My old TV had been making a high pitch squeal for longer than I can remember so I decided it was time to get myself a new TV. I really could not justify spending €1500 to €2000 on a thinner than thin LCD. When I looked around the shops, I could not find your traditional CRT TV anywhere. I did however come across the Samsung Slim fit TV which comes with HD. There was a pretty good price on it so I went for it. That was a couple of months back now.
Since I got the TV, I have had my eye out for a good DVD player with a HDMI socket so I can connect it to my TV without any quality loss that you normally get with traditional scart connections. I got a great deal on a DVD recorder for €159 and so I went to my local shopping centre to pick up a HDMI cable to connect them. I could not believe the difference in price for a HDMI cable between the shops. I first went into Maplin where their Monster (Brand) cables were €165. That is more than I paid for the DVD recorder!! As I went from shop to shop I realised that the price of theses cable changed dramatically from shop to shop. The best priced cable was in Peats, for €29.99 but since I had seen all of the other cables for over €100 I was skeptical of how good this one was for such a low price.
Does anyone have any first hand experience of HDMI and know if there is a need to spend €165 on a cable to get the true digital experience or if I am missing out if I go for the €29.99 cable?
#1 by Ger Coughlan on January 19, 2007 - 10:38 pm
HDMI Cable?
It’s a case of you get what you pay for. With digital data cables its all about the bandwith or volume of 1’s and 0’s that you are transferring and the integrity of the signal reaching the other end without signal degradation or external interference. These buggers will mess up the signal. Now you might not notice it on a smallish TV screen and middle of the road DVD player. But try using that cable on a 50″ plasma or an overhead projector and you’ll destroy the signal. It’s horses for courses.
Pick up a copy of WHAT HIFI or visit Richersounds.co.uk
#2 by Simon Jones on November 3, 2007 - 12:53 pm
If you want pricey take a look at XtendedPlay in the UK have a good range of really nice HDMI cables. They stock a range of HDMI cables from Oehlbach that are really pricey. Mind you they look VERY nice!!!