm audio work perfectly.
What does this have to do with HDMI cables? Not a whole helluva lot, but one can see how the idea of big cables and shiny connectors being a good thing took hold in the mind of consumers.
On the topic of CDRs, there is such a thing as low quality. I remember my company sending out a whole lot of CDs with demo software years ago. Once we got a box of off name CDRs from our supplier because they were sold out of the regular ones. You could actually see through these things. The failure rate went from about 1% to 35% after putting them through the courier. The regular CDRs we used were crappier than anything you'll find in Best Buy these days, but bad CDRs did (do?) exist.
If you ever need to talk to someone, feel free to message me. Yes, that includes you.
I live in an area that for some reason is full of disturbances. So some of the dirt cheap cables just don't work right properly in my area, I don't know why. So I bought a fancy Belkin HDMI with extra shielding for my PS3 and yes I was ripped off at $32 after tax. A few weeks later the store dropped the prices by $10 so they're not too bad for people who don't/can't wait for internet orders.
I use component cables for my HD cable box/DVR combo and used them for my Xenen 360 before it died. If I needed more than 6 feet I got bad static if I wasn't using a pair with extra shielding. So while it's not an issue for most people (be thankful) for some of us it is. I'll be buying a few HDMI cables when I get an HDMI selector from monoprice since my HDTV is older it only has 1 HDMI & 3 component. I'm hoping they work better than the $2 one I order off some site and just gave away. Incidentally it worked fine for the other person's 360.
...You never have to change any discs?
$50!!!
For PS2 cables!!!
I went to Target and they had a different brand for $20.
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My computer is right next to my monitor. But if it were in the other room, it wouldn't be a big deal. I use my disc drive once every 6 months or so. I mean, how often do you need to install software from a disc? I guess if you're into PC gaming and need to swap game discs, it could be a problem.
Yes and no. The quality is better, but it's still a cost/benefit trade off, and the better quality generally isn't worth the extra $60 you'll be spending.
Man, what? I bought Sony-branded PS2 cables (for my PS3 mind, while waiting for my HDMI cable to ship) for $20.
But yeah, if it had been regular price (700 bucks!) I wouldn't have picked it up.
~ Buckaroo Banzai
*side note: I have never had another brand break on me... no matter how cheap...
Infinity Mog 21 and over Free Company Sargatanas Server. Recruitment currently closed.
And did you catch this one:
If that doesn't sell you on this particular cable, nothing will.
On account of me not living in the fifteenth fucking century.
Man, I know when I'm gonna drop seventy fucking dollars on a piece of wire, I want to know that it'll be "not great".
So you don't install software, ever? That sounds like you either don't use your computer for a whole lot or you pirate everything.
Are you one of them pirates the media is always talking about? Are you clogging my tubes?
Yeah, it's pretty possible to live entirely without physical media...especially if you don't run Windows. Unless I'm mistaken modern systems can boot off of USB, and I imagine there are some linux installations that will install just fine off a 1GB (or larger) USB drive. I don't, however, know how you'd get Windows on it without access to another computer on your network (for a net boot...which I imagine you can install Windows from).
I too have a hard time remembering the last thing I installed from a physical disc that wasn't an older PC game or Windows.
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COD4 is on the front page of the Steam store for me right now. Crysis is available for direct download from EA.
Well color me wrong then.
I remember back when I was going through trainings at a BBR. Practically everytime they told me to recommend "solutions" (AKA: overpriced accessories and cables not included with a TV), they told me to go with Monster Cable.
I did get a customer who wanted to buy a surge protector, once. I think my CCity only carried MC, but they also had what must have been five to six different protectors, with the only visible difference being additional plugs or gold prongs. I had no idea what the hell I was talking about (a testament to the high quality of their training software), and I'm pretty sure I sounded like a complete douchebag idiot trying to explain the difference between them all.
Luckily, the guy was old, so he probably thought I was some whiz-kid.
EDIT: I just read the Monster Cable Wiki article. They went and tried to sue other things that used Monster in their names.
These apparently include Monster Enery Drink (energy drink = HDMI cable?), Snomw Monsters (a children's skiing group), and, yep, Pixar's Monsters, Inc..
o_O
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