RealGM

So I finally joined the 21st century and bought a big screen HD TV. I'm getting my Direct TV HD hooked up next week just in time for the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Everyone told me not to buy the HDMI cable from the store because I would pay way too much and that I should buy it online. Can anyone recommend a site to buy from? Also, anything in particular I should look for or avoid or are they all pretty much the same?

I know that a lot of people on here seem to know a bit about these things so I figured I would ask this here. Thanks to anyone that can help.

monoprice.com....great great deal on HDMI cables.

steger_3434 wrote:monoprice.com....great great deal on HDMI cables.

That's a great site. Thanks much.

I admit im a total noob when it comes to electronics. Anything in particular I should look for when choosing one over another?

You aren't going to notice any difference between any of the HDMI cables. This is why Monster is such a joke. Sure, they may "look" a little nicer, but it will carry the same digital signal.

I'm not sure how DirectTV deals with HDMI, but make sure your box has an active HDMI ouput otherwise component would be fine.

Honestly, I can't tell a difference between component and HDMI. The one REALLY nice thing with HDMI, though, is that it carries audio and video. So it takes 5 cables (audio L, audio R, Video G, Video B, Video R) and turns it into 1 cable.

Component can't output 1080p, I thought...?

I plugged my ps3 into a TV that allowed 1080p content with a component cable and it didn't work. Tried it with the HDMI cable and it worked fine. Component could output 1080i, fine, however.

DrugBust wrote:Component can't output 1080i, I thought...?

I plugged my ps3 into a TV that allowed 1080p content with a component cable and it didn't work. Tried it with the HDMI cable and it worked fine.

Component won't do 1080P (unless you have a monterous TV (60" and up) you won't notice 1080P anyways), at least I can't, but it can do the other forms of HD (720P and 1080i)

I have a 57 inch 1080p...so Im thinking I would notice the difference.

Thanks for all the help guys. I figured this was the place to ask.

skitch815 wrote:I have a 57 inch 1080p...so Im thinking I would notice the difference.

Thanks for all the help guys. I figured this was the place to ask.

Congrats on the TV BTW and welcome to the world of HD. It's addicting, though, so be carefull. I started off with a 56" DLP and thought that we enough. After a year I needed a flat screen and went for a Samusun 42" plasma. I said enough after that. However, now I"m looking for an LCD for the bedroom.

For anyone with Uverse I recommend using Components over an HDMI cable, only because some HDMI cables don't work to well with the Motorola boxes due to a software defect.

Yeah good choice on not buying the cables at the store. I work at a best buy and we markup up the cables outragously. I can get a $125 cable for $9 with my discount. The store gets them for about 5 bucks. This is where we make our money, we dont make **** of the actual TV

Got one on amazon.com its a dvi-hdmi i think. so it works with TWC's hd box. It causes my audio to make random intermittent popping sounds. Get a good one.

MVP4Champ wrote:For anyone with Uverse I recommend using Components over an HDMI cable, only because some HDMI cables don't work to well with the Motorola boxes due to a software defect.

It's not the cable, it's the moto box and the connections. HDMI either works or it doesn't.

otmshank1 wrote:Yeah good choice on not buying the cables at the store. I work at a best buy and we markup up the cables outragously. I can get a $125 cable for $9 with my discount. The store gets them for about 5 bucks. This is where we make our money, we dont make **** of the actual TV

Yeah Rocketfish and those are horrible!!! The HDMI connector falls apart on 'em if the wire gets bent at all!

steger_3434 wrote:You aren't going to notice any difference between any of the HDMI cables. This is why Monster is such a joke. Sure, they may "look" a little nicer, but it will carry the same digital signal.

I'm not sure how DirectTV deals with HDMI, but make sure your box has an active HDMI ouput otherwise component would be fine.

Honestly, I can't tell a difference between component and HDMI. The one REALLY nice thing with HDMI, though, is that it carries audio and video. So it takes 5 cables (audio L, audio R, Video G, Video B, Video R) and turns it into 1 cable.

I bought the most expensive HDMI cable there was out there by Monster at the time I bought my Sony PS3 and 46inch Bravia.

And the HDMI cable weighed down so much that it broke one of my outputs on the TV. Went and bought a cheap 7 dollar one and it has worked fine with the same quality.

The markup on HDMI cables is ridiculous. There is little quality difference between the brands. Monster in particular tries to market that their product is superior (even though it's been proven false). Normally a cheap off brand cable from newegg.com or a similar site will be perfectly fine.

beyond_the_arc wrote:-= original quote snipped =-



It's not the cable, it's the moto box and the connections. HDMI either works or it doesn't.

I said it was the Motorola boxes themselves and not the cables.

Some component cables DO support 1080p, but not all TV's support 1080p through component cables.