HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) is the first industry-supported, uncompressed, all digital Audio & Video Interface! HDMI transmits both digital picture AND sound. As opposed to DVI, which only supports video or picture.
The connectors are made of solid metal and feature gold plated contacts to ensure optimal data transfer.
An optimal signal transfer is the basis for brilliant HD picture quality - this high-end cable, ensures this.
A very robust nylon shielding gives the cable the necessary stability without restricting its flexibility.
Because of the unique technology, HDMI doesn't compress any of the data it needs to send from let's say your DVD-player to your High Definition TV. When compressing information, tiny bits always get lost in the process. With HDMI this is NOT the case, which results in the best sound and picture available on the market!
Because of these unique features, it is very likely HDMI is going to set the standard for the coming years, replacing analogue connections like S-video and even SCART.
Suitable for use with PS3, Xbox 360, HD TV, 3D TV, DVD Players, Blu-ray Players, and much more.
Latest v1.4 cables which means that they are compatible with all platforms, including 3D.
Top comments
logy
19 Feb 168#2
...transmits both digital picture AND sound...! What sorcery is this? ;-)
houghy1
19 Feb 166#1
optimal transfer has nothing to with gold plating as signals are digital, that was relevant with scart and conductivity.
sput2001
20 Feb 163#27
I would delete "verging on" from that statement!
topss
20 Feb 163#21
You (and the HDMI connection standard) will be long gone before a non gold HDMI cable corrodes under normal domestic environments. Of course there are differences in the build quality of cables, but a £100 cable wont improve the picture over a working £1 cable.
All comments (39)
houghy1
19 Feb 166#1
optimal transfer has nothing to with gold plating as signals are digital, that was relevant with scart and conductivity.
jasejames to houghy1
19 Feb 162#3
Digital signals are still analogue signals fundamentally and are still subject to losses from cable capacitance and so on -- the HDMI signal in particular is very high frequency.
Gold plating is no more and no less of an advantage than it was with SCART cables -- it was oversold with SCART leads truth be told.
friar_chris to houghy1
20 Feb 16#28
and only really for soft contacts. They were still copper cables.
logy
19 Feb 168#2
...transmits both digital picture AND sound...! What sorcery is this? ;-)
mrew42
19 Feb 16#4
So.... you agree then?
jasejames
19 Feb 16#5
I agree that gold plating doesn't serve much of a purpose (except for long-term corrosion prevention) -- just pointing out that it was never much of a feature.
sheelaghwilkinson
19 Feb 16#6
What cable do I need to buy to watch films downloaded onto kindle and link to tv to watch ?
Mdog123 to sheelaghwilkinson
20 Feb 16#22
You need a micro usb cable to hdmi
Mecoconuts to sheelaghwilkinson
20 Feb 16#24
It's called an 'MHL cable'.
maddogb
19 Feb 161#7
what matters more is two very important things
1. That the cable is of sufficient quality to actually carry the signal between the connections gold or not.
2. You are not some moron who thinks the word "Digital" allows you to avoid the laws of physics :smile:
djames108
19 Feb 16#8
hdmi isn't optical......therefore conductivity plays a role, gold is a better conductor than standard cabling.
Not that you would actually notice the difference between this and a 'standard' cable. so in this case the gold is pretty pointless although not for the reason stated :smiley:
mcormack
19 Feb 161#9
Is it worth melting the gold and flogging it?
spannerzone to mcormack
19 Feb 161#14
No, the gold plating will incredibly thin, you'd have to have many thousands I reckon before you'd get even a gram of real gold. Time, effort and cable purchase cost would totally negate any profits. Chances are it's not even gold on these cheapo leads!
ta10003 to mcormack
21 Feb 16#31
What, like flogging a dead horse?
jasejames
19 Feb 163#10
Problem with that being that the contacts on the item you're plugging the cable into are most likely nickel... negating any advantage you may otherwise experience. And that's before you look at the conductivity of the tin/lead solder connecting said nickel socket onto the circuit board :smiley:
There is one good reason for using gold-plated plugs and that is corrosion resistance. Everything else is marketing **** -- the conductivity thing is a red herring.
Far more important is the quality of the actual cable. If it is capacitive, has high resistance or is just plain bodged together internally (no shielding, poor soldering/clamping etc) then you could make the connector out of 24ct gold and it still wouldn't allow higher-frequency signals through properly.
As I said, gold-plated HDMI connectors are no more and no less of an advantage than gold-plated SCART or even phono jacks were.
aLV426
19 Feb 163#11
Have some heat for the deal!
I love all the pseudo science these threads invoke with people spouting off what they believe is fact, this is HotUKDeals people!
spamcan61
19 Feb 16#12
Amen to that.
Gold is actually fairly high on the Galvanic Scale, which is not something you want for a low corrosion connection.
goodglare
19 Feb 16#13
ordered thx.
spannerzone
19 Feb 16#15
Jasejames makes good points above.... I've always found a decent nickel plated cable (regardless of HDMI, scart, phono, audio jacks) will always perform well and proves little need for gold connectors when the sockets they go into are often nickel.
t3rm3y
19 Feb 16#16
forgive the ignorance, and I'm not starting arguments here but surely the internal cables have to be considered? The two ends connecting to the devices may be gold plated, but to me this is the strongest connection point, the internal wires inside the cable are still only copper and I would have thought are the weakest point - prone to splitting, kinking and deterioration? ?
Inquisitor
20 Feb 16#17
Nope, connectors make the difference most of the time.
djames108
20 Feb 16#18
I would imagine it to be much like soldering, your connecting a component to a board, both connection points may be the same or different metal, however to bridge that connection you use solder. If you get a poor solder joint then your conduction becomes poor and said component may not perform properly or work at all.
therefore although there are many factors that affect signal quality or conductivity it would be the join where the greatest need for a good connection is needed, the gold in theory makes a better connection.
that is of course provided the actual connector is well made and fits snugly.
malachi
20 Feb 16#19
Thanks, needed some more cheap HDMI cables.
hass123
20 Feb 16#20
surprised no idiots are present to state how higher priced HDMI cables are worth the price
topss
20 Feb 163#21
You (and the HDMI connection standard) will be long gone before a non gold HDMI cable corrodes under normal domestic environments. Of course there are differences in the build quality of cables, but a £100 cable wont improve the picture over a working £1 cable.
sput2001
20 Feb 16#23
My mother just spent £80 each on two Sandstrom HDMI cables from Currys, because "they wouldn't sell them for that price if they weren't worth it".
I can't find an emoticon for banging your head against the freaking wall.
evostick47
20 Feb 16#25
John Lewis did the same thing to my mum. Totally ripped her off with a £50 cable, it's verging on fraudulent.
shineon
20 Feb 16#26
OOO.... loads of information in This POST.. hot hot hot.. :smile:
sput2001
20 Feb 163#27
I would delete "verging on" from that statement!
AzeemB
20 Feb 16#29
have bought cheap usb cables and HDMI cables off ebay, some of them have broke or stopped working. some are ok.
So it depends on the manufacturing quality.
just warning , not saying you should go and spend £80 on a cable
topss
20 Feb 16#30
Just to add, there is no such thing as a v1.4 (or v1.3 v2.0 etc) cable. The v1.3 etc applies to the connected equipment, not the cable. No wonder people end up getting mugged out of £50 for one of these.
Penguin Feet
21 Feb 162#32
Well, someone made a lot of money from tesco with that idea.
Tanny
21 Feb 16#33
Thanks just ordered 2 as a backup
sm-1991
21 Feb 16#34
I bought a cheap cable like this from amazon, broke off and got stuck in the hdmi slot.
den169
21 Feb 16#35
Bargain.
den169
24 Feb 16#36
Got mine yesterday quick delivery.
aLV426
24 Feb 16#37
See this is the fun of a Deals forum - nonsense is passed off as knowledge - please just post deals if you don't know the facts...
The HDMI specification defines the protocols, signals, electrical interfaces and mechanical requirements of the standard. Taken from the official HDMI Licensing page: http://www.hdmi.org/learningcenter/kb.aspx#80
topss
25 Feb 16#38
Sorry were you replying to me?
There are only 4 types of HDMI cables that consumers need to be concerned with:
Standard HDMI® Cable
Standard HDMI® Cable with Ethernet
High Speed HDMI® Cable
High Speed HDMI® Cable with Ethernet
As per HDMI licensing, they should be marked up that way, not by a v number. The v number refers to the HDMI specification for the hardware not the cable.
What are the name and label requirements for HDMI® cables?
Use the approved cable name
All HDMI cables must be clearly marked with the appropriate cable type name to avoid consumer confusion. Except as discussed below (“Imprinting on connector overmolding”), these cable names may not be altered in any way.
The five approved cable names are as noted below.
Standard HDMI® Cable
Standard HDMI® Cable with Ethernet
High Speed HDMI® Cable
High Speed HDMI® Cable with Ethernet
Standard Automotive HDMI® Cable
As a reminder, HDMI version numbers cannot be use when labeling, packaging, or promoting cables.
![Fresh Breakfast Meat Box (Using code) @ Campbells Meat [Haggis / Lorne Sausage / Bacon / Black Pudding & More]](/images/topics/208684_1.jpg)
![[Xbox One] Q. u. b. e: Director's Cut on Deals with Gold](/images/topics/208716_1.jpg)
Opening post
The connectors are made of solid metal and feature gold plated contacts to ensure optimal data transfer.
An optimal signal transfer is the basis for brilliant HD picture quality - this high-end cable, ensures this.
A very robust nylon shielding gives the cable the necessary stability without restricting its flexibility.
Because of the unique technology, HDMI doesn't compress any of the data it needs to send from let's say your DVD-player to your High Definition TV. When compressing information, tiny bits always get lost in the process. With HDMI this is NOT the case, which results in the best sound and picture available on the market!
Because of these unique features, it is very likely HDMI is going to set the standard for the coming years, replacing analogue connections like S-video and even SCART.
Suitable for use with PS3, Xbox 360, HD TV, 3D TV, DVD Players, Blu-ray Players, and much more.
Latest v1.4 cables which means that they are compatible with all platforms, including 3D.
Top comments
All comments (39)
Gold plating is no more and no less of an advantage than it was with SCART cables -- it was oversold with SCART leads truth be told.
1. That the cable is of sufficient quality to actually carry the signal between the connections gold or not.
2. You are not some moron who thinks the word "Digital" allows you to avoid the laws of physics
:smile:
Not that you would actually notice the difference between this and a 'standard' cable. so in this case the gold is pretty pointless although not for the reason stated :smiley:
There is one good reason for using gold-plated plugs and that is corrosion resistance. Everything else is marketing **** -- the conductivity thing is a red herring.
Far more important is the quality of the actual cable. If it is capacitive, has high resistance or is just plain bodged together internally (no shielding, poor soldering/clamping etc) then you could make the connector out of 24ct gold and it still wouldn't allow higher-frequency signals through properly.
As I said, gold-plated HDMI connectors are no more and no less of an advantage than gold-plated SCART or even phono jacks were.
I love all the pseudo science these threads invoke with people spouting off what they believe is fact, this is HotUKDeals people!
Gold is actually fairly high on the Galvanic Scale, which is not something you want for a low corrosion connection.
therefore although there are many factors that affect signal quality or conductivity it would be the join where the greatest need for a good connection is needed, the gold in theory makes a better connection.
that is of course provided the actual connector is well made and fits snugly.
I can't find an emoticon for banging your head against the freaking wall.
So it depends on the manufacturing quality.
just warning , not saying you should go and spend £80 on a cable
The HDMI specification defines the protocols, signals, electrical interfaces and mechanical requirements of the standard.
Taken from the official HDMI Licensing page:
http://www.hdmi.org/learningcenter/kb.aspx#80
There are only 4 types of HDMI cables that consumers need to be concerned with:
Standard HDMI® Cable
Standard HDMI® Cable with Ethernet
High Speed HDMI® Cable
High Speed HDMI® Cable with Ethernet
As per HDMI licensing, they should be marked up that way, not by a v number. The v number refers to the HDMI specification for the hardware not the cable.
http://www.hdmi.org/consumer/finding_right_cable.aspx
What are the name and label requirements for HDMI® cables?
Use the approved cable name
All HDMI cables must be clearly marked with the appropriate cable type name to avoid consumer confusion. Except as discussed below (“Imprinting on connector overmolding”), these cable names may not be altered in any way.
The five approved cable names are as noted below.
Standard HDMI® Cable
Standard HDMI® Cable with Ethernet
High Speed HDMI® Cable
High Speed HDMI® Cable with Ethernet
Standard Automotive HDMI® Cable
As a reminder, HDMI version numbers cannot be use when labeling, packaging, or promoting cables.
http://www.hdmi.org/pdf/atlug_faqs/2011_04_26_ATLUG_Q07_FINAL.pdf