How important are expensive HDMI cables?

Question

I just bought a 58" plasma T.V. and the store is pushing "monster" HDMI cables at $100 a pop. Are these neccessary, or is there cheaper alternatives without sacrificing quality?

Answer 1

well picture quality will be very similar between all hdmi cables because a signal does not degrade as much as it did in previous type (components and such) cables. Monster cables are priced as high as they are because the wire is soldered through out the entire chord so if it has to bend or it gets yanked from it's connections it will not break the cable as easily as lesser priced options.  Also when buying the cable consider the quality of picture your cable/satellite company is offering. If it is not a 1080p then you do not necessarily need that more expensive cable and can go with something else.  Monsters are great cables, but there are plenty of alternatives that will provide a similar quality at a lesser cost.

Answer 2

I don't know that answer to your question except that we bought those cables at WalMart for $32 each ... so did my brother just last weekend.

Answer 3

HDMI is the latest greatest thing in carrying HD video and audio from a high-end video card or DVR, through the SAME cable. You cannot send similar quality signal through normal audio/video cables. S-video, however, should be a reasonable alternative, it just means you're going to have to figure out some other way to deal with your audio.

What sort of device are you sending the signal from? Because unless you are piping uncompressed video output from a high-end computer, it is unlikely that you even need this.

Also... you can always get tech gear much cheaper by NOT shopping at stores like Best Buy or Circuit City. If you decide to go with HDMI, buy it online.

If you're just going from a DVD or DVR to your new TV, AND if you have a seperate audio system, I would recommend s-video or DVI (if your hardware supports DVI) coupled with stereo cable for all your 5.1 channels. Save some $, and if you can tell the difference, you have impeccable perception.

Answer 4

You can get a shorter HDMI Cable for MUCH cheaper i actually got 2 HDMI along with a bunch of other cables all for under $90

Answer 5

http://www.stablecables.com

Answer 6

with the HDMI cables. you get what you pay for. At that size, you might see a noticeable difference in picture quality. I used out-of-the-box HDMI from a dvd player and a Monster M1000 HDMI cable and the picture came out a bit nicer with the monster.

is the price tag justifiable, probably not, worth it, yes...