Hdmi Cable versions?

[Lord Diddy]

So while shopping online for a nice small HDMI cable I noticed that there are versions that grabbed my attention. Now since there are (look below) this many types of specifications, will I see any real-world diffrence in a 1.3 cable or a 1.4 cable? I'm aware of the increase in resolution capabilities, but I almost fell out of my chair when i saw a ridiculously overpriced "monster" hdmi cable for 90 dollars + shipping. Also are these backwards compatible with all HDMI devices?

 

I bought a 1.4 HDMI for a few bucks on eBay, but i'd like to know if theres any practical difference in quality between versions and overpriced cables.

 

Versions:

1.0

1.1

1.2

1.2a

1.3

1.3a

1.3b

1.3b1

1.3c

1.4

1.4a

[Sbrideau]

Wow, I've been in computers for a long time and I didn't really know about these versions. I don't think they really make a difference in everyday life, since they transmit digital signal.

[Lord Diddy]

Same here, this is the first I've seen this. think its just all about prying money out of customers, but I do see how 3D screens are taking advantage because it requires higher bitrates and gbps rates. But it also would be nice knowing if I could push a bit more quality out of my tech for only a few extra dollars.

[sees_all1]

Any HDMI cable saying they meet a minimum spec will probably meet that minimum spec. The only difference between a Monster brand cable and a dollar cable you might find on Ebay is Monster is a brand name, and is a "designer" cable (cooler looking insulation, Monster logo on it).

If you want any 3-d capability, make sure you buy a version 1.4. That's the first version that fully supports 3-d. As a general rule of thumb in technology, the bigger the numbers mean the better the specs.

 

There's a handy chart on wikipedia if you're interested in what's different between the specs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI

 

 

Anywho, Monster has been parting consumers with their money for a very long time. The best part about buying a $10 cable is that you can buy 6 of them for less than the price of the "premium" stuff, and at least one of them is bound to work as well.

[Lord Diddy]

I've read through the wiki a few times over and I've seen the difference in specs. Im wondering is there an visible quality difference between a 1.3 cable and a 1.4 cable when, for the sake of comparison, while playing PS3 video game? I really doubt it would be some life turning event when I start using my 1.4 cable, but it'd be nice to know if there's any improvement.

[sees_all1]

Your PS3 was likely introduced before the HDMI 1.4 spec, in which case you should notice no difference as it won't have the hardware to utilize the extra mandatory data lines.

 

The only real thing you can do now is test them, and I'd be surprised if you found a difference.

[indy500fan]

The only reason to spend more than a few dollars on an HDMI cable is if it is capable of being bent near the connector, which is not good anyways, but some of the better cables will hold together better at the ends.

 

1.4 vs 1.3 is not that big of a difference, get the 1.4 if it is the same price. You can pass ethernet over 1.4 as well as higher resolution. Most likely your devices don't support either of those anyways, so it doesn't really matter.

 

In other words, don't worry, get the cheapest possible one you can (that is at least 1.3, you probably can't find the older ones anyways though). I actually am in that first situation where the HDMI gets moved, and kind of bent, and taken in and out a lot. I just had my first cable break the other day, after a few years of that.

[xAres]

HDMI 1.0 has a bandwith of 4.9Gbit/s which is upto 1080p/60hz (1920x1080) and 8 channel LPCM/192 kHz/24-bit audio.

HDMI 1.2 added support for One Bit Audio, used on Super Audio CDs, at up to 8 channels

HDMI 1.3 has an increased bandwith of 10.2Gbit/s

HDMI 1.3a changed CEC capacitance limits

HDMI 1.3b, 1.3b1 and 1.3c did not introduce any differences to hdmi 1.3 just testing products based on HDMI 1.3a

HDMI 1.4 increased maximum resolution to 4Kx2K i.e 3840x2160p (QUAD HD) at 24 Hz/25 Hz/30 Hz or 4096 × 2160p at 24 Hz, a HDMI Ethernet Channel (HEC), which allows for a 100 Mbit/s Ethernet connection between the two HDMI connected devices so they can share an Internet connection and introduces an Audio Return Channel (ARC).

HDMI 1.4a adds two additional mandatory 3D formats for broadcast content, which was deferred with HDMI 1.4 in order to see the direction of the 3D broadcast market. HDMI 1.4a requires that 3D displays support the frame packing 3D format at either 720p50 and 1080p24 or 720p60 and 1080p24, side-by-side horizontal at either 1080i50 or 1080i60, and top-and-bottom at either 720p50 and 1080p24 or 720p60 and 1080p24.

[MageUK]

Probably 95% of cables on the market right now will be 1.3 and will work just fine with pretty much everything. 1.4 will become more widespread as 3D devices increase, right now 3D is seen as more of a fad than anything, so who knows when that will be.

[pal2002]

Absolutely not - buy the cheapest one you find tbh.