# HDMI cable quality...



## scandy (Aug 11, 2007)

Does it make a difference if you use the monster cables vs the cheap ones no name ones you can get off ebay? Anyone have any stories of observed quality?


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## scandy (Aug 11, 2007)

And I went and pretty much answered my own question by finding this:

HDMI Cable: Price Gouging?


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## Ants (May 6, 2003)

if you're looking for interconnect cables, might want to have a look at http://www.monoprice.com instead of Ebay. Alternately, you can purchase from computer stores for about $15-20. Not sure of your location but I got my HDMI cables for $15 at CTY, a computer store in Toronto.


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## MaxPower (Jan 30, 2003)

The best value for HDMI cables I found were off the Apple store. They were way cheaper than cables from Future Shop or the Source.


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## Andrew Pratt (Feb 16, 2007)

I use MonoPrice all the time as they're quality cables for very decent prices. There are good and bad HDMI cables but price is not a sure sign of quality.


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## JumboJones (Feb 21, 2001)

Don't buy into the hype, I have cheap $5 cords that I got from the States, they work great.


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## scandy (Aug 11, 2007)

Thanks for the info. I think I'll go with monoprice as they have some on sale for $3 right now. Unreal price!!

Thanks!


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## Oakbridge (Mar 8, 2005)

I'm not sure if the Canadian Apple stores or dealers have these yet, but I picked up three different HDMI related cables from the Apple Store in San Francisco for $20 each. Wanted a toslink audio cable, an HDMI to HDMI, and an HDMI to DVI. Two of the cables are on the Canadian Mac site at $29.95 each, the HDMI to HDMI is not listed.


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## hhk (May 31, 2006)

A friend of mine just bought an HDTV at Futureshop and asked me if I could hook up the "fancy" cable she bought with it. I knew what to expect but bit my tongue. That is, until she told me she paid $110.00!

She handed me the box and inside the "Monster Home Theatre Kit" was a 6 foot HDMI cable, a crappy little two-outlet surge suppressor, two bottles of cleaner (isopropyl alchohol and distilled water) and a cloth.

ONE HUNDRED AND TEN DOLLARS!

I told her I'd hook it up only if she returned the kit to Futureshop for a refund. I then went home to get a spare HDMI cable that I cost me $10.00 at monoprice.

She then callled me from Futureshop where she was doing her return to ask me my opinion on a Bose iPod dock and extended warranty. Geez, after all, the lithium battery in the dock might need to be replaced (so said the Futureshop salesman). Geezes Frickin' God! I wanted to strangle her.


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## Andrew Pratt (Feb 16, 2007)

Good work HHK. I had a client that was sold a $400 HDMI cable to go with her new flat panel TV. Needless to say I had her return that promptly and we went with a monoprice cable instead.


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## darkscot (Nov 13, 2003)

How do i know which HDMI-HDMI cable to get on monoprice? I have a Sharp Aquos 32" and an upconverting LG DVD player.


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## JumboJones (Feb 21, 2001)

You probably need a male/male cord, assuming they both have HDMI inputs.


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## Guest (May 16, 2008)

I recently picked up an upconverting dvd player/stereo combo from futureshop and when the sales rep asked me if I wanted an HDMI cable to go with it I laughed and told him "Not at the prices you guys charge for them." He also laughed and said he could give me a deal on a cable since I had just purchased a larger tag item. Long story short I got the Monster cable for $35 (instead of $100). I could have driven across town and gotten one for $25 or ordered one online for even cheaper but decided that I'd rather pay the extra $10 and not have to drive across town or wait for a delivery of one I ordered online.

Long story short, they know they are ripping people off, and it seems that at least some of the reps now have the ability to drop the price if you know what you are talking about.


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## darkscot (Nov 13, 2003)

i got a rocketfish hdmi->dvi cable for much cheaper in that same situation, mguertin. JumboJones, I know the male/male - I don't know which of those to choose, though. The list is overwhelming.


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## Guest (May 16, 2008)

darkscot said:


> i got a rocketfish hdmi->dvi cable for much cheaper in that same situation, mguertin. JumboJones, I know the male/male - I don't know which of those to choose, though. The list is overwhelming.


Wouldn't have worked for my needs, already using the DVI on the TV


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## anal-log (Feb 22, 2003)

Check out the review and video on Marketplace


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## spitfire1945 (May 17, 2008)

Monster Cables are over rated and all you need is just an HDMI cable with _noise cancelers _ note the word noise cancelers.


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## CanadaRAM (Jul 24, 2005)

spitfire1945 said:


> Monster Cables are over rated and all you need is just an HDMI cable with _noise cancelers _ note the word noise cancelers.


I note the words. Now could you explain what you mean?


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## spitfire1945 (May 17, 2008)

CanadaRAM said:


> I note the words. Now could you explain what you mean?


Its the same idea as the one behind noise cancellation on earphones. Its to filter the noise out and reduces the signal to its best quality. What they look like is this:










The cylindrical thingy on the wire.


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

It should be noted that the reason these cables are so overpriced (excluding Monster cables, which are always horribly overpriced and are now the joke of the industry) is simply because many of the main things Futureshop (et al) sell have such tiny, tiny profit margins. They have to make their money _somewhere_, so they make it largely on accessories. And if you're the kind of person who can drop $1200 or so on a **teevee** and not blink, they figure you're good for another few hundred dollars' soaking on accessories. Most of the time, they are quite right.

I'm no fan of Futureshop (et al), but I've been in computer retail so I think I know what I'm talking about on this one. Your average iPod sale nets $10-20 profit, the average $1200 computer system sale nets $100-150 profit (and by "profit" I'm not counting any of the store's costs beyond the actual wholesale).

This is less than 10% markup. Compare this to clothes (300% or more markup) or jewelry (1000% or more markup) and you start to see what I mean. A computer shop can't possibly make a living just selling computers. They HAVE to sell high-profit, low-cost items and maximize the upselling to make sure you walk out with some of them.

This is why I urge people on this forum and elsewhere to patronise local indie shops where possible, even if their prices aren't the rock-bottom best. There are intangibles that are important to support there, and while I'm not saying "get ripped off and be grateful for it" I am saying that this is the paradigm we forced on these companies, so the occasional "full retail price" purchase goes a long way towards helping these companies stay in business.

This is also why so many of these electronics stores are in financial trouble; as consumers get smarter about this, the model becomes unsustainable. A little bird tells me big changes are coming to Futureshop as well ...


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

Makes me wonder why anyone starts yet another thread on cables. Do the CBC thing. Buy the cheap ones for the same result. I got it now.


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## spitfire1945 (May 17, 2008)

chas_m had an excellent point. 

The cost on Monster 6 FT HDMI cables (without noise cancellers) is $29.99 at cost at Futureshop and what is the cost to you? $119.99

I call that raping the consumer up their.. well you can use your imagination here

lol does someone want some HDMI cables? I can sell them to you for 40$ (P.S. I don't work for FS anymore) haha!


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