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The Truth behind HDMI Cables Revisited

July 26, 2017 Support, Technology No comments yet

It’s been 3 years since I posted my first post about Monster HDMI Cables and it’s gotten a lot of good feedback and I thought I should revisit the topic and maybe update some thoughts. (You can read the original post here)

Since typing the first post 3 years ago I have since gotten a 4K TV and with the proliferation of 4K, this is the perfect time to revisit this topic.  I will start out by saying, my initial thoughts on the different types of cables remain the same: I still would not purchase a Monster Cable or other overpriced “name brand” HDMI Cables.

I think I should explain a little about the Types of HDMI Cables that I didn’t get to do last time.

Currently the main standards of HDMI Cables you’ll see are 1.4 and 2.0.

HDMI version 1.4 2.0
Date initially released May 28, 2009 September 4, 2013
Maximum pixel clock rate (MHz) 340 600
Maximum audio throughput (Mbit/s) 36.864 36.864
Maximum color depth (bit/px) 48 48
Maximum consumer resolution over single link at 24-bit/px 3840×2160p/30 Hz

4096×2160p/24 Hz

 4096×2160p/60 Hz
Maximum consumer 3D resolution over single link at 24-bit/px 1920×1080p/24 Hz 1920×1080p/60 Hz

4096×2160p/24 Hz

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI)

 

I removed some of the other rows but if you want to see them go over to the wiki page that I pulled this table from.  Essentially, without explaining too much about the specifications, you can see a lot of the numbers are either the same or close.  The 2.0 standard will support 60 Hz at 4K, which in TV talk means that it’s displaying your picture at 60 frames per second (FPS).  Something to note though is that movies are recorded at 24FPS, and not 60.  So technically you aren’t going to get any better quality picture from the increased ability on the 2.0 standard if you are watching movies or TV.  Where the 60FPS becomes important is if you do gaming on your TV.  That being said, if you are buying HDMI Cables, definitely look for the 2.0 standard and not the 1.4 standard.

The other difference you’ll notice is the Pixel Clock Rate.  Pixel Clock Rate is the speed at which the pixels are transmitted over the HDMI Cable.  The clock rate has to be fast enough to fill the entire screen within the refresh cycle.  So the 2.0 standard moves the pixels at a maximum speed of 600 MHz (or 600,000,000 pixels per second). For comparison purposes, a 4K screen has 8,294,400 pixels.  So you can see, HDMI 2.0 can handle 4k without blinking an eye.

The HDMI Cable Bottom Line:

As long as the cables you are buying adhere to the HDMI Standards, they will work to that specification.  So a Monster Cable, while being super flashy in its packaging, won’t perform any better than a non-name brand cable that meets the HDMI Standards.  In fact, if you read their website (https://www.monsterproducts.com/support/learning-center/hdmi/differences-in-hdmi-cables) it is VERY vague on why their cables are better.  The only thing of any substance is that if the standard is not met, the cable may not work correctly which is true, but doesn’t make Monster Cables any better or worse than any other cable that meets the standards.  

Have any personal experience with the different types of cables?  Let me know below!

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Truth about Monster HDMI Cables

July 30, 2014 Technology 19 comments

I’m sure most of you have gone to Best Buy or some other retail outlet and have seen Monster Cables. They are the cables that have super fancy packaging and brag about how superior they are. I’m going to save you a lot of money and explain why most of the things that Monster says about their cables are not lies, but not full truths either.

Monster Cable Box

Monster Black Platinum HDMI Cable 9 ft:
Specs taken from Monsterproducts.com
27Gbps Ultimate-high speed rated
Cable For Life performance guarantee
For those who demand the best in high definition home theater – now and in the future
Ultimate 1080p, ultra HD 4k at 60fsp
Delivers up to 7.1 lossless digital surround sound for the ultimate movie, music, and game experience

So let’s break this down:
27Gbps Ultimate-High Speed – Let’s break this down a little bit, most HDMI Cables are rated as high speed (category 2) or standard speed (category 1) by the HDMI Organization (http://www.hdmi.org/). The HDMI Organization is the group that defines the standards for HDMI. High Speed is rated for 1080p and 4k signals. That being said though, even a standard speed cable could handle 1080p, it’s just not rated for it. Normal speeds for an HDMI Cable are 3.4 Gbps (10.2 Gbps total, there are 3 lines / channels in one HDMI Cable). I’m not sure exactly how Monster gets to 27 Gbps, my guess is that they add more channels to the cable itself but that doesnt really matter. What matters is that the claim that the cable can do 27 Gbps is not proven and Monster will probably not be able to give you a straight answer about how they got to the number. The “faster” a cable is will not make your picture look any better or your sound, sound any better.

Cable for Life – The only reason I could ever see having a lifetime warranty on a cable is if that cable was really expensive… which, Monster Cables are. A 9 foot Black Platinum Monster Cable goes for $99.99 at Best Buy.

Future Proof! Ultra 1080p and 4k! – Seeing how currently 4k TVs are just starting to gain momentum, I don’t think that you need to future proof your cables at this point. but oh wait, normal Category 2 (High Speed) HDMI Cables can display 4k. Also, the term “Ultimate” in front of 1080p is just dumb. 1080p is 1080p anyway you slice it, a cable isn’t going to make someones 1080p movie look any better.

Delivers up to 7.1 Lossless Surround Sound – Any HDMI Cable can do 7.1 surround sound and deliver it… that’s what the cable was built to do, carry signals.

Let’s take a quick look at a competing HDMI Cable from Monoprice.com

Monoprice HDMI Cable
(Monoprice Website)
This cable is a 10 foot HDMI Cable.

Without writing it all out here, the cable does EVERYTHING the Monster Cables claims. So you would think the price would be the same right? Wrong! The Monoprice HDMI Cable goes for: $5.15.

Most of what Monster relies on is fancy packaging and wording to make their cables stand out and thus are able to charge a whole lot more for a product that is essentially the same as a cheaper version. Just one last thought, the Monster Cables (and some other brands) claim that they can do 120hz and 240hz. Even that is a lie because the cable themselves can’t create those kinds of signals, the TV does, the wire simply transfers the data. So the $5 wire can also do 120hz just as well as the Monster Cable can.

Feel free to leave any questions if you want more clarification on this topic!

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Black Friday Series – 4K HDTVs

November 15, 2013 Technology No comments yet

This will be my first post for Black Friday and Cyber Monday in an attempt to assist you in buying the right technology for you!

4k HDTV.  Sounds like a large number and obviously, when numbers are large it indicates better right?  So when going out or staying in this Black Friday and Cyber Monday you may be looking for a TV.  How do you differentiate between the 3 different HDTVs though?  720p vs 1080p vs 4k.  I will explain the difference in a simple way and then give you some options and what to look for come Black Friday and Cyber Monday!

From http://www.rtings.com/

If you look at the above picture, you can really see the difference in numbers.  Something very important to note is that the 4k TVs display at a 4096 x 2160 OR 3840 x 2160 resolution as compared to the 1080p that displays at 1920 x 1080.  You may also see 1080p referred to as 2k.  4k is designated Ultra High Definition or UHD and 1080p and 720p is designated as High Definition.

You might be asking yourself what the point of this post even is, it seems pretty obvious that the larger resolution would be better.  However, you need to look at the whole picture.  Look at the following graph:

From http://www.rtings.com

You can see that the quality of the image is not just based on the resolution but rather it is a fine equation between screen size, viewing distance, and resolution.  For a 1080p TV, a viewing distance of 6 feet is the optimal distance for a 45 inch TV.  To put this in perspective, think about how the picture would change if you sat right in front of the TV you have currently.  It would probably look a little grainy and blurry.  As you back away from the TV, certain things start to blend better.  4k TVs, since they have such a high resolution are better for larger screens: 50 inches and higher.  That isn’t to say you couldn’t use 4k on a smaller TV but you wouldn’t get the full benefit.

Looking purely at the stats, it becomes clear that if you have a 46 inch TV or lower, you will want to go with a 1080p resolution because it really wouldn’t benefit you as the viewer unless you were wanting to sit 5 inches away from the TV.

Another factor we need to look at is price.  The price for 4k TVs at this time is upwards of $5000 for a low end 50 inch 4k TV.  At that price, you could get a really nice 50 inch 1080p TV.

The final factor is the use of 4K in media.  Most Bluray and Most Games do not currently utilize 4k, nevermind normal cable television.  Even the next gen consoles do not support 4K (however, they potentially could in the future).

My verdict is that 4k TVs are not yet worth the money.  So little actually supports 4K right now that with the money you spend on a 4K TV, you could be purchasing a top of the line 1080p TV.  As an example:

LG 55″ 4K TruMotion 240hz LED-LCD HDTV 55LA9650 is going for $3499.99 vs the LG 55″ Class 1080p 60Hz SMART LED TV – 55LN5600 going for $699.99.  (Prices from Newegg.com as of the posting of this blog post)

So what TVs should you be looking for this coming Black Friday and Cyber Monday?  Not 4k HDTVs.  Even on sale, these gigantic HDTVs are going to be thousands of dollars and for normal folks it’s a large investment.  However, the following are some of my suggestions for 1080p TVs to look out for!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889354256 – Samsung 5500 46″ Class (45.9″ Diagonal size) 1080p 120Hz LED-LCD HDTV – UN46F5500AFXZA

For a person looking for more of a deal, take a look at Vizio.  In the past, Vizio TVs have been “cheap”, however, their current models are actually very good.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA25V0PM7426 – Vizio 47″ Class (46.96″ Diag.) 120Hz LED-LCD HDTV M3D470KDE

 

If you have any specific questions feel free to comment below or email contact@echtek.net

 

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