the HD Guru pitches in

HDMI Cable Makers and Dealers Use Misleading Labels to Push Needless Expensive Upgrades

It says in the article, and I think anyone reading knows this: the refresh rate is on the TV, not in the cable

In the hdmi.org page: what does it mean by "Ready for future emerging technologies"??
only 120Hz? there are some TVs with 240Hz does it mean there is a 120Hz HDMI cable that won't work with them?



Of course a cable had bandwidth & speed. But if you say it has refresh rates, then that's pure BS.

2. it shows you don't really understand what is written there; that list means that HDMI is ready to support future technologies like higher resolutions and faster refresh rates. It does not mean that the cable itself has a refresh rate.


from your HDMI.org FAQ page:
Q. Do I need a different cable for a TVs that have the higher 120MHz refresh rate?
You do not need a different cable. The increased refresh rate is happening inside the TV so the cable itself is not required to carry additional bandwidth in this case.


two questions on that FAQ are interesting:

Q. What version of HDMI does a consumer need to view 1080p content?
Q. Do you need a new version of HDMI to play Blu-ray and HD-DVD content in high definition?

without looking, can anyone guess the answers?

This post has been edited by SiriuslyCold: Aug 14 2010, 12:40 PM

Actually it just it shows you don't really understand what is written there; that list means that HDMI is ready to support future technologies like higher resolutions and faster refresh rates. It does not mean that the cable itself has a refresh rate.


Anyway - I will acknowledge that it has refresh rate, if you can show me the specifications for the HDMI versions and the different bandwidth/speed and refresh rates each version




This post has been edited by SiriuslyCold: Aug 14 2010, 12:44 PM

So are you now agreeing with the article that 'HDMI cables online or in stores labeled “120 Hz,” “240Hz” and “480 Hz”' is bullshit?

there are only two kinds of labels that should exist: normal and hi-speed; because there are only two certification tests.

that's too high to make an impact

Monster's price is just low enough to entice a neophyte into thinking it's that much better than a Monoprice Cat 2 certified HDMI cable

See all the terms are getting mixed up. You say "regular" meaning stock HDMI cable or the one you can get from Tesco.

Standard Speed HDMI is another thing altogether - it's certified to perform reliably for 720p/1080i ... but it doesn't mean that it cannot deliver 1080p (all HDMI versions since 1.0 support 1080p)

So if you get a category 1 HDMI cable, it will work for 1080p but you can't complain if there's dropouts etc

This post has been edited by SiriuslyCold: Aug 15 2010, 01:36 AM

have you ever tested a Monoprice? I have a 1.5m length you can borrow for the test.

Hello darkness, my old friend,
I've come to talk with you again,
Because a vision softly creeping,
Left its seeds while I was sleeping,
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within....

didn't realize Popular mechanics did a comparo

what? no, you could loan your Monster HDMI for the shootout - he doesn't need to be there.... Come to think of it, we don't really need a biased observer

the idea is this: during the test, if the differences cannot be observed by normal viewers (who know what to look out for) then essentially there is no difference. If the difference can only be seen by bionic man, then let him spend the money on the expensive cables.

This post has been edited by SiriuslyCold: Aug 19 2010, 08:31 AM

welcome to the discussion.

the story so far is if both cables are certified (either type 1 or type 2) they should be equal in performance. everyone agrees with this.

that is, if you compare a type 2 certified cable no-brand one with monster type 2 cable then it should be same. the only difference is whether you trust the no-brand company when it says it did the certification. same goes for Monster.

for me I trust Monoprice and BJC - most likely they use certified Belden cables, and also I have a different problem with Monster's business practices in general


by the way, Matrix ... analog audio thru' HDMI?

This post has been edited by SiriuslyCold: Aug 20 2010, 10:14 PM

htkaki, did the shootout happen?

any (delivery) chain is as strong as it's weakest link