Fanboys unite! Let's find cheaper HDMI cables than this!
by Nick Doerr 
{ Oct 24th 2006 at 7:30AM }
Now, we know that every so often in our comments, you guys will talk about the good deals you got on your HDMI cables from eBay or other sources. This post is mostly to warn all of you out there who have poo-pooed those people's luck/skill/foresight. What we mean to say is, do you really want to plunk down $69.95 for the special super-duper Sony PS3 Monster HDMI Cable? We didn't think so. Sure, it has a lot of pretty features and it's more or less a top-of-the-line cable, but now we get to the point of this post. Everyone, give us your comments on where to go to get good deals! Let's beat the system on this one. Help each other out, give some ideas/experiences on where and how to get a good deal on this (not quite) necessary cable. Let's put all those scattered comments right here so everyone knows where to look!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
MP @ Oct 24th 2006 8:22AM
Amazon has some for $9.99 with a rating of 4.5 stars
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002L5R78/ref=cm_sp_item/102-1668279-6852924?ie=UTF8
MP @ Oct 24th 2006 8:24AM
Sorry for the double post, but SuperMediaStore has one for $6
http://www.supermediastore.com/hdmi-to-hdmi-cable-2-meter.html?WT.mc_id=cjtext
James Hughes @ Oct 24th 2006 8:26AM
Just a question. Are the PS3 cables standard HDMI -> HDMI cables? Do they not use some sort of proprietary adapter to connect to the PS3? Most consoles seem to use their own connections (who would want to lose out on the enormous margin to be made from extra peripherals). I've noticed many people mentioning sourcing leads elsewhere but do we know if they will work with the PS3?
James.
Sherlock @ Oct 24th 2006 8:29AM
Great cheap cables can be found at Monoprice
http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&style=
They have 3 ft. cables for $3.80 for the lower quality or $14 for the gold plated higher quality. I've used these before and recommended them to friend who have never had a problem. I also get my component cables and VGA-component cables from this site.
Patrickd @ Oct 24th 2006 8:54AM
4Linkcomm: HDMI, DVI Cables from $6 shipped
http://dealnews.com/deals/4-Linkcomm-HDMI-DVI-Cables-from-6-shipped/137272.html
4Linkcomm offers its 3-Foot HDMI Cable for $5.99 with free shipping. That's one of the lowest total prices we've seen for such a cabl... (more)
Date: Oct 23, 2006; Expires: Oct 27, 2006
Screed @ Oct 24th 2006 8:57AM
http://www.ehdmi.com/hdmi.html
3ft. with gold plate and Ferrite cores for $6.50
The1 @ Oct 24th 2006 9:32AM
http://www.callcct.com/ I bought mine from here.
Paul @ Oct 24th 2006 10:15AM
so we are willing to pay 700 on a console but not 70 to get the best of the best cables to hook it up?
Scott Krueger. @ Oct 24th 2006 10:23AM
Just Remember this.
HDMI is all Digital. That means it is all 0s and 1s.
You do not Need Monster cables for HDMI or Fiber Optic.
Component Video is analog, there it matters.
If someone tries to sell you on the Idea that there is a difference with HDMI or Fiber Optic they are lying.
Even with TTL Logic which is 5 volts, it would take some really amazing noise to confuse a 1 and a 0.
I have used the cheapest Fiber Optic cables and Never had a problem. I will be buying a inexpensive HDMI.
Too much Hype @ Oct 24th 2006 11:25AM
Monster is a little over-priced. I bought a 6 ft HDMi to DVI cable at Sam's Club and made by Phillips for $20 where as Monster sells a HDMi to DVI cable that is 4 ft for $150. And I could of probably found it cheaper online. How do they get away with that?
Sam's Club also has a 6ft HDMi cable for $23.
bobeotm @ Oct 24th 2006 10:59AM
Monster Cables are notoriously expensive. When I get a modest hd set, probably 720p. I'll just use a cheap hdmi cable for my ps3.
Robert @ Oct 24th 2006 11:03AM
I think the best deal for price and quality is at http://sterlingtek.stores.yahoo.net/hdtvhmdicables.html
I already got a 50 ft cable so I could mount my tv on the wall and run the cable through the wall.
Steve Wypych @ Oct 24th 2006 11:31AM
monoprice is by far the cheapest. Great product too. Just make sure you buy there higher end stuff, as there lower end connectors are not the greatest.
SuicideNinja @ Oct 24th 2006 12:29PM
Monster Cables are expensive for a reason: hassle-free lifetime warranty and heavy-duty-ness.
Even if you can have a severed cable, it is replaceable via warranty as long as you have more than half of it (they've had people cut them in half and get two cables). If I remember right, any location that sells Monster Cable is supposed to replace your faulty one free per MC's standards.
Not that you couldn't play George-of-the-Jungle with a long of their higher-end cables.
Having said that, I'm not into paying that much for any cable. I have Monster Cables on every one of my consoles, but only because I either got them on clearance (under $20), someone gave them to me, or they came in part of a package.
Honestly...I don't like HDMI or DVI connections for gaming (movies; different story). They make the picture uncomfortably sharp, and they separate the colors a little to well. That sounds good on paper, but in practice I like the overall softness and slight blending of an analog connection.
But that's my opinion. If you need adapters, DVI-HDMI cables, CAT5, you can try:
http://cablewholesale.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?text=hdmi+cable
50' HDMI for under $100 if you want. Go with the other options if 3' is good enough and you need a straight-up HDMI cable.
SuicideNinja @ Oct 24th 2006 12:35PM
Woops, I just realized I'm thinking PC on that last part (SVGA analog vs HDMI/DVI digital). I'm sure the PS3 will be no different though.
Adam @ Oct 24th 2006 2:58PM
Ok, whomever buys a HDMI for 6 bucks knows they are getting complete junk.
It's like comparing cars.
Yes, you can get from A to B driving a Focus, but with better performance and a smoother ride, definitely a 300 is a better choice.
You get what you pay for I guess
Tamer @ Oct 24th 2006 3:16PM
BUYER BEWARE FOR PS3 HDMI CABLES! The PS3 will have HDMI 1.3. This also means that to get the best performance out of the PS3 HDMI port you will need to get a HDMI cable that supports 1.3. I have not seen one yet so perhaps Sony's will be the only one? No way are these cheap cables going to support that. Check out hdmi.org
Dan @ Oct 24th 2006 3:31PM
13 is right. Monoprice is widely considered to be good cables for a good price. If you want to read about the go to avsforum.com. Everything you could ever want to know about a/v issues.
17 is wrong. There are not, and won't be any TV's or receivers that can receive until atleast Q2 of 2007. As far as the cables being able to handle 1.3, I think the only thing they couldn't handle is the mini HDMI connector that went along with the 1.3 spec, but the PS3 output isn't a mini connector, so it's a moot point. I believe the cables can handle much more bandwidth than they are currently used for, it's the sending/receiving chipsets that cannot. Also, even though there will be electronics that can accept 1.3 next year sometime, there is great doubt whether any of the source material will take advantage of this for sometime. You can also read in great detail about these issues on avsforum.com
lysol @ Oct 24th 2006 3:40PM
working at radioshack, since i took the monster certification on monsteruniversitie.com, i purched a 19 foot hdmi 500 cable for only 39.99. so if you work at radioshack, get certified!@!
DaveTehWave @ Oct 24th 2006 7:10PM
I second the many votes for MonoPrice.com.
I have 3 and their HDMI switcher (includes remote).
blah, blah @ Oct 24th 2006 8:16PM
http://bluejeanscable.com/store/dvi/index.htm
I've bought many a cable from them- they definitely the premier cable provider for the price. 3 foot HDMI Cable 15.50- and far better than anything Monster can provide.
cheese @ Oct 24th 2006 9:13PM
Go no further than www.cablesforless.com. They have 6 foot HDMI cables for $15.99 and 10 footers for $17.99
http://www.cablesforless.com/index.asp?Page=1&PageAction=PRODSEARCH&txtSearch=HDMI&btnSearch=+GO%21+
kman79 @ Oct 25th 2006 8:34AM
http://www.hdmi.org/about/faq.asp is your friend
I do agree at short runs there is no difference except with the quality of the connector itself.
On longer runs, you could run into issues with 1080p signals.
The thing about Monster Cables is this. With analog (Including Component Cables) they do make great cables and the price is warranted as long as the rest of your equiptment would benefit from great cables. I'm not talking about your cheap receivers, I'm talking about High Fidelity Audio manufacturers in terms of Home Theater Receivers like Denon, Yamaha's RXV line, Sony ES line, and of course your seperates from B&K, Carver and so on.
rv65 @ Oct 25th 2006 5:45PM
I hope cablesforless has an HDMI 1.3 cable. I too might get an HDMI switcher but they are too expensive :(. Cablesforless FTW.
Tyler @ Oct 26th 2006 1:15AM
An HDMI cable is a complicated beast. It's not like analog cables, where the idea is simply to transfer electrons from point A to point B over (usually) copper wire and lose as little as possible in the process. HDMI is a digital cable. There are actual switches and relays inside, all of which can easily go bad. It behooves everyone to invest a little in a decent HDMI cable (though Monster is unnecessary). Not to sound too much like a plug, but I get a lot of cables from bluejeanscable.com and they've never steered me wrong. It's a smaller company, but it's Belden certified, which anyone who knows home theatre installation knows that means they know what they're doing. HDMI isn't bargain-basement cheap, but if something goes wrong you can talk to real people about it, and likely get a replacement.
Speaking of expensive cables, I just went to the Rocky Mountain Audio festival last weekend, and saw a set of Nordost Valhalla speaker cables that cost $11,800 for a 5 meter pair. Still think $70 is a lot?
check it out -- http://www.enjoythemusic.com/Magazine/equipment/1101/nordost.htm
BIG-JG @ Oct 26th 2006 7:36PM
I dont reccomend anybody listening to anybody from Radio Shack....They would'nt know crap if it hit them in the face.....should rename the store Moron Shack.
Alan @ Oct 27th 2006 7:06AM
I've been using Monoprice.com for quite sometime for all my AV gears' cables. Go check it out overthere at www.monoprice.com
TKOA @ Nov 15th 2006 4:36AM
Actually the quality of the casing in fiber optic cables does matter because the cable is transmitting light and not electrons as in the case of HDMI cables so you want to minimize the amount of light lost throughout the entire length of the cable, but that really wont matter that much if you are using a short length of cable but will matter if you use a long cable (in most cases miles long). The amount of loss can be calculated here: http://www.arcelect.com/Calculating_fiber_loss_and_distance.pdf