Thread: HDMI Cables

Originally Posted by dcravey

Are all 1.3 HDMI cables equal?

What should I be looking for (gauge, connector material, etc)?

It depends on what you use it for. If its not for in-wall use then a 28AWG will work find in most cases. For in-wall use I recommend 24 or 22 AWG CL3 Rated cable for fire resistance. In most other aspects, all 1.3's are created pretty equally.

Get them here. link These will do fine at minimum cost.

Originally Posted by dcravey

Are Best Buy and other retailers just trying to ass-invade me?

A big emphatic YES! It only costs pennies to a dollar to manufacture these cables...And they are all made in China, most brands in the same factory even.

With HDMI cables I found the simpler, the better. My first HDMI cable I stupidly bought years ago had the big fancy connector, thick cable, and fancy looking cable wrapping. All to hide behind the TV, wall, and rack !!!!

The thing was soo bulky, heavy, and non flexible that the damn thing kept pulling itself out of the TV!!!! Not to mention I paid over $150 for the piece of shit.

I then spent an extra $10 to have it shipped back to the manufacturer in 20 pieces. I'm sure they cared less but it was good therapy for me.

I have purchased at least 10 of the ones below for myself, friends and family's systems with great results.

http://www.amazon.com/Mediabridge-Ul...5993920&sr=1-2

Originally Posted by dcravey

Can someone please e'splain to me how Monoprice HDMI cables can be so much less expensive (1/5 to 1/10 of Best Buy prices) and still be good quality?

Are Best Buy and other retailers just trying to ass-invade me?

Yes you might as well bend over when you go to BB to buy hdmi cables. You are just buying a name. I have several cables from monoprice.com and they are top notch cables. Very well built and you can pick the length and I believe the guage as well. I'm gonna have to issue my self a warning for posting this but WWW.MONOPRICE.COM is the way to go. I'd love for BLT and CC to be able to get them to put a sponsor add on this site. Excellent cables and very fast service when you order so don't be afraid to buy them. There are plenty of members here that will back these statements. Something to remember also. Its a digital signal, it either works or it doesn't.

Originally Posted by davidjschenk

As others have noted, YES, YES, YES. That is exactly what they are doing; that is all they are doing. At box stores, cables and connectors are the biggest rip-offs to be found. Give BB et al the finger and give Monoprice and/or BlueJeansCables.com your business; you'll be happy you did.

Yours,

David

I agree 100% David those stores just rip you off. Monster is the biggest joke and rip off. I'm not saying their cables are bad just not worth 100 bucks for what you can order from monoprice or bluejeancables for less than 10 bucks. I know we aren't suppose to link these places but I have been a die hard pusher for monoprice for a long time.

Originally Posted by dcravey

Can someone please e'splain to me how Monoprice HDMI cables can be so much less expensive (1/5 to 1/10 of Best Buy prices) and still be good quality?

Are Best Buy and other retailers just trying to ass-invade me?

YES !! ,they are, and they don't even give you the obligatory Kiss after screwing you. MonoPrice is good stuff, of that you can be certain.

Originally Posted by ImRizzo

YES !! ,they are, and they don't even give you the obligatory Kiss after screwing you. MonoPrice is good stuff, of that you can be certain.

Go back in the store after you buy a set from BB and listening to the salespeople laughing their asses off because they just screwed you and you didn't even have a clue that they were ass raping you.

I was asked to leave my local Best Buy on the 15th of last month after politely stating to a fellow customer that the Sales consultant was full of shit. The sales consultant handed them a Monster Cable M series HDMI stating that this cable will surpass all other HDMI's available "anywhere in the market" providing better black levels and peak deep color processing that a cheaper cable couldn't produce.

This couple was already purchasing a Sony LCD and a BluRay with the sales guy trying to hit them up for another $150.

I've been there since then for some BluRays but stay out of the electroics and Magnolia area until I can control myself, but being that this was the scene of the crime where I made the same mistake years ago, I have a hard time biting my tongue when I hear such bullshit.

Originally Posted by parrot_hd

I was asked to leave my local Best Buy on the 15th of last month after politely stating to a fellow customer that the Sales consultant was full of shit. The sales consultant handed them a Monster Cable M series HDMI stating that this cable will surpass all other HDMI's available "anywhere in the market" providing better black levels and peak deep color processing that a cheaper cable couldn't produce.

This couple was already purchasing a Sony LCD and a BluRay with the sales guy trying to hit them up for another $150.

I've been there since for some BluRays but stay out of the electroics and Magnolia area until I can control myself.

Same here, but as of my last venture there, and chewing out a sales rep and his Mgr they mistakenly took me for a BestBuy Consumer Corp. rep. and now they actually greet me, and ask me questions ?? Figure that one out ? the last time I was there I was taking pictures of different displays to post on the forum and they actually wanted to assist me setting the TV to different channels and sources I was freaked out and had a hard time not laughing.

Originally Posted by parrot_hd

I was asked to leave my local Best Buy on the 15th of last month after politely stating to a fellow customer that the Sales consultant was full of shit. The sales consultant handed them a Monster Cable M series HDMI stating that this cable will surpass all other HDMI's available "anywhere in the market" providing better black levels and peak deep color processing that a cheaper cable couldn't produce.

This couple was already purchasing a Sony LCD and a BluRay with the sales guy trying to hit them up for another $150.

I've been there since then for some BluRays but stay out of the electroics and Magnolia area until I can control myself, but being that this was the scene of the crime where I made the same mistake years ago, I have a hard time biting my tongue when I hear such bullshit.

What a lot of people do not understand is that hdmi is digital, the signal is either there or it isn't. Now the thicker shielding is better for less interference but other than that there is no difference and I hate to see these stores ripping people off. I commend you Parrot for speaking up and saving another uninformed or misinformed consumer.

Thanks everyone. I'm pretty sure they didn't buy the cable because he was pretty pissed when I told him I made the same mistake and that he could get a cable of equal performance online for less than $20.

I was going to sit in the parking lot and wait for them to come out just to see but I realized this was a stalker type move and figured I better move on.

Originally Posted by parrot_hd

Thanks everyone. I'm pretty sure they didn't buy the cable because he was pretty pissed when I told him I made the same mistake and that he could get a cable of equal performance online for less than $20.

I was going to sit in the parking lot and wait for them to come out just to see but I realized this was a stalker type move and figured I better move on.

I have seriously considered buying $100 worth of HDMI from Monoprice and handing them out to customers at BB. The look on the salesman's face alone would be worth the $100.

Originally Posted by davidjschenk

$100 will get you a LOT of Monoprice. I mean, that's as many as 36 cables. I think it'd be worth it just for the Youtube video.

-David

Oh yeah someone would have to tape. It would have to be a rolling video on the front page of the forum. It would be funny as hell. I can see Mytime running thru BB trying to get away from security and throwing cables to everyone. Man I just cracked myself up.