[Closed] HDMI Cable quality

am I imagining there is a massive improvement?

Short answer, yes.

So you previously were not playing games in 4k and now you are? That's probably what you're seeing.

Longer answer

AFAIK HDMI High Speed or 2.0 will be certified to support the higher bitrates required for 4K. If they're not certified they might or might not. It's not as simple as yes/no as far as performance goes though, if a cable is marginal the device might have to do more error correction which may impact on picture quality without really obvious problems.

£7.99 isn't anywhere near the real pisstake "audiophile/cinephile" bracket though (looking at you Richer Sounds).

😃the replaced cable was from Richer Sounds

Did you fit it the right way round?

the replaced cable was from Richer Sounds

Must be from their sensible punter range then. I've just had a look to see if they've mended their ways but no, they're still knocking out 2m HDMI leads at £135, for the less "fiscally challenged" user. I'd love to know how many they shift at that price.

Did you boost the signal to send it uphill?

There's no such thing as a "4K cable" outside of marketing.  There are standard speed and high speed cables, and that's it.  You'd be hard pressed to buy a cable that isn't high-speed these days.

am I imagining there is a massive improvement?

If your old cable wasn't high-speed then yes (because it'd be toilet), otherwise no, you're imagining it.   In the digital world cables either work or they don't.

I spent hours this week trying to find a DisplayPort to HDMI cable that will support 3840 x 2160 (aka ‘true’ 4K) at 60Hz, you’d think a cable’s a cable yeah? Nope.

Anyway as others have said anything HDMI 2.0 will work (as long as it is, I’d avoid eBay £1.99 leads myself). £1000 leads and the like, pure snake oil.

a good hdmi lead shout cost not much more than £1+vat per meter.

i sell hdmi stuff and have done since 2001.      2k 4k 8k  ;o)

Loads of hifi geeks on a forum somewhere laughing about the cost of metal cogs, bicycle tyres and 50ml of chain lube. OK OK I know the hifi world is the pinnacle of piss-takery but we're probably not far off the top of the pyramid for paying silly money for marginal or placebo improvements.

Some hifi geeks are on here they’re very sensitive if you mention directional cables.

CSL - 3m UHD HDMI 2.0b Cable | 4K @ 60Hz / 2160p / 4:4:4 (High Speed) with Ethernet | ARC and CEC | Deep Color | fully HDCP compliant/HD Ready / 3D TV/Playstation 4 Pro/Nintendo Switch ecc https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00J251FD0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Vu06Bb9WT508F

£6.99 my error, old expensive RS cable must be nearer 10 years old . Son is eight next month and the Tv was built into the wall well before he came along.  But...... just played red dead redemption and battlefield V even more convinced now 🤔

Did you fit it the right way round?

Some hifi geeks are on here they’re very sensitive if you mention directional cables.

We have a good few directional HDMI cables that cost in the hundreds.

We have a good few directional HDMI cables that cost in the hundreds.

What do they look like the wrong way round? Have we done directional WiFi yet?

We have a good few directional HDMI cables that cost in the hundreds.

Glad to hear it. The picture's just not the same otherwise.

We have a good few directional HDMI cables that cost in the hundreds.

I hope they are hundreds of metres long then 😂

This again! Love it.

We have a good few directional HDMI cables that cost in the hundreds.

Cheap skate. You need to spend thousands.

http://www.highendcable.co.uk/Nordost%20VALHALLA%204K%20HDMI%20UHD%20Digital%20cable.htm

This has to the best though. £3k for a USB 2.0 cable.

http://www.highendcable.co.uk/Nordost%20VALHALLA%202%20USB.htm

Does anyone actually buy this shit?

Does anyone actually buy this shit?

Oh yes! One posts on here.

Sales guy in richer sounds once told me I needed to spend 10% of price of my new telly on an HDMI cable

These last 7 years my £5 supermarket cables I've obviously been missing out

We have a good few directional HDMI cables that cost in the hundreds.

we too sell active directional hdmi leads.   used to send 4k over longer distance

we’re probably not far off the top of the pyramid for paying silly money for marginal or placebo improvements.

27.5" wheels anyone? 😀

we’re probably not far off the top of the pyramid for paying silly money for marginal or placebo improvements.

Marginal? Or placebo? At least bikes are analogue, even if the critical part of that word is the first four letters.

What do they look like the wrong way round?

They don't work as they are fibre optic

I hope they are hundreds of metres long then

Well we have 30m and 50m cables but they will do 4K over 100m.

Did your presumably 4k tv recognise the 4k signal from the XBoneX on your old cable?  Not sure if I'm reading this corectly but if your old cable was HDMI 1.3 then it could only pass 1920x1080 at 120 Hz or 2560x1440 at 60 Hz.

So if you've got one of the newer HDMI 2+ cables then yes your picture will be better because it can pass 4k, 8k etc

Although on further reading there used to be two types of HDMI cable Standard and High Speed (they've added premium) the 1.3, 1.4,  2.0 stuff is for devices not cables

Did your presumably 4k tv recognise the 4k signal from the XBoneX on your old cable?  Not sure if I’m reading this corectly but if your old cable was HDMI 1.3 then it could only pass 1920×1080 at 120 Hz or 2560×1440 at 60 Hz.

So if you’ve got one of the newer HDMI 2+ cables then yes your picture will be better because it can pass 4k, 8k etc

On further reading the 1.3, 1.4, 2.0 version types are for devices not cables.  In terms of cables they have standard hdmi, high speed hdmi, and premium hdmi.

So maybe your old cable was standard, and new one high speed.

Ah, it's what cougar said up there ↑↑↑

https://www.expertreviews.co.uk/tvs-entertainment/7976/expensive-hdmi-cables-make-no-difference-and-heres-why

Sums up most arguments very well.