HDMI Cables

[Pghpooh]

HI
I need a lesson on HDMI cables.
Going to update to a new tv. (still using a crt)
The new tv will be wall mounted.
The cable box and receiver will be below the tv.
After looking at all the available HDMI cables I am confused! LOL
Not sure how long the cables will be. I am assuming 6 to 8 ft (to cover any extra length.
I keep looking at the cables with the redmere (sp) feature.
I like that mostly due to the thinner cables.

What are our thoughts and suggestions??

 

[Raizinman]

I also have a big screen TV up on the wall with all the boxes down below. I ordered 6 foot cables believing it's only a three or four foot drop from the TV to the box. I was wrong. the HDMI ports were way off to the side of the TV, and when I routed them into the wall and down and out and then up and around to the cable box it was a very tight stretch. I should have gone with a 10 foot cable at minimum. My advice - get longer than you need.

 

[Eug]

Redmere cables are active cables. I personally don't recommend active cables when you only need 8-10 feet, since active cables add another level of complexity, which can be an issue in terms of compatibility. Also, some people complain they aren't all that well made. Just get good quality passive cables... which ironically may cost more than cheap active cables. Definitely thicker than Redmere too.

In terms of length, measure the distance from port to port, and then add a few feet extra.

I haven't used the Blue Jeans Series FE, but they should work well for those lengths, for OK prices, and not too thick at 28 AWG:

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/hdmi-cables/hdmi-cable.htm

For longer lengths, I would recommend Blue Jeans Series 1. For really long lengths though, I might recommend active.

 

[alcoholbob]

Redmere is fine if you just want something narrow and thin for only aesthetic choices.

For 4K60 on an 8 foot run any cable will do. I believe all your need is 30 gauge (passive) at that length.

For 15-20 feet you'd want to look at upgrading to 28 gauge.

20+ ft. you would want 24-26 gauge cable.

Active cables will obviously allow you to run much thinner wire for a higher length.

 

[giantpandaman2]

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/hdmi-cables/hdmi-cable.htm

For longer lengths, I would recommend Blue Jeans Series 1. For really long lengths though, I might recommend active.

$30 for a 10ft HDMI cable? Absolute waste of money.

Almost any $4 HDMI cable from monoprice will be fine for such a short run. If the OP is running 4k then he'll want an 18Gbps cable.

 

[CA19100]

Go to Monoprice.com for your HDMI cables. They're good-quality cables, and the price difference vs. retail is staggering, even when you factor shipping in.

http://www.monoprice.com/pages/hdmi_cables

 

[ControlD]

Six to eight feet? Just get some Amazon Basics cables and call it a day. I have those up to 25 feet in length and they all work just fine.

 

[Pghpooh]

Hi
Thanks for the info.
Been looking at the monoprice site for a while.
Once I pick the tv and location for the mounting, etc I'll work on the lengths and go from there.

 

[Eug]

$30 for a 10ft HDMI cable? Absolute waste of money.

Almost any $4 HDMI cable from monoprice will be fine for such a short run. If the OP is running 4k then he'll want an 18Gbps cable.

I have lots of the $4 HDMI cables. They're pretty cheaply made and for 10 feet they usually work OK for 1080p60 material but not always. So they're great to have around but not recommended behind a wall.

And as you mentioned, not ideal for 4K material, so again, not recommended behind a wall.

 

[giantpandaman2]

I have lots of the $4 HDMI cables. They're pretty cheaply made and for 10 feet they usually work OK for 1080p60 material but not always. So they're great to have around but not recommended behind a wall.

And as you mentioned, not ideal for 4K material, so again, not recommended behind a wall.

In wall requires a CL rating. Monoprice has those too.

 

[Eug]

In wall requires a CL rating. Monoprice has those too.

That wasn't my point. My point was that you shouldn't put low end cables in the wall because you may end up having problems in the future and it may not be easy to swap the cables out.

 

[mdram]

i get mine from amazon, usually monoprice or mediabridge brands
never had a problem

 

[jtvang125]

That wasn't my point. My point was that you shouldn't put low end cables in the wall because you may end up having problems in the future and it may not be easy to swap the cables out.

Yep, bought $5 hdmi cable thinking why spend anymore when these will do fine. The connector snapped right off on one end even before the install was done. Had to unmount the tv from the wall mount to pull the broken cable out. Went with $25 ones but when it arrived I still had to unmount the tv again and snake the cable through the wall down to the panel below. Once I had the better cable in no problems as of yet.

 

[truckerCLOCK]

Yep, bought $5 hdmi cable thinking why spend anymore when these will do fine. The connector snapped right off on one end even before the install was done. Had to unmount the tv from the wall mount to pull the broken cable out. Went with $25 ones but when it arrived I still had to unmount the tv again and snake the cable through the wall down to the panel below. Once I had the better cable in no problems as of yet.

I personally have never spent more that $12 on any cables..HDMI, SPIF, RCA...etc. Ran tons of them thru walls and have never had any problems with them. I usually get them from Monoprice. If spending $25 on a cable makes you feel better then great.

 

[lupi]

Only had one cable go bad. Was a monoprice one that had the connector come apart when I was unplugging it.