HDTV HDMI cable recomendations

[walkersteelhead]

I just got my new cable box. My old hi-def cable box had a DVI
connection so I had a HDMI to DVI monster cable. Now the new box has a HDMI port and no DVI port. The question I have is, is the high dollar cables worth the extra money or just hype.

[TheKing]

HDMI and DVI witll give you the identical picture quality the only difference is that the HDMI also carries audio. So if you run your audio from a different cable then go with DVI for video.

[walkersteelhead]

My tv and new cable box doesn't have DVI. I'm just curious if the high dollar cables are worth it?

[Tagster]

yes...ebay is ur friend

[walkersteelhead]

Besides monster what other brands should I look at?

[The Chub]

Monster is a total scam! You can make your own cables that are of better quality then monster from tutorials on the internet. General rule of thumb is if you are not going over 10ft, basic cables will do. I read somewhere once that all of the copper used in every Audio/Video cable is purchased from the same mine.

[Silver Hilton]

Actually, you'll be hard pressed to see an improvement over component video, and the optical digital audio connection. I skipped HDMI, and have no complaints. I'd try component first, and see what you think. HDMI has come copy restriction stuff built into it that isn't real cool either.

Monster is a complete scam, particularly for digital connections. Digital is either yes or no, there is no such thing as a better or cleaner digital signal.

[walkersteelhead]

I am running component cable now till I get a HDMI cable. I do notice a difference in picture quality between the two.

[TheKing]

It depends on your tv.I my case the not paying the $75 for the monster cable seemed silly after spending $5k on a TV

read this.

Two New Guys: DVI and HDMI
Recently, two new types of connectors—DVI and HDMI--are appearing on the latest generation of HDTV displays and DVD players. DVI (Digital Visual Interface) is a big, clumsy, multi-pin plug and carries digital HD video (it may carry analog video as well but it is not a DVI requirement). HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) uses a smaller plug that looks like an oversized USB plug. HDMI carries the same digital video as DVI but also carries a Dolby Digital audio data stream. In addition to new HDTV displays, some new HD cable or HD satellite boxes and “up-converting” DVD players may have one or both of these digital video output connectors. The DVD player will up-convert a DVD's 480i or 480p output signals to 720p or 1080i to match the HDTV display's native resolution. (See a previous article for an explanation of “native resolution.”) Both DVI and HDMI are high-speed digital connections that keep the video in the digital domain all the way from the HD cable box, HD satellite tuner or DVD player to the HDTV display, eliminating the extra digital-to-analog (D/A) and analog-to-digital (A/D) conversion that normally takes place with component video cables (remember, those are analog video connectors). The theory sounds impressive, and there has been lots of excitement and hyperbole about these new digital HD connectors. The rationale goes like this: If component-video cables are the best analog video connectors you can use, then DVI or HDMI digital video connectors must be better because they maintain the video in the digital domain all the way to the HDTV display, right?

Not so fast.

The presumption is that if the conversion is done in the digital domain inside the DVD player, avoiding an extra conversion to analog (component video) and back again to digital when it reaches the HDTV display, then improved clarity and color should result. But here's where things get murky. What no-one is talking about is that even though the HD video is up- or down-converted and kept in the digital domain, when the digital video signal reaches the HD display in its native format, the digital TV still has to re-clock the digital video so that it exactly matches the TV's native resolution. And according to informed sources, re-clocking digital video may produce more picture degradation and video artifacts -- not less--than a good analog component-video connection.

It's All in the Chips
Two other factors come into play with DVI and HDMI that have the potential to cause video artifacts. The quality of internal digital video conversion chips may vary considerably from one product to another. Faroudja, Genesis, and Silicon Optix produce some of the best (and most expensive) digital video processing chips available, but there are lots of cheaper options from other chip-makers that a manufacturer can choose from to keep manufacturing costs down. Moreover, the quality of video A/D and D/A converter chips has improved tremendously, which means that even inexpensive DVD players these days are likely to have excellent video D/A processing through the component video outputs. Finally, any device with DVI or HDMI outputs must carry a special digital anti-piracy code called HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) to thwart illegal copying. HDCP is mandated for both DVI and HDMI connections and uses an authentication protocol developed by computer chip-maker Intel. It involves the HD digital cable box or HD satellite receiver sending a kind of digital “hand-shake” to the HD receiving device (the TV display) to ensure that it's licensed to receive the HD content. These anti-copy codes are embedded in the digital video data stream and must be removed by the video processor in the HD display. Result? The display's internal video processor has to do extra digital “work” with no benefits to picture quality, so possible degradation may take place. Using the analog component video outputs bypasses the anti-piracy codes, so the TV display doesn't have to deal with the extra processing.

[flapbreaker]

High dollar cables are for those people with too much money. You will not see a difference between decent cables and over priced ones. Been there done that.

[walkersteelhead]

What brands do you guys recommend.