# The Straight Dope on HDMI **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 6, 2010, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-straight-dope-on-hdmi/563204 "2010-12-06T22:45:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-straight-dope-on-hdmi/563204/21 "2010-12-07T10:50:27Z")
I paid around $28 for an HDMI cable a few months ago. Of course, this was a 10-\*meter \*cable, and the next lowest price was over twice as high. ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-straight-dope-on-hdmi/563204/22 "2010-12-07T15:00:36Z")
AIUI, the protocols DVI and HDMI were developed by computer people for computer use. They were never designed with home theater AV in mind. That’s why a consumer-grade HDMI cable is no longer than 10 feet or so. And why gold-plated connectors are needless overkill. I am curious about **Alessan** ’s 10m cable, and how signal degradation was over that cable run. I would love to see a unified digital AV protocol with the following high level requirements: - Cables and signal degradation support home theater applications (long cable runs). - Single connector carries audio, video, and secondary connections (such as USB). - Physical connector is one-way, such as a VGA connector and not like the facing-upstream USB connector. - Non-proprietary. Until then, fuck all sales people, marketing brochures, and engineering boards that push HDMI as the gold-plated gold standard of digital AV protocols. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-straight-dope-on-hdmi/563204/23 "2010-12-07T15:39:15Z")
> [@Duke](#): > > Hell, I found 6-foot HDMI cables at Five Below for $5! Even The Shack is a rip off… $3.04 at [monoprice.com](http://monoprice.com), in an assortment of colors! Or if you’re feeling tycoonish and spendy, you can splurge on the 10-foot cable for $4.23… In Turnipland, anyone who’s ever paid more than $20 for an HDMI cable would get one free shot at the seller’s nutsack\* with a morning star. - Or twat. But come on, it’s mostly guys perpetrating that shit. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-straight-dope-on-hdmi/563204/24 "2010-12-07T17:08:51Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Well, this is where I’ve been confused. I’ve been debating blowing away my cable subscription, but haven’t been able to figure out what I’ll need for an antenna. Any old-fashioned TV antenna will work for HD? > > I’ll feel a lot more comfortable getting one to test reception in my apartment if I don’t have to shell out a metric shitload of money on it. Yup yup. I get my over-the-air HDTV with one of [these](http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp?mc=03&p=CM-3016&d=Channel-Master-CM3016-Suburban-Advantage-TV-Antenna-%28CM3016%29&c=TV%20Antennas&sku=), installed on a mast hanging down from the rafters in my attic. Works like a charm, and the antenna was only about $30. Fact is, you’ll never get as good a reception with an artfully sculpted hunk of plastic indoors as you will with a big vane-y hunk of aluminum mounted up high and outdoors. HDTV signals are digital, but they’re broadcast on the same UHF (and a few still on VHF) frequencies we’ve been using for years. Check a site like [antennaweb](http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx) for the signals put out in your area; you may only need a UHF antenna. Then, put one up and enjoy! I realize your options are limited in an apartment, but if you can find a way, outdoors and high is the way to go. ---
**Author:** ![Lare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Lare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lare)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-straight-dope-on-hdmi/563204/25 "2010-12-07T17:17:50Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > Yup yup. I get my over-the-air HDTV with one of [these](http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp?mc=03&p=CM-3016&d=Channel-Master-CM3016-Suburban-Advantage-TV-Antenna-%28CM3016%29&c=TV%20Antennas&sku=), installed on a mast hanging down from the rafters in my attic. Works like a charm, and the antenna was only about $30. Me too. And I saved some more money by using a piece of PVC pipe instead of a true antenna mast. ---
**Author:** ![Mines\_Mystique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mines\_Mystique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mines_Mystique)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-straight-dope-on-hdmi/563204/26 "2010-12-07T17:33:25Z")
> [@fusoya](#): > > HDMI = DVI for video quality. HDMI is NOT a better picture than DVI. The only differences between DVI and HDMI are that HDMI also carry audio, and can give/receive instructions from other devices. A common misconception is that HDMI is a step up in video quality from DVI, which is 1000 times false. If your TV has 3 HDMI’s and one DVI input, go ahead and use the DVI input for your 4th device. The only drawback will be that you’ll have to use a separate audio cable if your device doesn’t have built in speakers. > . I would like to point out that DVI CAN carry audio signals and HDCP as well, but doesn’t have to according to the DVI standard. It all depends on the device that is outputting the signal. In the case of DVI, this was usually a computer going to a monitor that didn’t have speakers, thus the lack of audio in the standard. Also, HDMI does not always carry audio either, especially when using it with a computer. For example, my laptop does not output audio over the HDMI out that is on it, but it will output HD digital video. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-straight-dope-on-hdmi/563204/27 "2010-12-07T18:25:50Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > $3.04 at [monoprice.com](http://monoprice.com), in an assortment of colors! Or if you’re feeling tycoonish and spendy, you can splurge on the 10-foot cable for $4.23… Goddamn I LOVE monoprice. I got a new phone and needed micro USB cables (I had mini on previous phone). Of course they had the best prices, and then I noticed they had a car cigarette lighter connector with a USB port for a buck. That plus an additional cable got my a new car charger for 2 bucks. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-straight-dope-on-hdmi/563204/28 "2010-12-07T19:10:09Z")
> [@Scuba\_Ben](#): > > I am curious about **Alessan** ’s 10m cable, and how signal degradation was over that cable run. I’m watching TV over it right now, and it seems fine. I mean, I’m not much of an AV geek, so I can’t really expound on the subtleties of my sound and video quality, but all in all, It’s just like having a really big computer screen. ---
**Author:** ![Palooka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/palooka/32/2902_2.png) [@Palooka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palooka)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-straight-dope-on-hdmi/563204/29 "2010-12-07T19:47:05Z")
Monoprice was cool until they let my credit card number get stolen. ---
**Author:** ![buttonjockey308](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@buttonjockey308](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buttonjockey308)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-straight-dope-on-hdmi/563204/30 "2010-12-07T20:02:25Z")
If I could sell a $4.00 cable for $50.00 I would, and so would most people. In fact, that is an exact model of the stack of bullshit upon which our economy currently teeters. If people told the truth about what they were selling, no one would buy. This is true for everything from hard drives to hamburgers. As consumers we live to be lied to, but then for some reason we’re outraged when it’s discovered. You know the truth, buy smart and tell your friends. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-straight-dope-on-hdmi/563204/31 "2010-12-07T20:07:55Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Goddamn I LOVE monoprice. I got a new phone and needed micro USB cables (I had mini on previous phone). Of course they had the best prices, and then I noticed they had a car cigarette lighter connector with a USB port for a buck. That plus an additional cable got my a new car charger for 2 bucks. I would marry them for their cables. Their electronics are a different story. I’ve bought several different card readers from them which were all varying degrees of shit. ---
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-straight-dope-on-hdmi/563204/32 "2010-12-07T21:56:48Z")
I vote to let the dumbs get fleeced when buying cables so the stores keep their TVs priced at razor-thin margins, thank you very much. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-straight-dope-on-hdmi/563204/33 "2010-12-07T23:42:52Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > I hear you. Still, you did go to Best Buy. Nobody should do that, ever. Best Buy is about as accurate a label as “Fair and Balanced”. > [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > My baby brother (and he’ll always be the baby of the family, you know) used to go to Best Buy just to correct the sales people. He never bought anything there, he just went in and assisted customers in finding what they actually needed…which was usually for sale cheaper, somewhere else. Your brother is my new personal hero. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Lare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Lare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lare)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-straight-dope-on-hdmi/563204/34 "2010-12-08T14:07:11Z")
I think **Lynn** ’s baby brother may be Sheldon from Big Bang Theory. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-straight-dope-on-hdmi/563204/35 "2010-12-08T14:15:35Z")
What’s interesting is that we have cheap HDMI cables at work and there are still who customers don’t believe me when I tell them they’re exactly the same as the expensive ones. There’s a lot of people out there who figure that if it’s expensive, it must be good, it seems. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-straight-dope-on-hdmi/563204/36 "2010-12-08T14:47:10Z")
> [@buttonjockey308](#): > > If I could sell a $4.00 cable for $50.00 I would, and so would most people. They’re not even $4. I just bought one from Amazon for a grand total of $3.03, including postage. The stamp on the padded mailer was $1.56, which means he collected a whopping $1.47 for the cable. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-straight-dope-on-hdmi/563204/37 "2010-12-08T16:06:26Z")
Monster cables and Girls Gone Wild are the two greatest [del]scams[/del] business models of our time. ---
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-straight-dope-on-hdmi/563204/38 "2010-12-08T16:13:24Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Monster cables and Girls Gone Wild are the two greatest [del]scams[/del] business models of our time. What about GGW is a “scam”? I’ve never seen these videos, but I imagine they’re exactly as advertised: just a bunch of drunk hos showing their titties. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-straight-dope-on-hdmi/563204/39 "2010-12-08T16:13:53Z")
I tell my family that if they go out and buy a cable for anything without consulting me first there will be hell to pay. There’s a perfectly wonderful independent computer shop a few blocks away from work where I picked up my HDMI cable for $5. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-straight-dope-on-hdmi/563204/40 "2010-12-08T16:18:23Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > I’ve never seen these videos, but I imagine they’re exactly as advertised: just a bunch of drunk hos showing their titties. Well, yes, but most of the drunk hos aren’t nearly as hot as the ones in the commercials. Plus, the first one costs $9.99, but they send you another one every month and charge you $39 and it’s fucking impossible to cancel. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-straight-dope-on-hdmi/563204.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-straight-dope-on-hdmi/563204.md?page=3)