Why the huge price diffrence between HDMI cables?

Question

Gamestop.com, is selling HDMI cables for a $60.00, Bestbuy is selling them for $100.00, and Amazon.com is selling them for $8.00.

Whats up with this? Im certian all HDMI cables do the same thing, and even a slight diffrence in video quality doesnt explain some HDMI cables being 10x more expensive...whats the deal with all this crazy pricing? Why would Bestbuy sell a $8 cable for $100?

Answer 1

In short they can and people pay for it.

In short distances (under 6-9ft), all non defective HDMI cables will perform the same with the digital signal. Well, this is not true, but you will need to a machine to tell you the 0.05% loss across the cables.

However, QUALITY does matter when running longer distances and this is where the issues arise from.  Even though the signal is digital, it will fade over long distances and information will get lost.  If you are cramming 1080p over a 1.3a cable for long distance, you will notice issues (lack of video, choppy, no sound, it really varies).  

Spec for 1.3a to be real certified is 45feet.  Because HDMI is an uncompressed signal, the bitrate running in the cable corresponds directly to the amount of information in the picture. Standard HD resolutions (720p, 1080i) use nearly three times the bitrate of standard-definition 480p; 1080p uses double what 720p and 1080i do; and 16-bit color depth, if and when it becomes available on the market, will double the bitrate for any given resolution.

Long story short if you run longer than 9ft, dont cheap out, but dont get gouged either.

Answer 2

They sell it for $100 because people think they are that much better and are willing to pay it.  There will be very little difference in performance.

Answer 3

virtually there is no difference beside the brand if you are running int 15 feet or less. for longer runs you would need a thicker cable because digital signal would fade.. as you are aware all accessories in retail stores are very high profit items. inspiretech.com sell one for 5 bucks..

http://www.inspiretech.com/c-31-hdmi-cab...