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Beware the HDMI Cable scam

harryitguy.wordpress.com — I recently aqcuired an HDTV and PS3. The PS3 doesn ’t come with an HDMI cable, so I went searching the internets and Best Buy for the best cable. Monster Cable seems to have the most hype. There are a few other cable manufacturers as well. I was about shell out $100+ for a cable until I read this…

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  • UncleCrapper, on 10/12/2007, -5/+146Jesus, www.monoprice.com. An equivalent, high quality HDMI cable is available for 1/10th the price. The only thing "monster" about Monster Cable is the price.
    • superal1394, on 10/12/2007, -4/+19You go into any local, no name electronics store (NOT a circuity city) you can find off brand anything cables for 1/10th the price of Monster, Belkin, ect.
    • vypergts, on 10/12/2007, -19/+62For real, I wonder how much he overpaid for his tv...

      (too bad we know he got ripped off on the PS3)
    • Ambicar, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I got one off of eBay for $9. 6' long. Works like a champ at 1080i which is all I have tried so far cause I don't have a HD Drive yet, and so far none of the providers broadcast in 1080p.
    • Alias12, on 10/12/2007, -1/+36@unclecrapper

      "But they're gold plated!" LOL.
    • wilf_brim, on 10/12/2007, -0/+21Monoprice FTW. They are also one of the few places where you can find an HDMI switcher that you can afford.
    • themarkshow, on 10/12/2007, -15/+6Many cable companies ( basically just Moster) and sales people will boast that you need a cable with gold tips because it is a better conductor. This statement is true but only the connectors are gold the actual wire inside is a lower grade metal. One thing to note is that HDMI is a digital signal unlike composite or component cables so there will be no interference from power cables with it no matter how thick or thin it is.
    • KlayBorg, on 10/12/2007, -3/+13Text Dump:
      Beware the HDMI Cable scam.
      February 3rd, 2007 · 3 Comments

      I recently aqcuired an HDTV and PS3. The PS3 doesn’t come with an HDMI cable, so I went searching the internets and Best Buy for the best cable. Monster Cable seems to have the most hype. There are a few other cable manufacturers as well. I was about shell out $100+ for a cable until I read this… “Maybe this will help people understand HDMI cables.” A gentleman going by the name of RUSirius explains the makeup of and differences between HDMI cables.

      Not all HDMI cables are the same, but they do meet the requirements of the HDMI specification. There is a company called Monoprice.com that is a cable wholesaler. Monoprice sells individual cables over the internet. I purchased an HDMI cable from Monoprice for $17 and am extremely impressed. The cable is thick and sturdy. The picture is impressive. And the best part is that I saved at least $100. Read the article above and don’t get sucked in by the Monster hype.

      I know some people aren’t comfortable with a no name like Monoprice. Apple also sells a cable for $20.
      Monoprice:http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&cs_id=1024002&p_id=2219&seq=1&format=2&style=
      Apple:http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=DFC7D8C0&nplm=TL951LL%2FA
    • greatking, on 10/12/2007, -2/+33Keep in mind, HDMI is a digital cable. If you use the generic cable, you're getting the same signal and quality as any >$100 cable. This also applies to optical and coaxial SPDIF cables. Save yourself some money and skip the cables at Bestbuy and go to Frys or Walmart for the cheap cables.
    • Charlotte_Web, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11@greatking:

      Actually, Fry's is also selling HDMI cables at the jacked-up price.

      I just bought a 20" LCD which didn't come with a cable. I think the cheapest price that the Fry's store in Atlanta had one for was around $70.

      6' HDMI cable at Newegg, $8.99:

      http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Order=PRICE&Page=1&N=0&Submit=ENE&Nty=1&Description=hdmi+cable&Ntk=all
    • Zoltair, on 10/12/2007, -9/+2The biggest rippoff is Monster cables, unreal what they are asking for cables....I refuse to buy cables from any supplier that carries Monster.
    • Charlotte_Web, on 10/12/2007, -21/+8Actually, Monster has a stellar reputation with the quality of their analog cables. They charge a premium price because they are among the highest quality cables on the market.

      It could very well be that Monster puts more quality into their HDMI cables than the manufacturer selling them for $8.99... however, as RUSirius points out, the quality of the cable is of negligible difference with digital content.
    • bierce, on 10/12/2007, -7/+9I suspect most of the people here pay $10/gallon and more for bottled water that is coming from ordinary muni taps (can you say Dasani?). Why are we so surprised people will pay $100 for a $10 cable?
    • moofer, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I order all of my cables from www.hometechsolutions.com. I happen to be fortunate enough to live in the same town as them, so I can go to will-call. You can get them at any lengnth, and they're all very affordable. Gold plated hdmi cables are a total joke.
    • spisska, on 10/12/2007, -4/+45@ CharlotteWeb
      "Actually, Monster has a stellar reputation with the quality of their analog cables. They charge a premium price because they are among the highest quality cables on the market."

      That's pretty funny. Maybe Monster has such a good reputation among its customers because nobody likes to admit they grossly overpaid for something, even though it works.

      The fact is that you'll get just as clean an audio signal with bulk lamp cord bought off a spindle from Ace Hardware. Don't believe me? Get an oscilloscope and compare Monster with lamp cord.
    • cheato, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3When I got my HDTV from Circuit City, they tried to sell me an HDMI cable for $120. I also got one on monoprice for about $20. I'll NEVER buy another cable in a retail store.

      Surprising though...I got a hell of a deal on the TV: TV + HD Antenna ($100) + DirecTV HD Receiver ($100) for $300 cheaper...so basically I got the latter two for free and $100 off the TV.
    • fiftyeggs, on 10/12/2007, -1/+16I think it's funny that after so called "learning" about digital signals, this dude actually bought a GOLD-PLATED cable.

      While analog gold plated cables do make a difference, since it is analog, digital cables like HDMI doesn't not need GOLD.

      I recently bought a HDMI cable (6ft) without this fancy "Gold plated" razmataz for 7 dollars.

      Don't learn about something and still be stupid.
    • samh5621, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9when I got my ps3 my buddy (who works at one of the big electronics stores) got me a hdmi cable with his discount, the cost to the store, and it came to a whopping $8 bucks...for a cable they sell for $90...that's a bit of a markup
    • onlyclave, on 10/12/2007, -14/+14@spisska

      Yes you sweep a signal and through a piece of lamp cord and a piece of Original Monster or MC-500 Monster Cable and you know what? The sine waves look the same. But what your _don't_ see is the fact that that cable, every analog cable and every digital cable is a very complex passive filter. The cable exhibits resistance, inductance and capacitance and changes, that would be distorts the signal.

      Maybe it's just because my audio gear is of much higher caliber than an iPod and some computer speakers but I _very_ clearly can hear differences in analog audio interconnects, digital interconnects and speaker cables. It's not "more bass and treble".

      Guess what, there's also a difference in HDMI cables. Not all of them are CL2 or CL3 rated for in-wall use. Some of them use 28 AWG, 26 AWG or 24 AWG and have varying degrees of success is passing HDCP and maintaining sync. Gold is not necessarily the best conductor (platinum is actually) but it prevents the copper from oxidizing which will attenuate your high frequencies and can disrupt you digital video stream.

      HDMI is a pain in the ass to deal with anyway. The cables are not field terminable, they require an _extreme_ amount of precision in manufacturing and the plug is physically unsupported. But you do get better results with the better cables. The blogger who wrote that article obviously reads the AVS Forums a lot.
    • student69, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I set up a lot of home theater systems for clients and I purchase all my cables from http://trianglecables.com/ they are really cheap high quality cables and they will ship to Canada in 2days. I am going to have to give monoprice a try though.
    • vendeep, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1the best way to get cables are to get it on an employee discount!!!

      i have few friends that worked at bestbuy and compusa,, and other stores... all of em told me that the actual price for a cable 5-15% of what its being sold. since cables are surplus, they employees get whole sale price.. so my friend bought $300 worth component cables around $40.

      just ask him to hook u up!
    • verifex, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I've had great success with monoprice, I highly recommend them.
    • Slog, on 10/12/2007, -7/+3@onlyclave

      You are absolutely correct. A lot of the people posting here feel they are better than the average consumer for not "buying into the *****" about better quality cables for both analog and digital. In fact, most of the comments above mine (excluding onlyclave's) are the result of half-assed research.

      edit: Charlotte_Web also makes some good points even while getting dugg down.
    • mdhauke, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6The creator of this post linked to the wrong article, this should be dugg to "http://boardsus.playstation.com/playstation/board/message?board.id=ps3&message.id=828972#M828972" not the crappy set up article this guy links too.
    • Kniggit, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Everybody hates Monster cable who's in the cable industry. Their cables are truly overpriced garbage. For example, their "premium" speaker wire is outperformed by bulk lamp cord that you can buy at any big hardware store chain.

      But the HDMI cables that they have are truly a scam. The most premium HDMI/DVI raw cable you can buy - and I'm talking about silver-coated 24AWG with bonded pairs - is around $0.75/ft. In other words, that 20ft. cable you're paying $100 for costs $15 plus a couple of bucks for connectors and assembly cost.

      Bottom line is this: if you don't need long cables (more than about 10ft), any old cable will do. For longer cables, I believe someone at Belden/CDT, Liberty Wire & Cable or some such should be able to get you the names of distributors for their premium cables which are not premium priced.
    • runic, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Nothing but good reviews for monoprice all over the Internet. This is just one more.
    • WolfwoodX, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3You just need to know where to look. I have 360, Gamecube, PS2, Xbox, HDMI, and S-Vidio Monster cables, and a complete 5.1 surround kit with Component and Subwoofer cables, but have not spent more than $25 on any single one. Deals happen all the time, and when they cost the same as a "low end" cable, why not buy them. Places like Woot and MidnightBox have them alot for cheep, and I have found some of the game cables on clearance at Wal-Mart.
    • Dhalgren, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"Actually, Fry's is also selling HDMI cables at the jacked-up price."

      Yeah, but they have cheap ones, too. You just have to know where to look. I purchased my DVI to HDMI cable that I'm using on my system from Fry's for $15. I thought it was reasonable...

      (Works great, btw)
  • charlescheese, on 10/12/2007, -62/+3And you if you want something a little bit higher in quality than monoprice, BlueJeans cables are very inexpensive and are a nice thich gauge cable, which they say is better for 1080p bandwidth.
    • UncleCrapper, on 10/12/2007, -3/+55No, you're falling into the same trap that the submitter of this article almost did. An HDMI cable either works or it doesn't. If you prefer a thicker gauge cable because you feel it will better stand up to wear and tear, then by all means. 1080p will work just as well on a $10 HDMI cable as $20 or $100 cable.
    • themarkshow, on 10/12/2007, -26/+3LOL. The gauge has nothing to do with it being able to handle 1080p "better". The version of HDMI that is on the back of all the TV's now is version 1.2 which can handle up to 1080i. Version 1.3 is out on the PS3 right bow but you won't see version 1.3 HDMI on the back of Television until this spring. The only way to get truw 1080p from say HD DVD or Blu-Ray is from component.
    • wafflez, on 10/12/2007, -1/+20@ themarkshow..
      are you stupid? every tv with 1080p and hdmi (doesn't matter what version) can handle 1080p via hdmi >_>...component is just more cables.
    • GawtMilk, on 10/12/2007, -7/+2Unclecrapper, you aren't COMPLETELY right. There is *some* dropped information on $10 HDMI cables, but it is like one pixel every five trillion hours...plus $100 cables lose information too.

      For those of you who want to also display PS3's or HDTV decoder boxes on computer monitors, get a cheap HDMI to DVI cable. Same scenario -- don't get ripped off by companies that tout "No signal degradation!". I found this one -- 6ft HDMI-M to DVI-M cable for only $10.36. I haven't used it yet, but I will when I get a PS3.

      http://www.provantage.com/tripp-lite-p566-006~7TRPA1AE.htm
    • devo6273, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9You know, tubejay is right... a higher quality HDMI cable could be necessary. For very long cable runs... possibly 50+ feet. But other than that, nope, stick to monoprice.
  • loker269, on 10/12/2007, -0/+21I have been using monoprice forever.....I recommend them to everyone and so do a lot of other more technologically savvy people....

    they are fast and the cables are top notch!
    • ClearNed, on 10/12/2007, -3/+39I've engineered Sony PS3 demos, including one upcoming in SF, and I can assure you, the gauge of the cable makes absolutely no difference. Length is the only factor and nothing you can buy will be long enough to fail. Sony engineers don't spec any specific HDMI cable to demo the PS3 in front of 5000pp and neither should you. I hate monster cable...a complete and total waste of money, as are gold connectors. No professional technical events company uses either one, unless they had to run to BestBuy for a spare.
    • ChrisRX, on 10/12/2007, -8/+26Actually gold connectors are not at all a waste of money. Metals can react with oxygen and lose their connectivity, where as gold plated connectors don't react with oxygen. Basically it means that cables with gold plated connectors will last a lot longer than other cables. You can find them on a lot of semi-low price cables nowadays, there is little reason to go to monster cable for gold plated cables
    • mushishi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+20What about gold-plated connectors on a TosLink cable? I saw one recently, with the gold connectors prominently advertised, and just went ': you have got to be ***** kidding'.
    • jm1234567890, on 10/12/2007, -1/+17But gold connectors are only pointful if the port is also gold plated. Otherwise, you will have two different metals touching and have corrosion anyway.
    • sets13, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5are you dumb? Perhaps high school chemistry was not your strong point but the last time i checked gold touching steel, or gold touching silver, or basically any other metal was not a cause of corrosion.
    • KMartSheriff, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1@ClearNed

      I gotta disagree on the gold-plated being useless thing. Everything else you said are good points though.
    • sir1real, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Just to be clear, the purpose of gold plating the connectors is to prevent oxidation which can lead to a bad connection. OTOH, the oxidation is easily eliminated with a little rubbing alcohol or acetone.
    • etnu, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11Gold doesn't corrode as quickly as steel, this is true, but the steel in the $10 HDMI cables are still going to last for at least 10 years without any issue, and even then the built in digital error correction will take care of any minor issues.

      Cable quality simply does not matter when we're talking digital signals. You either get the bits, or you don't -- it really is that simple. If the cable is losing bits, then the cable is broken and should be replaced.

      Ethernet cable can deliver a GB of data per second without errors, and it's extremely cheap. Why in the ***** does anyone think that video signals are some how magically different from any other form of data stream? Jesus.
    • GawtMilk, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1@sets

      But the port could corrode.
  • frank3000, on 10/12/2007, -18/+16BLOGSPAM:
    here is the article (very good btw) referenced:
    http://boardsus.playstation.com/playstation/board/message?board.id=ps3&message.id=828972#M828972
    • Diggtatorship, on 10/12/2007, -18/+14I'd like to kill the next ***** who says "BLOGSPAM"

      By my definition this is not blogspam. He gives a clear synopsis of the original forum post and talks about how it saved him from getting duped out of more money, then he links to the post and also provides a link to monoprice.com(fantastic cables/prices/service) Would you have been happier if this was a link directly to the forum post? because I can almost guarantee some whiny little bitch would be complaining about linking to a forum post.

      The moral of the story is: if you don't like whats being front-paged, then contribute some of your own stuff and STFU
    • Diggtatorship, on 10/12/2007, -3/+21He also has NO ADS on his blog so I have a hard time seeing this as blogspam. Apparently(i'm being dug down) some people disagree? yet nobody has offered their opinion as to why this is blogspam...
    • R313453, on 10/12/2007, -6/+4All blogs are spam. The End.
  • sxtxixtxcxh, on 10/12/2007, -27/+3inaccurate title. should be "beware the blog spam"
    http://boardsus.playstation.com/playstation/board/message?board.id=ps3&message.id=828972#M828972
    • Diggtatorship, on 10/12/2007, -5/+14The above applies to you as well.
    • sxtxixtxcxh, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3between the two, the forum post and the blog post, which of the two was actually diggable? did you really think his little anecdote helped any? i could care less that he almost got ripped off. i was under the impression that clicking this submission's title would actually INFORM. but no, it tells me the exact same thing as the summary with 50% MORE crap i didn't need to read.
  • DeathJux, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Something to note is that the same is true for most cables. Don't pay more for big names when it comes to ANY cables, as the difference is usually negligible.
    • ZenMasterJG, on 10/12/2007, -7/+3Not always. I swear by Monster for guitar cables. Forget the gold, etc, they're (in my experience) better shielded then cheaper cables, plus with Monster you get the lifetime guarantee. I'm on my 3rd cable now, so buying one for 35 bucks wasn't a bad deal at all.
    • subxero37, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9If they're so good, why are you on your third cable? I've had the same guitar cable since I started playing (three years?) and the only thing that's happened to it is the cloth coating is fraying a bit, but that's all. It's 20', and only cost me $7.99.
    • Firehed, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Any digital cables, that is. Paying more for cables that will carry analog signal can make quite a difference. Of course, that doesn't mean they're not overcharging, but unlike cables for digital signals, not all analog cables are created equal.
  • karbonfyber, on 10/12/2007, -12/+4Wow. An article regarding the PS3 and it hasn't been flooded with retarded "OMG PS3 SuX0rS. WEE PwnS J0O" type of comments.

    Another one for monoprice. I'm using their HDMI cable and have had no problems with it. The best part is, I can laugh at my friend who bought $120 Monster cables.
    • totorototoro, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5they are all busy in the "new Xbox coming" Digg, prophesizing the end of the Playstation :p
  • Ndiggnation, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Thought this kind of thing was common knowledge, at least among the tech crowd. I try to spread the word to everyone I know that's considering a Hi-Def setup. Especially when I see some poor schlub in Best Buy getting $100 cables pushed on him, sad.
    • RandomGuySteve, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1It's not as well known as I'd like, because I keep getting people trying to use it in an argument against the PS3.

      Hate it for a lot of things, but stupidity is the only reason people pay $100 dollars for a $6 - $10 dollar cable.
  • scabbers, on 10/12/2007, -1/+16You need a gold plated HDMI cable, with a $4000 power cord to your PS3 (dirty power leads to broken megatexels), then to put a rubber placemat in your Blu Ray drive and draw around the edge of the disc with a green marker pen.
  • mushishi, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1The problem is not companies selling snake-oil; it is stupid consumers. Hell, I applaud any entrepreneur who can convince a person to part with money on the basis that a cable between two digital interfaces will impart unrivalled clarity and acuity to colours, and reveal to the listener never-before-heard extension in the treble and bass, widening the soundstage so much so that it will seem to the listener that he is in the recording studio itself.
    • sets13, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I might have to throw that into my sales pitch!
  • archer75, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1Duh? Seriously, I would have thought people would realize by now that high priced cables are no better.

    I just picked up a 25' HDMI cable for $30 from cablewholesale.com
    • Poovey, on 10/12/2007, -2/+025' Cable? Wow! Who needs a remote then.
  • MalDON, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11What I find more of a rip off: Monster Fiber Cables! Because you know the gold ends give a much better signal...
  • keithmh, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1Monster cable has a huge markup in price anyways so in all reality they are not much more expensive than no name brand cables. I suppose the only reason to use Monster cable is if someone gives you one, or you can buy it at cost.
  • drummerwill03, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4My friend works at best buy and with his discount he gets USB cables (not quite sure the legth, 6ft.?) for $2. They retail for $30. It's a scam.
  • DolphinGL, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9People are always shelling out ridiculous amounts for digital cables and it drives me crazy. Anything digital requires only that you don’t use complete and utter crap….and it works 100% fine. Everytime I see anyone buying a $150 HDMI, DVI, or USB cable I cringe. It bugs me that people get ripped off like this and I think it bugs me a little bit more that they just don’t know any better.

    I think the most horrible thing I saw was someone buying a gold-plated optical cable…..I had to say something that time.
    • lesty, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7gold-plated optical cable i almost died laughing when i read that. Ripping off the ignorant has become way too easy it seems
    • coditza, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7People *buy* USB cables?
    • Firehed, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Gold-plated optical cable? Tell me you're kidding...

      If gold is better than nickel (or alu or whatever the cheaper cables use) since it won't oxidize, my plastic-tipped fibre cables must be that much better because plastic won't break down for about two hundred million years!
    • DolphinGL, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I wish I was kidding about the gold plated optical cable, but I'm not
      http://www.planetwaves.com/Resources/JDCPLW/Images/prodpics/pw_opt.jpg
  • lesty, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I was looking at monoprice and also saw they sell ink and toner for printers thats going to save me so much money thats for the post
  • rongon87, on 10/12/2007, -8/+1internets....????
    • Tobey, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Yeah, you know, that thing that gets sent to you through the tubes?
  • Darth, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I get all my cables from http://www.monoprice.com
    And they work well. Though I cannot compare it to monster since I never got monster, but from the picture I am getting, I highly doubt I ll see anything better with monster. And for the price of monoprice cables, they are hard to beat.
  • Paal, on 10/12/2007, -5/+6while i agree with the technical article that provides evidence that HDMI cables are all the same... the writer is a stupid ***** that thinks "irregardless" is a word


    i think my eyes are bleeding.
    • sir1real, on 10/12/2007, -4/+4"thinks 'irregardless' is a word"

      OMG! That is just nonforgivable!
    • neuralcooker, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1@paal
      Thinking "irregardless" is a word makes you a stupid *****? Then Webster's Dictionary is a stupid *****.

      Webster thinks it is a word, even if it's not generally accepted in edited prose. Remember that this stuff is just blogging and comments and forum posts, etc. On average this stuff is closer to regular speech than edited prose.

      From The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary's definition of irregardless,
      "There is such a word, however. It is still used primarily in speech, although it can be found from time to time in edited prose. Its reputation has not risen over the years, and it is still a long way from general acceptance. Use regardless instead." -- http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?va=irregardless
    • Paal, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Great, so MW acknowledges that it's in the vernacular of a lot of stupid people... that's irrelevant. It still makes my eyes bleed.

      Break the word down... it literally means, "not without regard." You may as well just say, "regarding."
  • yujie, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2My Verizon FIOS TV came with free HDMI cable. Comcast didn't give anything except coaxial. I had to buy my own dvi->hdmi cable from monoprice.
  • Poovey, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1When I had FiOS TV installed by the Verizon Tech, He gave me a new HDMI cable to replace the downstairs component cable plus another HDMI cable for the upstairs HDTV. Even though the cables aren't the same quality of the open box monster cable I bought for 60 bucks at best buy, I can't tell much of a difference in picture quality, which made me question, If coax is good enough to go to the cable box, why do you need a $100 cable to take the signal the last 4 feet?
    • gotacid, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I can't believe that anybody with half a brain would pay $60 bucks for a cable that passes a digital signal, but I guess this is the kind of crowd you get when you go mainstream.

      Also, you can't compare the coax to the hdmi cable, its apples and oranges. If your tv was doing all of the decoding of the raw data from the cable/phone company then you could just use the coax tap. Though I'll bet that coax tap comes from a fiber line somewhere pretty close to you.
  • Swil, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9There's the similar scam of digital audio connection. People pay loads extra for optical audio between their DVD player & amp when a very cheap single RCA to RCA via the coax socket will do *exactly* the same job. It's digital, the bits don't care how they travel, as long as they all get there.

    I've seen Monster packaging that implies the optical connection is better quality. Absolute rubbish. The only advantage with optical is avoiding a potential ground loop transfer, but it's very rare that's a problem.

    Of course with analog there's still an advantage with better quality cables, just not necessarily the overpriced Monster ones. They'll use dirty underhanded tactics to convince you of the difference. I saw a display in a shop once where they had 2 LCD's next to each other showing the same thing, one connected with Monster cables and the other with a generic brand. The Monster connected display did indeed look better. So I had a look behind and what do we find? The Monster one is connected via component, the generic one just by composite video. I wonder if Monster also sell snake oil, I've heard that stuff is great.
  • MrSmith34, on 10/12/2007, -0/+22Having worked in both the connector and cable industry, for the most part,...and for the average consumer, a cable is just a cable. Here are a couple of things that I would consider to be "slight" inaccuracies:
    1) Gold plating...most consumer grade products are plated flash gold with 3 u" (reads micro inches) of gold. Or in essence, it's gold colored. If you get enough contact normal force, after a couple of matings, the gold will wear right off. Gold plating by itself is a noble metal. It's intent is to prevent oxidation and corrosion. For most humidity and temperature controlled environments, it's unnecessary. The other thing to keep in mind about gold plating is, always mate gold on gold, or tin on tin. ...intermetalics (rubbing different types of plating) tend to accelerate oxide growth and shorten the life of the connector. ...now that being stated, most folks I know rarely unplug the cable all that many times, so it's unnecessary to worry about the gold.
    2) Outer braid shielding: many times, you do see some products like monster cables and the like producing thicker cables. A part of the quality of the construction of the cable shielding is it reduces the possibility of picking up external EMI noise. ...most modern consumer electronics tend to have very low EMI so again, it's probably not needed. ...but if for some odd reason you should place your HDMI next to an electric motor that's unshielded from it's casing, you may see the side effects of EMI bleeding or coupling noise through the shield if it's shielding effectiveness is low.
    3) backshell construction: many times if the application is in a rugged environment where the cable might get banged around or required to bend through a tight conduit or shoved up against the back side of a metal cabinet, having decent strain relief helps prevent the cable from getting kinked...which can potentially overstress the copper wires and cause them to fracture...causing intermittancies and electrical opens.
    4) other strain relief braiding: some cables are built with tougher external nylon or synthetic braids or silicon coated braids. These are used to: A) serve as lower friction coefficients for use in tight areas where the cable bundle are pushed or pulled through, B) the braiding works to strengthen the overall structure of the cable in cases where it experiences high tensile forces. (some folks who use these cables in the broadcast industry are quite rough with their cable, running it over with heavy equipments, jamming them between doors, etc...)
    5) Ferrite beads: Some times, if Item 2 stated above doesn't work well enough to pass the FCC emissions testing, they'll slap on a toroidal ferrite bead to bleed off the excess EMI energy. ...some engineers in the industry call them "prayer beads" because it's the last thing you use and hope and "pray" it works, before you give up and redesign the cable with better external braid or foil shielding.
    6) Last but not least, the AWG or size of the wires inside the cable. There's this thing called Insertion Loss. The longer the cable, the more the signal is going to loose it's fidelity, you reach a long enough point, the cable will no longer work as the signal doesn't reach the threshold voltage required for min voltage.

    ...anyway, enough gEEking out. This guy is mostly right for consumer products...but you know what they say, anytime you invent something idiot proof, somebody comes along and proves to be a better idiot and tries something he isn't suppose to do like try to plug together or splice together 3 or 4 HDMI cables together or something.
  • JonathanTech, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6if you go here Keven and an expert will tell you whats up with cables and what quality really is http://revision3.com/systm/avcabling.
    • MrSmith34, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Excellent link JonathanTech! The guy was pretty much spot on. long video but I like how he went through and showed all the details. Too bad no HDMI cable building tutorials though...
  • DeFex, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3you think thats bad. try Transparent OPUS MM. speaker cables At $23,500 for an 8' pair
    they even give you the snake to milk more oil from.
    • MrSmith34, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Holy Cow!!!! $23.5K for a stinkin cable?!!! For that price that cable must be able to span across buildings or some crazy stuff. I know copper prices are high right now, but $23.5K is nuts! They've got to be marking up that a heck of a lot!
    • ricsad, on 10/12/2007, -3/+0Well some speakers use a lot of power and high end cables like this are required. Although I would wonder what speakers you would have if you did buy these cables.
  • dl27, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9I bought an LCD TV and an HD PVR from Best Buy last summer. I asked the sales rep if he could give me a deal for buying the two items together. First he offers to throw in a $180 monster cable HDMI cable for $100, at which point i tried to explain to him that I can buy one off the net for $20-30. After ten miuntes of me trying to explain to him why digital signals aren't sensitive to noise an analog signals, he tells me he's going to speak to his manager. He comes back and then offers in addition to the monster HDMI cable he will give me a Monster surge protector for some "rebate". Once again I tell him I'm not interested in paying 5x retail value just to have the Monster name. He goes back and comes back again offering me a Monster HDMI cable, Monster surge protector and a 3 year extended warranty. While I will admit that he did offer quite a savings ($200 off) on these three items, I told him that all three items are worth much less than the saving he is passing along.

    My point, anything that Best Buy tries to tempt you with in a "deal" is worth 1/10 of what they charge.
  • Insanitation, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Odd that this artical is on here today. Because i had just gone to best buy earlier today and the 10 foot Monster HDMI Cable was $169 WTF!? I def wasnt going to pay that. I looked on Newegg and $8. i might have to wait a bit to get it but its worth saveing over $100. People that are payin that $ are getting raped.
  • Destrucci, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Monster cables are just what the reps push bust buy to sell. They aren't really better than any other cable. Its a complete ripoff to purchase a monster cable
  • DantheMan1107, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Who wants to pay $600 for a PS3 and then play another $100 just for cable? I know I don't. I just checked Newegg and they have one for $14.99.
  • DantheMan1107, on 10/12/2007, -4/+0Monster stuff is guaranteed for life, it might be why it's so expensive. If it breaks, you can bring it back to the store you bought it from, and they give you a new one.
    • ricsad, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Ya but isn't this called "manufacturer's warranty" where you have to follow the manufacturer's instructions?

      Nobody buys Monster for lifetime guarantee. Cables do not go defective. They might have wear and tear, but if you read closely at the warranty, they mostly say wear and tear will not be covered.

      You must be pretty dumb to fall for that marketing technique. I never knew it would work until I read your post.
    • akirk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3So is the $17.99 one from Monoprice!
  • moronpatrol, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2BREAKING NEWS!

    Monster cables overpriced!

    yet another groundbreaking front page newsday on digg....*yawn*

    though i'll admit...you can never print this type stuff enough...but no matter how hard you try 9 out of 10 idiots will still pay 1000% markup for a cable or places like compusa or bestbuy wouldn't exist...so i say let em pay we all should be lucky to be in the overpriced cable business

  • notjawn, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1HDMI Cables a scam? Hell all cables are a scam these days. Even my trusted radio shack has fallen prey to the ridiculously priced cable trend. Technology accessory laws should be created to protect the consumer.
    • Elric1977, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Trusted and Radio Shack should never have been used in the same sentence in the last 15 years!
  • fujimonster, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0you can't go wrong with monoprice. I bought one of their wall mounts, for around ~29... I was a little skeptical, but when it arrived this thing was beefy!, made of steel, heavy duty screws. I had no doubts after that and bought HDMI, component and optical cables from them.

  • PcChip, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1I always order mine from http://www.ehdmi.com , the guy that runs that site is very nice and ships quickly, and they have GREAT prices.
  • Elric1977, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Actually, if you look at the cheap vs expensive in action side by side (ANY reputable electronics store will do this for you in a heart beat), there is a huge quality difference that you can see for your very own eyes. Sure they follow the "standards", but in the end, you really DO get what you pay for. I had a similar expirience with Headphones and I'll NEVER spend under $100 on Headphones anymore.
    Just go to any NON-Best Buy, Non-Futureshop, try Independent, they'll give you real service, and you can judge for yourself instead of listening to a guy named "Are You Serious".
    • Amablue, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1For analog, the better cable might make a difference. But there is literally no quality loss on a digital cable. It's either all there, or it's not there at all.
    • ricsad, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Well you have to be pretty dumb yourself to expect such service from Best Buy or Futureshop who doesn't sell just headphones. Do you really expect people who sell 9999 items to know a lot about a specific item?

      But I would still buy from best buy or futureshop due to their return policy. Just research what you want ahead of time.
    • Elric1977, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1No no no I think you both misunderstood.
      I don't buy ANYTHING from those big box stores, for the very reason they are there in the first place. To run out the independent stores, the ones that actually CARE about you when you walk through the door.
      As for the Headphones, when I was younger I just bought them when I needed them and just assumed that's how portable music was supposed to sound. Then I heard the difference quality makes. So I buy Quality over price any day of the week.
      And as for the cables. I am no technical wizard by any means, but the saying "it's digital, therefore there are no quality issues" are just trying to justify their cheapness. I'm not telling you to go buy 160 dollar cables, but I am suggesting you at least take a look, YOURSELF and compare the image quality. If you truly do not see any difference, by all means, get the cheap ones. If you see a difference and it's not a 100 dollar difference, get the cheap ones. But don't let someone else tell you that there is no difference. Trust only goes so far. Try it out, and YOU decide. I PERSONALLY saw a huge difference, so I bought the quality. Maybe it was just all in my head, but I feel comfortable knowing that I MYSELF made the decision.
    • heinousjay, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The way digital signals work is not a matter of opinion. There's no way for a digital signal to degrade into noise. It just stops working. The quality difference you see is something you're fooling yourself into seeing (or a rigged setup designed to get you to pay for expensive cables). I know you don't want to believe it, because it will make you feel foolish, but it's still true. Sorry.
  • Amablue, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10I work at RadioShack. One day I was bored, so I went in the back room and started looking at the price we pay for things compared to how much we sell them for. A RadioShack Gold 6' HDMI cable sells for $50.00, but we get it for about $3. A Monster 6' HDMI cable sells for $100.00, and we get it for only $6.

    See, it's knowing things like this that make me a bad salesman. I can't wait to get out of retail.
  • siggyfawn, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I wish mono sold a wii cable!
  • zetec, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1The only reason you buy Monster cables is if you're designing a home theater system on somebody else's dime. They're great cables, no lie, but waaaay overpriced. At least the analog ones, anyways. Digital cables are digital cables, period. All the same bits are gonna be traveling down the line.
    • yunus, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1"Digital cables are digital cables, period. All the same bits are gonna be traveling down the line."
      This statement is a common misconception.

      I myself bought an $8 5' HDMI cable and it works great but that is not to say that over a longer cable quality would not be more of a factor. The problem is that the HDMI standard has no error correction so if the cable receives interference the signal is lost forever. Digital or analog you can still lose parts of the signal to interference without error correction.
  • SupaFupa, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1If you think Monster has a racket, pick up a copy of Stereophile magazine. You haven't truly listened to music until you've played a CD on a $20,000 player ($7000 power supply not included) or a record on a $90000 turntable.
  • Kwipper, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I guess it's true then. When it comes to HDMI there is absolutly no difference in picture quality between a 8 dollar HDMI cable and a 90 dollar one.
  • sir1real, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I *always* buy *MY* HDMI cables at niftycables.com for a buck fifty each because I am so cool.
  • techfish, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Doesn't take a EE degree to know that. *****
    /Thomas Paine
  • poordavey, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Everyone knows by now that any big box retailer has 180% markup, give or take, on ALL accessory products (Basically anything that isn't the hardware itself. ) by now, right?

    Yes you can prove your point to the salesperson that it is overpriced, but hes just the sales person, he doesn't set the prices, and 90% of them know damn well the product is actually worth $10 online, but hes just doing his job and selling an accessory, which makes his company money, which keeps his job. Don't get pissed at salespeople when they try to sell you *****, if you know you can get something online, just get it online. Don't ask for them to cut you a deal, they probably don't have the authority to do so, and they know if they ask a manager all they will say is no. If you ask them to ask a manager, they probably will, just to make you happy, even though he knows it will be no.

    I work for circuit city (flame me all you want for whatever reason you want), but I'm an honest salesperson. I'll sell my product, I'll push my services and plans, I'll offer the accessories to make my numbers look good (we don't make commission...it just makes my manager happy and keeps my part time job a job), but if a person tells me he knows he can get it cheaper online or whatever, I'll let him know I can offer him the convenience of not having to wait for it to be shipped, but let him go if he insists.

    A person came in just the other day looking for a DVI monitor cable, I showed him the price of one in our store (close to $100...) and he said "ouch, for a cable?" and I said "Yep, probably not worth it, to be honest, you can get it a hell of a lot cheaper online". I'm not going to lie to a good person and push it hard...and I'm more likely to let it go if he already helped me out by having services done or getting protection on the system.
    • Amablue, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Now I don't feel so bad for doing the same thing at RadioShack.
    • jwitherow, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I know I work at Circuit City too. I hate it that our RAM is like 100 dollars for the same stuff you can get for 50 online. I am glad we're not commision though. That way I'm not pressured to sell thins they don't need.
  • poordavey, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1PS You cant buy a computer from a retail store for $500, even though the price tag says $500. That computer is actually probably worth $800, but the rebates cut you a huge deal (If you take care of them...yes, the manufacturer rebates SUCK, I agree, but its free money people), the components in the system REALLY ARE worth $800! There is basically NO markup on hardware. That $500 computer is completely lacking software-wise as well, so suck it up and spend a realistic amount.
  • Kickboy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I had a similar experience when we were setting up our new HDTV. One of the big HD stores in my area was selling 6-foot HDMI cables for an excess of $200 a piece. We got them online for $30 each.
  • Slacker1031, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1Monster vs. RCA

    when hooked up to blu-ray, Monster HDMI cable was muuuuch better than the RCA. So no, not all cables are created equally, it all depends on circumstance. What TV do you have, what player are you running it through, etc. Plus, monster is a lifetime guaranteed cable. I have a dog who likes to chew on stuff, and that has saved my ass multiple times.
    • wyrdness, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3And a $10 HDMI will provide exactly the same quality as the Monster and are cheap to replace if the dog chews them,
    • SupaFupa, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Do you understand the concept of a digital cable? Either the signal gets there or it doesn't. Theres no such thing as a degraded or noisy digital signal. It doesn't matter if the cable is gold plated, or solid gold even. Its all or nothing. an HDMI cable is an HDMI cable is an HDMI cable.
  • adinb, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Sam's Club is selling all types of Philips brand HDMI/DVI/VGA cables for $10-$15.

    When I first saw them my jaw about hit the floor. I bought six of them on the spot--just in case I felt like hooking my PB upto the HDTV, etc. :)
  • pen25, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2check avsfoums i never buy anything monster bluejeans all the way or homemade cables. i make the cables and test them for full bandwidth sweeps. thats coax and the like. for hdmi i buy bluejean cables. but if i need a shorty? ill just buy the cheap 10 buck walmart cable. if its longer then 3 meters i buy bluejeans. and the comment abot digital and its all the same. nope wrong. in digital you can drop signal which means it wil be spotty. were as in analog you will get the signal just not as loud or maybe noise but noise does affect digital.
    • BluKnight, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I got my cable from Walmart as well. Works great!
  • crypticgeek, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Profit margins on cables in big box stores are obscene.
  • andrew330, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I used to work at a Future Shop (canadian version of Best Buy) and it is absolutely insane how HUGE the markup is on pretty much every cable we sell. Monster cables are at sold at at least 10x cost... a $100 cable would most likely have a cost of between 10-20 dollars to the particular store itself, even less to the company. It's even worse when you come to more generic cables. A basic USB cable would sell for minimum $30 CDN, but could be purchased by staff for about $2.50. My advice: make friends with somebody that works at a big box and save tons of money.
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