That $200 HDMI cable won't give you a better picture
4 min read
Summary
I get it: buying HDMI cables is confusing. First, you need to check what bandwidth the cable supports and whether it’s sufficient for your resolution and required refresh rate. Some marketing tactics for HDMI cables are misleading, and as a result, you might buy the wrong cable that fails to deliver on its promise.
However,
assuming they’re better.Most fall for the false advertising that an expensive HDMI cable will magically output a better picture, spending 200downthedrainonanHDMIcablewhen,inreality,acheapercablewithsufficientspecswilldojustfine.HDMIsendsdigitaldata,andthepricedoesn′tchangethecodeThose0sand1slookidenticalregardlessofwhatyoupayforthecableLonggonearethedayswhendatawastransmittedviaananalogsignal.WhenVGA,DVI−A,andAVwerethestandards,datawascarriedascontinuouselectricalsignals,andfactorslikeelectricalresistance,interference,andnoisecoulddegradetheconnection.Nowadays,digitaldataistransmittedinbinarycode,encodedas0sand1s.Thisdigitaldatadoesn′tdegradeinquality,andyou′dgetthesameimagewitha10 HDMI cable as with a 200one;thesameistrueforaudio.However,backintheday,anexpensiveanalogcablematteredbecauseelectricalsignalscouldbedegradedoverdistance,resultinginpoorimagequality.Goldplatingandthickshieldingarecosmetic,notfunctionalYou′llhardlyeverneedthesefeaturesExpensiveHDMIcablesaresoldwithmarketingploys,suchasgold−platedmodels,whicharemeanttomakeconsumersbelievethespecificmodelbeingsoldissuperiortotherest.However,thegoldcoatingprovidesnoperformancebenefitandonlyhelpsprotecttheconnectorsfromcorrosion,whichishardlyeveranissueinthefirstplace.Otherthanthat,cableshieldingisanotherfeaturethat′smarketedfarbeyondthesituationswhereitactuallymatters.Cableshieldingcanpreventelectromagneticinterferencefromcorruptingdigitalsignals,whichcancauseissuessuchasflickering,blackscreens,andvisualartifacts.However,theseexpensivecablesaren′tevenlong,butstillincludecableshielding,andunlessyouhaveverystrongelectromagneticinterference,whichisunusualformostpeople,they′reapointlessbuy.Armoredcablesarejustextraprotectionforyourcableand,unlessyou′vegotapetoraninfantyouneedtokeepawayfromthewire,abeefed−upHDMIcableisapointlesspurchase.ThereareotherfactorsthatactuallydetermineagoodHDMIcableMatchthespec,notthepricetagHDMIhasbeenthestandardforconnectionsinmostconsumerelectronicsforovertwodecadesnow.Overtheyears,therehavebeenmultipleiterationsandstandardsfortheconnector.Currently,onlyHDMI1.4,2.0,and2.1cancarry4kresolution,withnewerstandardscapableofsupportingahigherrefreshratealongsidethatresolution—i.e.,HDMI2.1cancarry4k@120hz.Aswemovehigherinthegeneration,newerHDMIcableshavebeguntoincreasetheirbandwidth,allowingforhigherrefreshratesandhigherresolutionssimultaneously.Previously,you′djusthavetochoosebetweenahighrefreshrateandahighresolution.TobuytherightHDMIcable,allyouneedtodoischeckwhatspecificationsyourdevicesupportsandmatchthecabletothat.There′samuchsimplerwaytocheckcabledetailswithouthavingtolookupconfusingbrandnames.OnmostHDMIcables,there′s[ascannableQRcodeonthebox](https://www.makeuseof.com/i−didnt−know−hdmi−qr−codes−spotting−fake−cables/)thatrevealsspecs,brand,length,andmodel.SincetheQRcodesareonlylistedontheboxes,Irecommendscanningthemquicklybeforemakingapurchase.Theright20 cable does everything that these overpriced 200cablesdoIfyou′respending200 on an HDMI cable to get a “clearer picture,” then I assume you don’t have a good display in the first place. Rather than overspending on a cable that gives no advantage beyond cosmetics, I recommend putting that amount toward a better display.
To get an idea of how much HDMI cables cost, an ultra-high-speed HDMI 2.1 cable is the best one you can get for the money right now (that’s actually usable); a standard cable (3–5 feet) will put you around $20–30 and is capable of carrying up to 48Gbps. HDMI 2.2 Ultra96 has just started appearing on the market, promising 96Gbps bandwidth, but that’s also a waste of money since there aren’t any consumer electronics compatible with this newer standard.
