Tuesday’s Tech Tips Of The Week: Not all HDMI’s are Created Equal

So you just bought that 62” 1080p LED TV to complete your ultimate video game room, and finally give you the full effect of your favorite games. These days most electronics do not come with the required HDMI cable, but be warned not all cables are the created equal. Or are they?

In this week’s set of tips I’m going to give you my recommendations for what HDMI cables will give you the best gaming experience from HDMI bandwidth levels to the wrapping on the cord.

There are five versions of HDMI cables each allotting for a different amount of bandwidth or information, if you will. HDMI 1.0 was the first and it was released in 2002. There is also 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, and version 1.4 which as of now is the newest and just about the best (there is talk of 2.0 but nothing has been confirmed). However, as long as the cable is 1.4 it is going to be just as good as every other 1.4 cable, the same goes for 1.1, and so on . Unlike component and composite cables, HDMI is purely digital (I compare it to a USB cable to where it sends information, not waves or signals), so having a gold plated connector won’t do much other than make it look shiny and pretty. A lot of companies will add fabric or nylon braiding to their cables, along with $15 extra collars which is nice, but not necessary.

So when you’re looking for an HDMI cable, and there’s a 6ft one for $25 and one for $40 as long as there the same version, (1.0,1.4…) the $25 one will work just as well.

That’s it for this week, and I hope my tips help you on your next HDMI venture. Click this link https://www.hdmi.org/resource/cables for further details.

Swing in next week for the next Tuesday’s Tech Tips of the Week.