Educate me on HDMI

[Kryptonite]

I was looking at that link, and I see the following:

HDMI
HDMI ver 1.3
HDMI/DVI

This would be connecting an HD cable box to an HDTV.

Here's what I have learned so far:
1) I shouldn't spend upwards of $20. In fact, if I look around, I may be able to spend $10 and get change back. -- Hence monoprice.
1a) Because it's a digital signal, it'll either work or it won't work. There's no "middle-ground" or no "spend more money and get a better cable" mindset here.

2) Monoprice.com seems to be reliable
3) This is to replace, not accompany my current component cable.

Can anyone point me in the right direction? I'm thinking I need about 3-5 feet.

[Grouchy]

You don't want the HDMI/DVI, that's for connecting a DVI video port on a computer to a HDMI port on a display.

HDMI at Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hdmi)

I'm definitely not an expert on this but it seems feasible to spend the extra $10 to get a 1.3a certified cable even though the cable box is likely not to use those extra features in the cable specifications. Of course, someone once thought 640K should be plenty of memory for a computer once.

[Foosinho]

1a) Because it's a digital signal, it'll either work or it won't work. There's no "middle-ground" or no "spend more money and get a better cable" mindset here.
Well, that's a massive over-simplification... but a lot better than the opposite over simplification that "more money = better wire" (even for analog signals).

You can spend a little more money and get a cable that is better built, more durable, and will result in a stronger signal at the other end. But generally speaking, there is no difference in image quality once the strength is strong enough to be picked up at the other end. On a 5 foot cable, any cable should be sufficient.

I'm no expert on this stuff, but I know more than most. I do have an electrical engineering degree - even if it was concentrated on computer architecture.

[Zak]

Did you also sleep at a holiday inn last night? JK.

I have many of the same questions, as I'm going to get a new receiver and want to plug in my TV and PS3 via hdmi. It's a completely confusing proposition however.

[Foosinho]

Actually, the Wikipedia entry has some useful information. Especially that chart near the bottom. You'll note that if you are transmitting TV (IOW, to a HDTV), then 1.0 should be sufficient. It never hurts to buy the newest cable, as the stuff it supports will become more prevalent, and if you upgrade a piece of hardware your cable is more likely to still be usable.

[yimmy]

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Joshua_Zyber/High-Def_FAQ/High-Def_FAQ:_Is_HDMI_1.3_Really_Necessary/853

Here's an article that explains that why HDMI 1.3 isn't worth it at the moment.

[Foosinho]

That's an excellent article yimmy, and it underlines what I said before: the original HDMI cable spec should have 100% of the capability you need for watching HDTV/HD-DVD/BlueRay.

Honesty, this $5 cable should do the job just fine: http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&cs_id=1024007&p_id=4023&seq=1&format=2

There is a huge amount of marketing BS in the "home theater" industry.

[Kryptonite]

I just got back from Best Buy.

Those guys were wanting $70-$80 for their "1080p HDMI" cable. :eek:

[Grouchy]

Best Gouge...

[yimmy]

Best Gouge...

Best Lie is my favorite nickname.

[Kryptonite]

In their defense, i've read that EVERYONE is taking advantage of the HDMI craze and markups are happening all over the place.

Still, that much money for HDMI is a bit insane.