Hi Def leads

[bobT]

Was wondering about the price differences for some of the Hi def cables like hdmi and component. Prices vary from £20 to over £100 for a cable. Do these dearer cables actually do a better job or is it just a money making exercise. I know that i have 2 different scart leads, one i paid £10 for and the other i paid £40 for and there is no difference in the quality of picture from either. What leads have you got and how good are they and what did they cost.

[JimBo2741]

I think that over a short distance, there isn't much (if any) differance between the digital leads, i think its when you try to put a 1080p signal down a 15m lead that the cheaper ones have problems. i haven't personally tested this , its only bits i read.

[alexacsa]

Beg to differ, good quality leads for HD are important, the one you get with the Sky HD box is just cheap junk. Worth spending at least £50 on a lead

[JimBo2741]

Did you see much of a difference ?, as i'm still using the cheapy sky one. i was going to buy a wire world hdmi lead then read what i posted before and decided not too. thinking about it again now.

[shiva]

well said alexacsa.you have to put it in perspective lets face it you spend a lot of money on a new hd ready set so give it justice by using good quality leads.

[alexacsa]

Did you see much of a difference ?, as i'm still using the cheapy sky one. i was going to buy a wire world hdmi lead then read what i posted before and decided not too. thinking about it again now.

Bought a profigold lead , good reviews, got a good deal. In the detail shots can see a difference.

[shiva]

bought monster400 hdmi to hdmi.quite expensive but worth the outlay considering the overall cost.

[antc12]

I'm going to start by saying I bought a good quality lead (QED).... but, HDMI and DVI only lose one pixel in every bilion through the cable so.... In terms of pic quality you won't notice any difference. However, the better quality cables have a better fit and the connector is better fixed to the cable.

[Spud_Hed]

if im not wrong we had a discussion quite some time back about this and cor posted a very good answer rubbishing the more money on cables = better picture, you can now get silverline hdmi leads at aldi for dirt cheap too (5 or 10 quid i think)

[tawtas]

HDMI Cable - 2m
High definition multimedia interface. Transmits digital video and audio signals via HDMI from a DVD player or satellite receiver to an LCD or plasma TV. Max. resolution: 1,080i. Click details for more info...
Further details on this item

4.99*




SCART Cable - 1.5m
For connecting TVs,VCRs, DVDs etc. Incredible picture and sound quality. 24-carat gold-plated contacts. Free 3 year manufacturer's warranty. Price per item.
Further details on this item

4.99*




YUV Component Cable 2.5m
Transmits video signals via the component output of DVD players etc. to an LCD or plasma TV. 24-carat gold-plated contacts for excellent transmission fidelity. HDTV compatible. Price per item.

3.99*:D

[Tommyc]

I am yet to be convinced that paying big money for a cable to carry a digital signal pays dividends. I am running HD 1080i/720p through a £20.00 HDMI Cable thats 10 metre long from my amp to projector and picture quality is superb.

[alexacsa]

£4.99 leads beauty is in the eye of the beholder!
Bucket with a hole in is going to leak.

[spud]

Digital signal so quality of cable shouldn't make a diffrence for picture quality,Now handshake from HDMI inputs and picture noise are a complete diffrenet story and it's worth buying quality cables for that reason especially over longer distance.I use this (h**p://www.futureshop.co.uk/ixos-xht458100-hdmi-1080p-cable-1m-new-design-p-363.html)with my hddvd player and the reduction in picturer noise is worth the extra money

[dodahday]

I can't believe that the normal person will see a difference between a £10 or a £200 cable in terms of picture quality. I can accept that a better connection is always good but, unlike scarts, the hdmi cables do not have the bulk size of connector to dislodge. I have tried a borrowed QED hdmi cable and as a link between my Samsung HD950 dvd player and a Sony KDL-40W2000 full 1080P LCD I could't see any difference in either 520p or upscaled 720p or 1080I picture. If anything I would say that the cable that was free with the Samsung dvd player gave a slightly sharper image on the 1080I upscaled picture. But that is my own subjective opinion and I do not expect anyone else to agree with me. The problem with expensive cables is that you buy them, see that there is no difference in picture quality and can't send the cables back, far better to try and get a dealer to show you the difference, but I am sure that you will not find any dealer that will want to.

[gbrownson]

If you don't demo the kit before you buy it, you have no idea what your missing out on (it might be something, it might be nothing).

My experience, particularly with good quality hifi, is that decent leads / interconnects are invaluable to getting the best out of your system.

There is always a diminishing return once you reach a certain price point, but if you've spent £2k+ on your system, then £200 (10%) on cables to see it perform to it's best ability should be a given. Just make sure you demo any cables with your kit using the same source (DVD player & disc) and then you can judge properly what benefits your getting if any for the money. The more expensive cables usually handle sound much better in an integrated setup.

[Oldhamred]

Problem is unless you are using identical kit side by side you can't really say what the difference is. Now either you're a rich bugger and why would you be that bothered on price or an indie dealer who care's about the customer! Personally always gone to the smaller dealers who are more than willing to show you different settings if they think your are about to spend a grand or two!

Oldhamred.

[dubious]

IMy experience, particularly with good quality hifi, is that decent leads / interconnects are invaluable to getting the best out of your system.

Agreed, but the same rule does not apply to digital connections where 0's and 1's are being transfered. Get yourselves over to a proper AV forum and check out the facts. Spending mega bucks on HDMI cables is just ridiculous! just as ridiculous as it would be spending £100 on a gold plated super duper USB cable because you think it would give you better pictures when transfering pictures from your digital camera to your PC.

[mini__me]

I can understand better quality HDMI cables would be a worthwhile investment if and only if, you are also running the audio through the panel as well.

But who would do that if you have the money for a HDTV?? Otherwise I can't understand how the cable could make a difference to picture quality on a digital interface?!?!

[suttons]

Has anyone seen the demo at thier local comet. its a split screen tv with a dvd playing. half has a cheepo scart lead about £5.00. and half has all sing all dancing componant lead about £90.00. wow you can realy see the difference.of cause you can, all this shows to me is that if you compared like for like thier would be no or little difference.

[sammylad]

_hxxp://www.tvcables.co.uk/ try there

[404]

my experience of this...

****ogue (scart) expensive is better, much improved screening, huge difference in picture quality.
digital (hdmi) no difference in picture quality between cheap or expensive at any length.

all tried on a 42" lcd.

regards.

[Ragnarok]

404 is just about on the money.

With ana_logue there is no such thing as perfect!!! ( why is A_n_a_l on the freakin filter)

The Digital signal, as long as it is intact at the other end of the cable is going to look identical no matter what cable you use.

Hence the guy who posted second is spot on.

As long as the cable is made to HDMI spec is should be fine, but you should espect the longer cables to cost more as you will need a better quality cable to make sure that the signal makes the other end intact.