hdmi vs component audio/video

Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

Help Support :

countryguy

countryguy

Well-known member
Platinum Member
Joined
May 29, 2007
Messages
2,132
Location
Astorville, ON, Canada
I just had a satellite dish installed with a PVR receiver connected to my HDTV. The technician used the 3 component video cables for video and 2 rca cables for audio to connect to the TV. When I asked why he didn't use the HDMI cable he said it was because the satellite company was too cheap to pay the extra cost. Yesterday, out of curiosity, I went to Walmart, Sears and Futureshop to check out the prices of HDMI cables and was I shocked. For a 3 foot cable the prices varied from a low of $10 at Walmart to a high of almost $200 at Futureshop! Why the huge different in price? Does expensive really mean a lot better? Is there a noticeable different in the audio/video quality between a low priced and high priced cable?

Thanks.

Gary
 
No the price is total blow out o the water. A cable is a cable but people pay for the name brand. I use monoprice cables and will not buy another brand name cable ever.

hdmi digital interface so the cable will work or will not work. Unlike a/v cables but the monoprice a/v cables are super heavy duty also.

Anyone that buys from best buy or any other place gets there money took. They want to sell the name of the cable and that is it.

 
Alos like you the local cable tv company pull the same story.

I told the guy about mono price and he said in a wimpy voice that is where he gets his cables.
 
Expensive indeed...

We have a Pioneer home theatre set up and everything is connected via HDMI cables. However these HDMI cables are 'apparently' - and I use this term loosely - gold coated...??

I'm pretty sure the connectors or the ends are gold coated to promote a better connection between components...

Gary - all I can say is - I notice a huge difference between normal component cable connections and HDMI ones... The sound quality and picture quality are far superior... Only problem is - that each cable (they needed to be somewhat long too) was in the $200 plus price range...

BUT - once you have them - I guess you have them....

In Australia - same situation applied with us and our Pay TV Provider - quick and cheap installation pack from them - including the cheapest nastiest cables you could get... Needless to say - they ended up in the bin pretty promptly!

Beware though I don't believe that price depicts quality - I'd go with a reputable brand with your cables...

Cheers
Ste
 
This is what they say ....

"The simple rule here is to save your money and buy the cheapest available. All HMDI leads have gold plated connecting pins and Which? testing has shown that you will not see any data loss even when using the cheapest leads.

The most expensive HDMI leads could cost the same as your new Blu ray player, but it is totally unnecessary to spend that much."
 
Buy standard cheap cables!

I second that!
Especially that HDMI is a digital connection so either it works 100% or it doesn't work at all.
Compared to component video the quality is much better!
And with component if I remember correctly only can get up to 1080i and not 1080p that HDMI can deliver as standard! Plus you have only one cable carrying both audio and video at once
 
Beware Future Shop on anything... I think it was last year that Marketplace (cdn tv show) did a piece on these costly cables, tested them at a lab etc and found zero difference between the $5 ones and the $200 Monster brand ones that FS were flogging.

For some reason only component connections work on my hi-def cable box thru our cable co. Not sure why but that's what we're told. Even though there is a hdmi output on the back of the cable box it doesn't work.
 
Also in case you or anyone you knows wants to wall mount a tv mono price mounts are great and well built. I got one for my 36" lcd and you could do lefts with it. I like the tilt on it it is in the bed room. I can tilt it to see it from the bed better.

If you look at the avs forums and do a search for mono price you well see there stuff gets great reviews.
http://www.avsforum.com/

I also for my projector got a 40 foot component cabe and 40 foot a/v cable. They are heavy suckers just like the hdmi they are built like a tank. There usb cables are also a lot better and what you find at say wal mart.

They ship fast also and do not over charge on shipping at all. I do not work for them I like you found out about them when I got a projector and needed long cables. Local store would have been close to about $212.00 for them I got them on mono price for only $33.12.

 
Just to add an a view opposing some here...

I have no practical experience. All my connections (both audio & video) are strictly analog. Given that I am a low end feeder, it'll be a long time--if ever--before I move up to HDMI.

However, I've noticed that some companies making cables for the audiophile crowd are also making HDMI cables. These people would argue that their cables transmit data more accurately.

This may sound like voodoo, or a chance to cash in. That said, the "any wire as long as it conducts" idea isn't quite true, either. I have heard people who replace banged-up ethernet cables, and noticed a dramatic increase in Internet performance. There, simply having wire, isn't the whole story.

Past this, I have seen too many cases where something is written off as unimportant that I later find--by my own experience--is important.

If I were moving into HDMI, I'd consider trying higher priced cables. If nothing else, it would be an adventure. While doing so, I'd ask this: Does it make a difference? If so, is that difference matter enough to justify the higher price?

Needless to say, the cable would come from a place with 100% money back in the event the answer is "NO!"
 
An HDMI cable is a DIGITAL interface, it makes No, zero, Nada difference what type of cable you use, the $.99 one or the $400 one. The signal is there or it's not. And, I will take it one step further - if you use the RGB connections you will almost always get the same performance. The only time an HDMI cable will help you is if you have a Blu Ray player since Hollywood decreed ( not the manufacturers....) that Blu Ray players cannot upconvert a DVD to 1080 via component cables only HDMI. Also to get the 1080p Blu ray disks put out you need an HDMI connection. HDMI exists only to serve Hollywood, no other reason. They designed it to ft their needs not the consumer. Do some reading on the topic, you'll be surprised.

For a Sat. Box using component is fine. You'll get 1080i which is all most boxes output (Direct does have some PPV movies in 1080p at $5.99)
 
 
My equipment is too old for HDMI.  When I bought the plasma panel, I got a high-end component-video cable set for connecting the DVD player.  When the system was rewired for some changes a few years ago, I used some individual RCA cables I had on-hand, and didn't notice any specific deterioration in the picture quality.
 
As One Who Recenlty Purchased High End A/V Equipment

Went through the same (my old equipment was pre-digital age, so all the wires went with it), and did some research.

According to those for frequent high-end audio/visual/digital forums, spending $$$$ made no difference when it came to cables. Those who purchased cables from Radio Shack (gold plated or whatever), as those who spent several hundreds for "Monster" and other high end names and or custom brands.

Now one supposes if one just spent thousands on a home entertainment system, or "man cave" you may think high end cables are required. It may gives one more bragging rights (again I suppose) around the locker room, but those for spend time in the aforementioned forums are as passionate about A/V as we here are about appliances. If the majority feel "low end" stuff works as well, then there must be something to it.

As with everything else there is a racket to make consumers spend funds to "protect their investment". Using the same scare/fear tactics, people are lead to think some god awful thing will happen to them if they don't go for top of the line all the way.
 
Another thing I found out speaking of hi-def...
I noticed on my new Samsung 1080p set that it showed 1080i on all the channels. So I called Samsung to ask why and they told me that that was the signal the set was receiving from the cable company's hi-def service and that the tv set itself would then convert the picture to 1080p...
Does that make sense..
It doesn't really matter to me since the picture looks great anyways and I probably wouldn't be able to tell the diff.
 

Similar threads

michaelz08
Comparing Available Powder Detergents
2
Replies
25
Views
54
michaelz08
michaelz08
J
Load Levels in new Speed Queen TL
Replies
7
Views
8
washer111
W
M
Some thoughts on my Miele Little Giant Washer and Dryer(s) - a year later
Replies
5
Views
6
suburbanmd
S
P
Now and then, you stumble upon a really product, reasonably priced and excellent value
Replies
10
Views
11
passatdoc
P

Latest posts

Back
Top