An HDMI cable will have a trapezoid-shaped connector on either end of the wire. This connector will have 16 tiny pins that will be used to transmit the digital signal to your TV or monitor. HDMI cables will have the same connector on both ends of the wire. One that works – there is no upgrade argument to be had. Conducting material used in the HDMI cable is all-important, though relatively standard. Its braided cable is a cut above the typical heat shrink tubing you'll find on more affordable options, mainly because it stands up to significantly more wear and tear. You won't have to worry about frayed wires or a cord that gives up on you at the drop of a hat, and reliability is a price worth paying for. Active (Amplified) HDMI Cable: Longer HDMI cable lengths may require an added boost to transfer a stable signal. Active HDMI cables contain amplification circuitry inside one of the connection heads. In most cases, power is provided internally. However, you may find an active cable that connects an external power source via a small cable that connects from one of the HDMI connector-ends to a USB power or AC adapter power source. Standard HDMI Cable: These cables are designed for common HDTV broadcast, cable, and satellite TV resolutions(up to 720p and 1080i) with a bandwidth capacity of up to 5 Gbps. It is optimized for HDMI versions 1.0 to 1.2a.

That's a lot of surround sound data as well as video, and though no HDMI cable can improve the signal, the best ones don't introduce distortion or degrade the original signal." Is it ever worth splashing-out on good quality, expensive HDMI cables? Many HDMI cables are actually hollow since the signal travels around the outside of the cable, which is why upgraded versions for long runs tend to be silver plated, rather than solid silver. No, these standards are virtually meaningless for consumers – they simply refer to electronics and not to the cables themselves. Think about it: when did you last experience an 'HDMI failure'? Colour can also be affected, as Category 1 and Category 2 cables haven’t got the bandwidth to convey the enhanced 10-bit colour depths, or Deep Colour, output by 4K Blu-ray players and 4K HDR consoles, let alone the 12-bit colour depth used by some Dolby Vision screens and 4K Blu-ray players. The good thing is, if it works, it works. For example, if you're sending a 4K HDR signal from your 4K Blu-ray player to your 4K HDR TV and the TV shows a 4K HDR signal, you're set. It's not possible to get a better image using a different 4K HDMI cable. That's not how the technology works.Premium High-Speed HDMI Cable: This cable type is designed for reliable transfer of 4K/UltraHD resolution video, including4K/60 Hz, HDR, and expanded color range. Cable bandwidth support is 18 Gbps and is optimized for HDMI versions 2.0/a/b. High-Speed Automotive HDMI Cable: This type supports the same features as High-Speed HDMI cables but is optimized for the automotive environment. There's a greater variation in how TVs are set-up in homes than differences in cable quality," says Tim O'Malley at Wavelength Distribution, which sells Supra HDMI cables. "You might find three people, each with different HDMI cables, but the quality of the picture will differ because one TV was simply unboxed and switched-on, another was adjusted by the user, and another was fully installed and calibrated by the person that sold the TV." What makes a good HDMI cable? In broad strokes, the build and material quality is much more important in a long HDMI cable than short. Over 15 feet there is a much higher chance that a mediocre cable won't work, or won't work at the resolution you want. This still doesn't mean you need to spend a fortune on a long cable, there are plenty of options for roughly the same price per-foot as the ones mentioned above. It does mean that no-name cables might be less likely to work. These specs tie into the HDMI connection standards, which is why you might see some Category 3 cables listed as HDMI 2.0 cables and some Category 3 (8K) cables listed as HDMI 2.1. Basically, if you have a 4K console with an HDMI 2.0 output and a 4K HDR TV with an HDMI 2.0 input, then you’re going to need a Category 3 cable running between them, or you run the risk of only getting 4K at 30Hz.

That's a key point to remember; if a HDMI cable doesn't work, then it's probably a cheap one. If it does work, it's fine for what you're using it for. The only other situation where you'll see a blank screen is if your AV equipment isn't set to automatic mode, preventing it from auto-configuring. The original Standard or Category 1 cables were certified to handle 1080i or 720p video. The later High Speed or Category 2 cables took the bandwidth up from 4.95Gbit/sec to 10.2Gbit/sec, which meant they could transport 1080p video at 60 frames per second or 60Hz, or 4K video at 30fps or 30Hz. Category 3 or HDMI Premium cable reaches 18Gbits/sec and supports 4K video at 60Hz, while the highest spec Category 3 (8K) or Ultra cable can do 4K at 120Hz or 8K at 60Hz.

There's another problem here that actually increases with price; the heavier the cable, the better quality is probably is … and the greater likelihood that it will fall out of, say, a TV's HDMI input. It's more evidence for those that think that the HDMI standard is poorly thought-out, riddled with basic problems and just isn't up to the job. Can you measure any difference in video quality between expensive and cheap HDMI cables? Active: An active HDMI cable has a small chip built into the cable that takes a little power from the device's HDMI connector and uses it to boost the HDMI signal. These cables cost a little extra, but are far more likely to work. A long passive cable might work for you, but it might not. It depends on your gear. Since they're not significantly more expensive, they're worth considering for any long run. This change of mind return policy is in addition to, and does not affect your rights under the Australian Consumer Law including any rights you may have in respect of faulty items. To return faulty items see our Returning Faulty Items policy. For home cinemas this is particularly important; installations where a projector is mounted on a ceiling some way from the AV sources will have to use a fairly pricey 10-15m HDMI cable, but they're pricey because they're up to standard – there's not much choice in the market here anyway (read: buy the cheapest – don't be fooled into thinking that there's much difference between two 15m HDMI cables). If people can see the difference between HDMI cables, good for them," says James Luce, Brand Manager at Acoustic Energy and responsible for calibrating screens for trade shows and demonstrations.

Most people with Blu-ray players and bigscreen TVs will have an AV receiver capable of 7.1-channels of uncompressed, lossless audio in the Dolby TrueHD or DTS Master Audio formats, and they have no choice but to use HDMI," he says. For short runs under 5m, it's the design, rather than quality, that is worth paying for Do I need to upgrade to a 'high-speed' version 1.4 HDMI cable for 3D? READ NEXT: The best 1080p, 1440p, 4K and ultrawide monitors Does the physical construction of the cable matter? HDMI cables can deteriorate over time. If you're plugging and unplugging the cable consistently, it will wear down faster, and HDMI cables made of better materials last longer. Eventually, though, HDMI cables will become faulty. You can think of bandwidth like a pipe. You need to be able to get a lot of "water" through the pipe with 4K and HDR content. A high speed cable needs to be "big" enough to handle it all.These cables tend to be a bit pricier than those that support HDMI 2.0 or lower, but that, unfortunately, comes with having the latest and greatest tech. Passive HDMI Cable: Most HDMI cables are passive. That means one end goes into a source and the other goes to a home theater receiver or video display, and the signal is transferred. The cable is also bi-directional, meaning you can connect either end to an HDMI input or output connection. Passive HDMI cables should be able to provide a stable signal for lengths of up 15 feet. All official HDMI cables use the best insulation possible, the same quality plugs, and usually solder-free cold-welding that prevents copper strands from being joined. HDMI cables carry gigahertz of very high frequency signals that travel on the surface of conductor material – usually copper, sometimes silver.

To put it another way, a poorly made 3-foot cable will probably work fine for most people, but a poorly made 15-foot cable probably won't. With any long-run solution you're considering, make sure it can handle 4K/60, HDR and so on. Many options can't. There are three technologies to consider: They come from exactly the same no-name factories as the expensive cables, but haven't been through pricey testing procedures, so they could be duds – and they're low price suggests they've probably without decent shielding – but these logo-less HDMI cables are from the same production line as cables that have passed the test. You would think so – and in the era of 'smart' TV this two-in-one HDMI cable appears awesome in theory – but since not a single manufacturer has made a product compatible with this brand new HDMI standard, it's (so far) completely meaningless. Why are big-brand cables so expensive? High-Speed HDMI Cable: This type of cable is designed to handle video resolutions of 1080p and 4K (30 Hz) as well as provide support for 3D and Deep Color. Bandwidth transfer speeds up to 10 Gbps are supported. It is optimized for HDMI versions 1.3 to 1.4a.

Short HDMI Cable

The 'dark art' of HDMI cables is really just a misunderstanding – and a lot of misrepresentation – of how and when quality is important. If you want to attach a Blu-ray player, set-top box or games console to a TV from directly underneath it, a cheap, perhaps even in-the-box HDMI cable will do just fine.