HDMI Cable 1.3 to 1.3b Rating
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Bronze Member Username: CclashhPost Number: 88 Registered: Jan-08 | 720p Sony LCD Rear projection (about 3 years old) Onkyo TX-SR605 (HDMI 1.3a compatible) decodes Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD via HDMI Panasonic BD30 Blu-Ray Player HDMI (no sound decoder but delivers dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD to receiver via HDMI) Comcast HD-DVR (HDMI 1.3 compatible) 3 HDMI cables 1.3b rated (radio shack brand -all cables same model and same brand) Using HDMI switching on receiver. Do I need the HDMI cables to be rated 1.3b? Does this really matter in my situation? Thanks! |
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Silver Member Username: MvanmeterKY USA Post Number: 139 Registered: Jan-06 | actually, the HDMI version numbers apply to the HDMI port on the device, not the cable. Marketer's have taken the opportunity to muddy the water once again and try to convince you to spend more money on the "best" cable, not the one you actually need. If you already have the RS cables, fine. If you are purchasing cables, for lengths less than 9', any good HDMI cable will work. Cables from www.monoprice.com are excellent |
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Bronze Member Username: CclashhPost Number: 89 Registered: Jan-08 | I have 2 nice Acoustic Research cables that are about 3 years old that I purchased when i bought my TV and they seemed to work fine before I switched to the Radio Shack cables for the 1.3b rating. I can return the Radio Shack cables and use the Acoustic Research cables that i already had. That way I will only have to purchase one cable instead of 3 -Should I? |
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Silver Member Username: MvanmeterKY USA Post Number: 140 Registered: Jan-06 | since you have the other cables, try one from the BD30 to the receiver and experiment with the HD codecs.....I seriously doubt you will notice a difference. Once you confirm it works, return the other 2 cables. Even if you are in doubt about the 1.3 rating of the cables, you will only need it between the Blu-ray player and the receiver. |
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Bronze Member Username: CclashhPost Number: 90 Registered: Jan-08 | I will take your word for it. If I understand you correctly the 1.3b rating is meaningless. I have already tried the acoustic research cables for the blu-ray and I don't think I notice a difference between those and the Radio Shack 1.3b cables. Not sure how to experiment with the HD codecs or even what that means? Will I get better sound to the receiver with the 1.3b radio shack cables? |
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Silver Member Username: MvanmeterKY USA Post Number: 141 Registered: Jan-06 | not necessarily - the HD codecs, TrueHD and DTS-HD require a wider bandwidth to send the audio information to the receiver for decoding. That's where the HDMI 1.3 version on the "port" comes in, the equipment can handle the bandwidth. In the cable, copper is copper, the wiring and connector do not change and the signal is digital zero's and one's - the receiver either gets the audio information, or it doesn't. Setting your Blu-Ray to output the newer HD audio codecs is a menu setting on the player. |
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Bronze Member Username: CclashhPost Number: 91 Registered: Jan-08 | I meant the 1.3 rating on the cable not the source and destination chips. The receiver was decoding dolby truehd using the acoustic research cables. I already setup the blu-ray player to output bitstream for audio if that is what you mean. Will the 1.3 cables do a better job on the audio or is it as you say either doing it or not doing it? Am I wasting my money by investing in the 1.3 cables? |
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Silver Member Username: MvanmeterKY USA Post Number: 142 Registered: Jan-06 | I think you just answered your own question. If the receiver is properly decoding the bitstream for TrueHD/DTS-HD with the less expensive cable, then a more expensive cable is a waste of money. |
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Gold Member Username: John_sColumbus, Ohio US Post Number: 2106 Registered: Feb-04 | If we needed to run very high-resolution HDMI for a distance of only one inch, a bundle of nineteen rusty coathangers would do the job (but would be very difficult to solder to the connectors!)despite the poor quality of the cable and the very high bitrate; if we need to run it three feet, a decently-made but unremarkable HDMI cable will work just fine; it's primarily when we need to run longer distances that the differences in cable quality start to become important. What's With These "Speed Rated" HDMI Cables? Many people are worried, when buying HDMI cable, about the spec version of the cable in question. Is it the latest spec version? Will it support all the features of the devices it's hooked to? Most of the fears and doubts associated with this question are unfounded, but there are some interesting issues with regard to HDMI spec version, and we'll sort those out here. What Do These HDMI Spec Versions (1.2, 1.3, 1.3a, etc) Mean? |
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Bronze Member Username: CclashhPost Number: 92 Registered: Jan-08 | John, the cables are 6 foot. Two of them could be 3 foot. I just got that length to be future proof. The Radio Shack brand cables I bought were $49.99 a peice. It may be my imagination but I think the comcast looks better with them. |
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Gold Member Username: John_sColumbus, Ohio US Post Number: 2107 Registered: Feb-04 | Jeff, if you think they're worth it, then use them. I remain skeptical. Ten years ago I thought that, with the dawn of the digital age, the the wire/cable voodoo would die out. It's just as strong as ever, it seems. It's not that I believe all cables are the same. Shoddy construction is never worth the cost savings. But I don't believe that inexpensive cables of reasonable quality are inferior to cables costing many times more. I could be wrong, but I would compare monoprice's best "1.3a" 3 ft. cable with anything on the market. http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&cs_id=1024003 &p_id=3991&seq=1&format=2 I am successfully using monoprice's cheapest 15 foot HDMI (28 AWG) for 720p. Will it come up short in the future? Maybe, but I've only got $10 in it (with shipping). Everytime I look through my A/V stuff and see my now unused 20 ft. Monster S-video I paid $90 for, my appetite for expensive wire vanishes. http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&cs_id=1024009 &p_id=2529&seq=1&format=2 |
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Bronze Member Username: CclashhPost Number: 93 Registered: Jan-08 | The whole point was that I did not know if it was worth doing. I think you guys have made it clear that this is a sales pitch and nothing more. It is just very confusing to me. All of the reviews I read on the blu-ray said to get at least a 1.3a rated cable and half the people I talk to say I need it, a quarter of the people i ask dont' really know and another quarter say its marketing  I just wish it was more straight forward Thanks! |
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New member Username: TwopyntsBoca Raton, FL USA Post Number: 2 Registered: Feb-08 | This was somthing I posted over at Amazon regarding Monster cables...it may be of interest or it may not... -------- I thought I would post a few links here to help with questions about like, "Which cable should I buy?" and "Is it worth paying a premium for Monster Cables?". Wikipedia has a long-winded but thorough explanation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI Specific points to note: "Criticism Critics of HDMI claims that HDMI 1.3 does not necessary offer any real enhancements over older HDMI versions in audio/video quality for the home-cinema user, contrary to popular opinion. The critisism can be summarised as follows: Deep Color: "Deep Color" allows for higher video precision, but no available or planned movie media can take advantage of this. Bitstream Audio: Every version of HDMI allows 8 channels of 24 bit/192kHz PCM, sufficient to transport all current hirez/multichannel audio-formats, with the HDMI 1.2 adding native support for the DSD of SACD" and "There are revisions in HDMI cabling specifications relevant to data throughput, of which all HDMI cables are backwards compatible, with HDMI 1.3 being the latest and Category 2 being the highest (greater than HDTV or Category 1). Typically HDMI cables are significantly more expensive than other cabling standards, not because of the cable's manufacturing cost, but at a price most consumers are willing to pay, being still relatively high-end boutique. Many on-line retailers and auction sites are now offering high-end HDMI cables at prices similar to coaxial and RCA cabling, fractions of what most retailers are currently charging." See also the Audioholics website: http://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/understanding-hd mi-ver-1.3 The last paragraph states: "What about 1080p? There are seven digital video formats currently in use. These are 480i, 480p, 576i, 576p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p. Of the seven only the last three are true high-definition formats. All versions of HDMI 1.1 and beyond (the HDMI cable you can purchase today and the kind that have been available for more than three years) are capable of supporting a 1080p image, the most demanding of all the high definition formats. You do not require an HDMI 1.3a interface or cables to enjoy a 1080p image. Further, nothing in the HDMI 1.3 standard improves the quality of existing software. The increased bandwidth is for future applications only." And lastly, highdefdigest.com: http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Joshua_Zyber/High-Def_FAQ/High-Def_FAQ%3A _Is_HDMI_1.3_Really_Necessary/853 Summation paragraph: "If you were buying a new HDTV or A/V receiver right now and wanted to feel thoroughly future-proofed, it certainly couldn't hurt to make sure that they're HDMI 1.3 compliant, but there's no reason to feel nervous or cheated if they aren't. At the present time, for all practical applications, any version of HDMI is perfectly capable of transmitting the best that Blu-ray or HD DVD offers just as well as any other. Unfortunately, HDMI 1.3 is more hype than substance." So in short, any HDMI cable will give you the same picture and sound quality for any current equipement (perhaps not PS3). There is no real difference in what you will see with Monster HDMI 500hd Cable -vs- Monster HDMI 1000hd Ultra-High Speed HDMI Cable. You are wasting your hard earned $$$. Why not wait to get a new standard of cable when you actually have equipment and content that uses it? The price will probably have dropped quite a bit too. I'd love to hear some discussion about this -- other thoughts and experiences, and perhaps some expert input. EDIT: This "just" in...lol. http://consumerist.com/353938/monster-cables-monster-ripoff-80-markups |
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Bronze Member Username: CclashhPost Number: 97 Registered: Jan-08 | Thanks Kort. That really helps! |
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New member Username: TwopyntsBoca Raton, FL USA Post Number: 4 Registered: Feb-08 | Glad to be of service. I work for a company that manufactures the dang things and I needed to do that research to get a handle on them..  |
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