Need HDMI Cable recommendations for a Home Theater setup .. (1 Viewer)

Hi all ... Well my dad is setting up a Home Theater in the basement and he's asked me to find out which HDMI Cable to use .. The cable needs to be 10 meters (32 feet) or more in length .. Also, since the cable will be embedded behind the walls, once its in there's no replacing it ... Meaning I only have one shot at this and I need a *good quality* 10 meter HDMI cable that won't let me down ! I dont mind spending a little bit of money on this, but I don't want to buy a cable that's $150+ without any genuine reason as to why its so expensive ..


Also, this friend of my dad recommended that he use a 'QED' HDMI Cable .. I looked up QED and it seems to be some UK brand of HDMI Cables which seem to be *very* expensive (about $300 for a 10 meter) cable .. What are your thoughts on this ?


Do note that I would like to get a cable thats as future-proof as possible .. Meaning it supports 3D and all .. Should be at least 1.3b .. I'm not sure if I need 1.4 or not ..


Any advice here will be really appreciated guys and gals

Check out Monoprice or Blue Jeans Cable. Both will have what he needs at a fraction of the retail price

Thanks for pointing out those sites Craig but this doesn't really what to look for at these sites .. Like, what qualities should I look in HDMI cables .. ? Do you know of any specific HDMI cables which are meant for Home Theater systems which require long lengths .. ? Also, is there any specific reason why that QED HDMI cable is so expensive .. ?

Here's the QED Cable I'm talking about: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000UJED18

And should I get HDMI cable v1.4 ? Or is 1.3b okay ?


Some other questions too, in regards to the different HDMI Cable categories mentioned at Monoprice ..


1) What do CL2/CL3 mean ?
2) I can't find any 'High Speed' HDMI cables which are 10 meters or longer .. ? What should I do ?
3) Whats the difference between 'High Speed' and 'Standard Speed' HDMI Cables ?
4) There are some other categorizations too, such as: Ferrite Core, 'Premium', 'Professional', '28AWG', '24AWG', 22AWG' .. Can someone briefly explain these terms too .. ?
Thanks for all your help mate

HDMI passes a digital signal. It either gets there or it doesn't.


Look for an hdmi cable labeled as "high speed". It satisfies the latest requirements of the hdmi licensing group. Don't buy into the hype of the expensive cable brands. If the licensing group says a high speed cable is all you need then that's all you need.


CL2/CL3 rated means it's certified for in-wall use.


Cable runs longer than 7.5 meters isn't recommended but it can be done successfully.


Premium, professional, etc., are mostly marketing terms. Some signify better materials within a particular brand, like Monoprice.


28awg, 24awg, etc. is the cable size. The smaller the number the thicker the cable. Thicker cables are usually better for long runs or when used near power cables since they should offer better shielding. But thicker cables don't bend very easily either.


Like anything else, just look for decent quality at a fair price. Most of my cables/wires come from BlueJeans or Monoprice but I've used real in-expensive 1.5 foot (1/2 a meter?) hdmi cables bought off Amazon.com for less the $1 apiece with great success.


Here's a link to the HDMI.org licensing groups home page. The Resources and Glossary sections provide a lot of good information. Listen to them, not the manufactures hawking expensive cables.

Well I think I would now want to have a cable which fully supports HDMI 1.4 and has the HDMI Ethernet capability too ..

How do you guy feel about this cable ? --> http://www.dcables.net/Commercial-In-Wall-Rated-Locking-HDMI-1-4-Cable-HEC-3D-35-Feet.aspx

And this one ? --> http://www.onecall.com/product/AudioQuest/Pearl-12m-39-37-ft-White-PVC/HDMI-Audio-Video-Cable/_/R-104339

And this one ? --> BJC Series-1 Belden Bonded-Pair HDMI Cable

And this Monoprice one (although it looks very much like a 1.3ish) --> http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&cs_id=1024002&p_id=2805&seq=1&format=2

Remember I would like it to fully support HDMI 1.4 and preferably also have Ethernet as well .. Price is not an issue if it can be backed up by the cable, but I would prefer not to go beyond about $180 or so ..

Any other recommendations would be appreciated too ..

It looks like monoprice doesn't offer a high speed hdmi cable longer than 20ft. The one you linked to is standard speed.


The one from Onecall is pretty expensive.


On paper the Dcables one seems to fill the bill and the price is right but I have no experience with Dcables. Not saying they aren't reputable, just that I haven't used them. Worth looking into, though.


The BJC one also seems to be what you need but is quite a bit more expensive. But the guys at BJC really know their stuff and I wouldn't hesitate to buy from them. 10 meters is pretty long for an hdmi run and you are installing it in-wall so you do need a good quality cable.


Whichever one you choose I would try and do a trial run and connect it to the player/box and display just to make sure it will transfer the signal before you install it.

Hi Ahmad,


We heartily stand behind the Comprehensive cables we sell. Our Comprehensive High Resolution Pro Series Cables match the specifications you're looking for, and at $35 for a 35 ft cable, also fit your budget.

No matter what you choose, make sure you buy a reputable brand from a reputable dealer. Let us know what you end up buying!


Thanks!

Helen Anne

Alright, I talked to two Monoprice reps in detail and I'm convinced that their 35 feet cable should be okay for my HDMI 1.4 feature needs... Next question is this: They (Monprice) have various different cable options ..... Here is the list of all available 35 feet cables they have, along with their prices:

1) 24 AWG cable.. $23
2) 24 AWG 'flat' cable.. $23
3) 22 AWG cable.. $31
4) 22 AWG 'silver platted' cable.. $45

Their rep naturally recommended the last option to me as being the best at transferring signals .. But how much better is it ? I mean installation for a 22 AWG is also more difficult I understand .. Also, in the 24 AWG category, he said the 'flat' cable option is better as its more noise repelling, and is easier to install .. but i noticed people still go for the normal 'round' HDMI' cable ... Any logical reason for this ?


Can you suggest from the above list which cable I should go for ? I would of course prefer 22 AWG (I dont mind the extra $20 at all), but the problem is I don't know if it would be easy to install (as compared to a 24 AWG cable) in a 32 feet long conduit which has two 90 degree bends .. This is the reason why I'm asking for advice on the above choices ...

New question:


My Panasonic 3D Blu-ray player (BDT107) has only one HDMI port (thanks a lot, Panny, or Best Buy, or whoever engineered that nickel's worth of savings).


And as luck would have it, my otherwise wonderful one-year-old Pioneer Elite receiver doesn't know from 1.4, so the few times I've taken the trouble to play around with 3D, I've had to unplug my (long) AVR-to-TV cable from the receiver and put it directly into the player, which entails pulling out and/or turning components around far enough to accomplish this without bringing the whole setup down, which is a royal pain in the ass. I'd say it's the main reason I've spent so little time trying out and getting used to the 3D.


What's the best solution -- till I replace this BD player with something better, both performance- and output-wise? How are other people dealing with this?

And this is precisely why I ask the question: Would it really kill manufacturers to put an HDMI output on displays? I see this as solving your problem, even if it's only an HDMI 1.3b out, because you'd get your 3D and your 5.1/6.1/7.1 at the same time from your Elite. It would also solve my problem, which is that I only have 3 HDMI ports on my receiver, so I can't have my HD A30, BDP-S350, Satellite Receiver, Xbox, and laptop plugged in at the same time. My Toshi display has 4 HDMI inputs, but that does me a fat lot of good with no output to go back to the receiver, so I have to settle for TV speaker sound from my Xbox and my laptop, unless I go out and buy a switch.