There definitely is a difference in cables. HDMI is a fast, multisignal digital bus -- if the cable doesn't provide proper isolation between the signals, isn't well shielded, and has poor connectors the signals will be degraded and there will be bit errors and sync errors between the devices.

When I had the shitty $20 monoprice cable, my TV would frequently lose sync with my BluRay player, little pieces of dust on the disc turned into prolonged picture outages to the point where I could count on not being able to play a disc straight through, and things generally worked a unpredictably. When I put in the good $10 Cables-to-go cable, suddenly everything is rock solid and the picture is still great.

 

^

That is why I urged my dad when he was setting up his home theater (he is not at all up to speed with technological things and new products as such on the market) to get the Monster Cable HDMI's. They are pricey...I'm not sure if there is an 'in-between' from monoprice and Monster, but I just know they have worked great ever since they've had them.

 

ive bought three HDMI cables and two optical audio cables from monoprice and been using them for about two years and have never had a problem! Monoprice FTW!

 

is your TV 1080p?

 

http://www.gizmorepublic.com/accesso...cable-scam-830

http://forums.cnet.com/5208-6035_102...sageID=2405724

http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/12/17...ore-customers/

http://www.theguruguys.com/news/the-...d-cables-again



For those of you willing to spend the extra 90% mark up Monster cable has to offer, be my guest. It's your money. But there is no difference, same goes with Speaker wire, rca, etc.... Just a gimmick.

 

i just bought my first HDTV so i've been reading here and there about cables.

i did a lot of my reading from the avsforum, and those guys seem to swear their lives on monoprice.

but i've been reading and hearing a lot of both sides (monoprice/cheap vs. monster).

hopefully, my $5 cables from monoprice will do its job.

 

apparently some of you guys aren't reading all the post... I never said anything about monster cables... I do think they're all marketing... not to get into the technicalities of the equipment... but there's at least 3 of us that bought cheap cables with our 1080p TVs and it didn't work out... I didn't run out and buy the high end cables... I bought better ones and the problem was solved.

my 1080p TV is in storage right now, I've had to down size to a smaller 1080i Sharp Aquos and just used some random (cheap) HDMI cable and yeah... no problems. Do you guys get what I'm saying?

 

What 'brand' cable did you get from Costco?

 

honestly? I don't even know.. it was some package deal for $99 ($89 later) it came with 2 HDMI cables 2 optical, a component, and some other stuff I never used... visually, it simply looked better quality, and evidently, it was better just because it solved the problem of the screen going blank after like 20-30 minutes (or something like that). I think Costco has a package now, price point a lot cheaper, but they don't look the same... and I don't know how good the quality is...

btw, the cheap HDMI cable that was causing the screen going blank were not from monoprice, I never said they were, but they were the cheap ones at the Cox Cable customer service center when I went in to pick up the HD DVR, they tried selling me a Monster HDMI, which I refused to pay, my only other option was the cheap one...