The vast majority of TVs built in the last few years have HDMI 2.0. Why? Amazon Echo Show vs. Google Nest Hub: Which Smart Display Should Be in Your Home? One potentially useful trick of HDMI cables for smart home applications is CEC. This is where we come in. A, with Ethernet. Each cord classification also has progressively faster transfer rates and increased resolution capabilities. Last but not least, ever increasing data demands placed on HDMI cables means they now come in three different grades that you actually need to have at least a rudimentary understanding of, especially if you want to make the most of your AV equipment in 2022, with the likes of the PS5, Xbox One Series X and the latest 4K UHD smart TVs all having different demands when it comes to using the right HDMI cable. Keep an eye on your inbox! Uncertified High Speed and Ultra High Speed cables should all work fine, to be clear - but if you want absolute 100% peace of mind, you could look out for cables that have officially passed the official High Speed and Ultra High Speed compliance tests established by HDMI Licensing. Your subscription has been confirmed. Those specifications touch on speeds with their maximum bandwidths, but they don't specifically define every cable. For commercial and high-end home installations that use long runs, you should seriously consider an extender system that sends the signal over Ethernet for most of the distance, switching back to a shorter HDMI cable once you run the easier-to-manage Ethernet through your walls or ceiling. No officially certified Ultra High Speed/Category 3 cables have yet gone on sale. Also, if youve got a very long cable run and a 4K or even 8K screen to feed, it is possible that a relatively expensive cable will carry all that signal bandwidth more consistently/successfully. If you have ever been shopping for an HDMI or, Game consoles including X-Box, PlayStation and Wii U, Some digital cameras, tablets and smartphones, To cover a sprawling business complex or campground, you need Cat5 or, Watch standard HDTV, Blue-ray DVDs and media streamers, Play video games with up to 30fps and use design software, Play video games with over 30fps and leverage all HDR TV features. MUL-HDMI-1.3-1.5M-MA-MA-HS-30 V1.3 High Speed HDMI Cable, 1.5 Meter The Cat5/Cat6 cable sends signals between the transmitter and receiver. Im an ISF-certified TV calibrator and a THX-certified home theater professional, and Im here to help you understand 4K, HDR, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and even 8K (and to reassure you that you dont need to worry about 8K at all for at least a few more years). Despite all these issues, though, HDMI connections have endured. Do you need an ultra high-speed HDMI cable, or will a premium high-speed HDMI cable suffice? This type of cable enables reliable visuals with Ultra HD graphics. We also tested an AmazonBasics HDMI cable, several unbranded cables also available from Amazon, and even a few unmarked cables we simply found in a bucket in our test lab. If you want to be absolutely sure your cable can handle 4K60 video, look for one that has the Premium High Speed QR code on the packaging. As noted in passing while looking at each HDMI generation, there can be some feature fluidity between HDMI generations. The display of third-party trademarks and trade names on this site does not necessarily indicate any affiliation or the endorsement of PCMag. As a general rule, that point is around 50 feet. To try and make life easier, the HDMI.org has established three HDMI standards for you to look out for when trying to buy an HDMI cable. The number of pixels that can fit per square inch determines the type of scans resolution. HDMI 2.0 supports many new features to take your A/V entertainment to a new and exciting level. The newest HDMI 2.1 format depends on data rates far higher than HDMI 2.0s 18Gbps. Most active HDMI cables have an internal power source, but some need an external supply. Ive been PCMags home entertainment expert for over 10 years, covering both TVs and everything you might want to connect to them. The ultimate proof that you dont need to spend much money at all to get even a decent category 2 high speed HDMI cable. Short for Consumer Electronics Control, CEC lets you control multiple devices connected via HDMI using only one remote control. Below is a chart that shows the capabilities of each HDMI Cable version. For instance, the Dolby Vision dynamic HDR system has actually worked on every HDMI since v1.4. Below are just a few of the features we think are inportant: High Speed HDMI Cables: A passive HDMI cable has one 19-pin plug on either end and can transmit data in either direction. Basically, they can handle any 4K video you throw at them. Its the language that allows HDMI-enabled devices to communicate with one another. These are the fundamental specifications all HDMI cables and devices have to follow, based on the features they support and defined by theHDMI Licensing Administrator(Opens in a new window)andHDMI Forum(Opens in a new window). So, for instance, if you connect a CEC-enabled Blu-ray player to a CEC-enabled TV, you will get extra menu options that let you use your TV remote to control Blu-ray playback. It doesnt matter which end is plugged into the input and output ports because the data packets can flow both ways. Since the arrival of HDMI 2.0, CEC has had the potential to drive up to 15 devices via a single remote control. In a broad sense, they're very important. Category 2/High Speed cables should be labelled as such on their retail information. For high-end gaming, however, be sure you take a closer look at the packaging. So quickly has HDMI had to adapt, in fact, that there a number of different generations of HDMI port are simultaneously playing a key part in todays AV world. However, you can effectively ignore them. Some relatively expensive cables can offer handy tricks such as extra-strong mounts, or smart home-friendly flat cable profiles for running under carpets. Learn more about HDMI, a set of rules for rendering uncompressed, high definition audio and video. Right? To test these cables, we used each one to connect aMurideo SIX-G signal generator(Opens in a new window)to a TV capable of displaying 4K and HDR 10 content. Premium High Speed pushes the bandwidth up to 18Gbps, which will cover any consumer-level video source you deal with. Premium High Speed cables support 4K60, or 4K video at 60 frames per second, with the capacity for BT.2020 color space and 4:4:4 chroma sampling. High Speed is over twice as fast as Standard, with a minimum bandwidth of 10.2Gbps. It explicitly lists compatibility with all of the latest gaming-related features youd hope that a 48Gbps cable would cover, and crucially is already in the queue for the HDMI.org's official new certification process. That's fine if you want to watch movies on Ultra HD Blu-ray, but if you have streaming TV shows or gaming hardware that can push 4K at 30 or 60 frames per second, it won't be able to handle it. An interlaced scan renders an image with interlaced vertical and horizontal lines. The Ambient is reader-powered. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the sole property of their respective owners. Monoprice also consistently offers the widest range of options for cable lengths and types. Theyve led to untold numbers of cable breakages due to their flimsy attachments. Most HDMI cable options on Amazon have far fewer incremental length choices, and that flexibility is very useful if you know your home theater components are going to be very close together and you want to keep dangling cables to a minimum. The main HDMI generations you need to concern yourself with if youre thinking of buying a new AV product now are v1.4, v2.0, and v2.1. As a result, while they can cost mere pennies, theyre probably best avoided now if you have any interest in 4K/HDR picture quality, or HDMIs latest CEC smart home capabilities. Much of this potential confusion is down to manufacturers deciding to support different data rates with their various HDMIs, where the data rate can dictate the level of HDMI 2.1 features that can be supported. Multicom stock a large supply of High Speed HDMI Cables, both with and without Ethernet: If you found this article interesting and informative Go further, learn more: On the Multicom Online Store you will find the best HDMI Cable on the market: HDMI 2.0, 4K Certified, Multicom - MUL-MN-V-RFOG-1610-PON - Optical Micro Node with PON Pass Through, Multicom - MUL-PS-DLX - Premium Patch and Splice Enclosure, DZS - W550CA - Advanced Dual-Band Access Point with WiFi 6. These features are all expected to be supported by the the latest gaming consoles such as the PS5 and Xbox Series X, and have actually already arrived on Nvidias RTX 30 graphics cards. Ultra High Speed cables are the most extreme home theater future-proofing, and they're getting more and more common. Can you get the 4K visuals with a standard HDMI cable, or is a high-speed cable the better option? Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. That doesn't even consider high dynamic range (HDR), which can process more information per pixel thanks to wider ranges of light and color. Learn more about transfer rates, which are references to bandwidth, or how many bits of data per second can travel along a cable. The applications of these cables are similar to standard cables, with the added benefit of better coloring and the ability to watch 3D videos. What Is 8K? Ive reviewed more than a thousand different consumer electronics products including headphones, speakers, TVs, and every major game system and VR headset of the last decade. Otherwise, if you just see High Speed on the cable package, look for any associated numbers. https://www.pcmag.com/news/slaying-the-cable-monster-what-you-need-to-know-about-hdmi-cables, Read Great Stories Offline on Your Favorite, PC Magazine Digital Edition (Opens in a new window), How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad, How to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill, How to Convert YouTube Videos to MP3 Files, How to Record the Screen on Your Windows PC or Mac. CEC can currently be clunkily implemented or hard to follow on many devices, though - and many consumers dont even know it exists. HDMI 2.0b additionally added playback of the new Hybrid Log Gamma format already used by the BBC and expected to be taken up by other broadcasters soon. You can achieve up to a 4K resolution with a high dynamic range (HDR) and a refresh rate up to 60Hz with a premium high-speed HDMI cable. The bandwidth also increases to 10Gbps. There are plenty of options for Premium High Speed (seven lengths and two colors) and Ultra High Speed (four lengths), and that's before going into variants like slim cables. Gamers, especially gamers looking for 4K120 or 8K performance from their newest consoles or gaming PCs, should keep an eye out for Ultra High Speed cables. Shopping for HDMI cables should be a simple process, but a wealth of choices, a wide range of prices, and a handful of potential holes to trip into can make it seem confusing and difficult. However, if you need to use a really long cable run (likely 30 feet or more), an Active HDMI cable may make the difference between a data-intensive signal making it or not, as HDMI cables generally become less reliable the longer they are. Unlike the analogue world, where higher quality analogue cables can deliver superior audio or picture results, HDMIs digital nature essentially means that cables either carry enough zeroes and ones from one end to the other to deliver a video signal, or they dont. It's the most official way to be sure without testing it yourself. If you're running long cables between, say, a projector and a closet full of home theater components across the house, you'll want to make sure your cables are rated to handle it. Sony, for instance, has managed to get eARC lossless sound technology working over HDMI 2.0 (see the HDMI 2.1 section for more on this), while Samsung has managed to support the AMD Freesync variable refresh rate gaming system without needing a 2.1 HDMI port. The longer a cable you plan to run, the better insulated it needs to be. Most 2021 TV models (and many high-end 2020 models) should support HDMI 2.1. To determine whether you should err on the side of caution or frugality, we decided to run our own tests, and the results were slightly surprising. HDMI 1.4 and 2.0 don't matter nearly as much as their speed ratings, also defined by the HDMI Forum and HDMI Licensing Administrator. Different HDMI sockets on different devices have bamboozled consumers by supporting different features. How they degrade depends on the strength of the transmitter, the sensitivity of the receiver, and how much interference the carrier picks up between them. PCMag Digital Group. And Sony has been offering eARC support over HDMI 2.0 since 2019. The HDMI Forum would likely recommend going with a certified Premium High Speed cable with a QR code for security, but after looking at the variety of cable options out, there we're not so sure. And if you want 4K120 or 8K60, look for Ultra High Speed. It can, though, only shift enough data to support 4K at up to 30 frames a second. Whendeciding on an HDMI cable, it's important to understand the classifications available. For most HDMI cable runs an active HDMI cable wont be necessary. None of these premium options, though, need to cost hundreds or thousands of pounds. Finally, v1.4 HDMIs support Audio Return Channel technology, which enables HDMI ports and cables to be used as both an AV input and an audio output. The Monoprice 75-foot Commercial Series Standard Speed HDMI Cable could carry a 4K24 signal both with and without HDR, but once we moved up to 4K60, the signal failed. Packaging can be deceiving, but cable prices can also be inflated. Give us a call at 800-423-3594 if we dont have it in stock, well make it for you. Nonetheless, its clear that plenty of HDMI nonsense has happened along the way. MUL-HDMI-2.0-1.5M-MA-MA-HS-30 v2.0 High Speed HDMI Cable, 1.5 Meter, with Ethernet It's the best way to hook up DVD, Blu-ray, and Ultra HD Blu-ray players; video game consoles; andstreaming media devices. HDMI Cables come in a wide assortment of configurations. In fact, sometimes a single product can carry multiple generations of HDMI. Officially certified cables are allowed to show the HDMI Licensing groups certification logo, complete with QR code, at point of retail (such as on their Amazon web pages). The HDMI 2.0 specification was released in 2013, and revised into HDMI 2.0a in 2015 and then HDMI 2.0b in 2016. Manufacturers denote it with a lower-case p.. Mostly because for all their issues, theyve remained almost endlessly upgradable, keeping pace with not just the demands of the AV world but, as well see, the world of the smart home, too. Because of this, things like "signal fidelity" and the importance of gold-plated connectors are completely irrelevant when shopping for them. A display can use an interlaced or progressive scan to render pictures on a screen. There are four main classifications of HDMI cords, each one optimized for different HDMI versions. Each category has its own sub-categories based on additional features like an Ethernet channel built into the cable or a stronger signal for automotive use, but the main label you should worry about is whether your cable is Standard, High Speed, Premium, or Ultra High Speed. MUL-HDMI-1.3-1.8M-MA-MA-HS-30 V 1.3 High Speed HDMI Cable, 1.8 Meter, High Speed HDMI Cables with Ethernet: You can get longer cables without active components, but they won't be able to handle the full 4K60 HDR signal. HDMI 2.1: Why It Matters for PCs and TVs in 2021. And since the demands placed on digital data change much faster than things did in the analog age, HDMI connections and cables keep having to evolve too. Monoprice provided us with a range of its own HDMI cables, including a commercial-grade extra-long cable. HDMI v1.4 was a big deal when it debuted in 2009 because it was the first HDMI platform with enough data bandwidth for 4K picture resolutions. This specification increased the maximum bandwidth of HDMI cables from 10.2Gbps to 18Gbps. Active HDMI cables, though, only send their video signal in one direction. You can spend thousands of pounds even on quite short HDMI cables. Per the HDMI spec, only four HDMI cable types exist: Keep in mind that installing a cable supporting HDMI 2.0 features does not give your existing devices with previous HDMI specifications the ability to experience 4K x 2K resolution, 3D, audio return or Ethernet. If you click through using links on the site, we may earn an affiliate commission. For cabling in hard to reach places, its a good idea to choose cabling that exceeds your needs so youre prepared for upgraded technology. OANN and Done? Can handle HDMI 2.1 48Gbps data flows, and is approved by Apple for the distribution of 4K video and object-based sound. Should You Buy a New TV or Wait? It might show some strange artifacts, but then it will simply cut out. A premium high speed HDMI cable is an excellent option for design applications, such as Adobes Creative suite, and for playing games with up to 30 frames per second. The most important thing to keep an eye on isn't the HDMI specification, but the speed rating. It covers all you need to watch any content on your 4K TV, but as both 8K TVs and 4K120 sources are still a rarity, we haven't tested those higher rates yet. Version 2.0 is the latest version of the HDMI specification, as issued by HDMI Licensing, LLC. The current HDMI versions are 1.0, 1.1, 1.2,1.2a, 1.3, 1.4, 2.0, 2.0a, 2.0b and 2.1. If you have a 4K TV, don't have a 4K120-capable game system, and don't plan on keeping your home theater components too far away from it, nearly any HDMI cable you buy new will work for video content. An HDMI cable is a conduit that transfers HDMI video and audio between two HDMI-enabled devices. HDMI 2.1 also improves the HDMI Audio Return Channel feature. The upshot of this is that you if you see a TV claiming to carry one or more HDMI 2.1 sockets (its common, just to confuse you more, for TVs to carry different HDMI generations), dont assume that it will necessarily provide all the features HDMI 2.1 is capable of. Sign up for What's New Now to get our top stories delivered to your inbox every morning. We tested a dozen HDMI cables from various sources. It also supports so-called Dynamic HDR, where extra scene by scene information is provided to displays to help them show their HDR pictures better. The Premium Certified badge for HDMI cables was created by the HDMI Licensing Group to show that a cable has passed the organisations internal 18Gbps tests. Yes, some HDMI cables might have been manufactured under 1.4 and some might have been manufactured under 2.0, but those aren't the key details to keep an eye out for when shopping. So here we attempt to pick through the HDMI myths to provide only the facts that you really need to know and help you choose the best HDMI cable, whether it's for your gaming console, cable box, AV receiver, soundbar, or whatever else you want to plug into your TV. On paper, if you have a 4K TV or plan on upgrading to one, you should get a Premium High Speed or equivalent cable. If you don't already have an HDMI cable (and if your new device doesn't include one), or if you just want to rearrange your home theater setup and find yourself lacking the slack you need, you're going to have to buy a new one. And if it doesn't say High Speed anywhere on the package, save it for your old DVD player. To cover a sprawling business complex or campground, you need Cat5 or Cat6 cabling. Since 2019, one or two brands have been able to squeeze one or two features associated with the HDMI 2.1 standard were coming to next into HDMI 2.0 bandwidths. Its the A/V and Data equipment that has these features the HDMI cable merely has the capability to support them. You can achieve up to 10K resolution and refresh rates up to 240Hz on an HDR TV or 4120Hz refresh speed for video data with lower resolutions. Those were the only failures from a pile of HDMI cables. HDMI versions 1.0 to 1.2a are native to this cable. These cannot support 4K video at all. Theyve been responsible, for instance, for generations of AV equipment going suddenly and unceremoniously out of date. Ultimately, if you don't need a cable right now and can wait a few days for delivery, we recommend Monoprice for any and all HDMI cables you need. The hitch is that the bandwidth will only support 4K24, or 4K video at 24 frames per second. If you have ever been shopping for an HDMI or audio video cable,you know it's not as easy as it sounds. Because they contain power boosters that amplify the signal coming from your source as they send it on its way. But if youre looking for a relatively long cable to meet that spec right now, this 48Gbps-capable 3m option from True HQ is probably the most credible option weve seen so far. Ultra High Speed cables have up to 48Gbps bandwidth, allowing for uncompressed 8K video with all the trimmings. High Speed HDMI cables also support HDR and wide color gamuts. If those numbers aren't there, you can probably watch 4K24 video, but that's about it. If you want a fairly long running cable with the extra peace of mind of Premium Certification, this is an impressively affordable option. Screen resolution has two parts: The number of pixels that can fit into a certain space and how often the frame rate refreshes per second. In fact, some of the cables you already have lying around might work, though you should test that by making sure your Blu-ray player, media streamer, or game system is outputting at the highest possible resolution and displaying HDR when it can. Once you decide which classification of HDMI cable you need, you should then determine how long you need the cable to be. That's why HDMI cables are grouped together under one of four speed categories: Standard, High Speed, Premium High Speed, and Ultra High Speed. Standard is the most basic, and slowest, HDMI cable you can get. These specifications are all important for making sure media streamers and other devices can transmit and TVs can receive enough data to do what they need to do, but for the cables themselves, they aren't all that directly significant. This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. DirecTV to Dump One America News, Cord Cutting's Latest Toll: 1.34 Million Legacy Pay-TV Subscribers Gone, Legendary Strays: 8 More Intriguing Games Where You Play As a Cat, PlayStation VR 2 Getting Room-Scanning, Live-Streaming Modes, Google Pixel 6a vs. Apple iPhone SE: The Best Phone Under $500. This doesn't mean you should sneer at cables from Amazon or Best Buy, or even most unknown brands you can order online. This introduces features like deep color and 3D graphics. No matter your needs, CDW has a wide range of HDMI cables from which to choose. Similarly, while it supports high dynamic range playback, that support is restricted with 4K to 8-bit color quality, rather than the 10 or 12 bit support offered by later HDMI versions. The basic High Speed cable, for example, has 12 different lengths between 1.5 feet and 30 feet, and eight different color choices. Lets look at each in turn. As high definition A/Vtechnology continues to advance, the specification for HDMI equipment and cabling is continuallyupdated to ensure reliabilityand maximum performance. Signup for our special promotions and new customers will receive a code via email for 5% off their first order. Relative to a standard HDMI cable, the main difference is that a high speed cable uses HDMI versions 1.3 to 1.4a. HDMI cables are digital, so you aren't going to experience fuzziness or static if the signal gets weak. Explore the four main types of HDMI cables on the market. Looking at the sort of new features HDMI 2.1 supports, as well as handling 4K images at frame rates of up to 120Hz, it can play video resolutions of up to 10K at lower frame rates (including 8K at 60Hz), paving the way for the next generation of 8K-resolution TVs. A lot of the news around HDMI in the last few years has focused on the different versions of the cable standard. Resolution for interlaced scans is the number of pixels a screen can display per line, represented by a lower-case i., A progressive scan paints a seamless picture and refreshes the entire image at once. This cable is available in much longer versions, too, without the price ever becoming painful. It's since seen iterations and upgrades to HDMI 1.4a and HDMI 1.4b, but that's again ancient history in the video space. When making your selection, use this HDMI cable buying guide to find a product that fulfills your current needs and has enough length to connect your devices. Find out more about HDMI cables, which are conduits that transfer HDMI video and audio between two HDMI-enabled devices. Basically, the HDMI 1.4 specification was released over 10 years ago, and all HDMI cables are manufactured to at least that specification. When used with equivalent HDMI equipment, this type of cord offers a clear sound and picture for high definition video sources such as: The type of cable needed depends on its intended application. But theres doesnt seem to be any compelling reason to do so. You should also consider transfer rates and resolution when deciding on an HDMI cable. HDMI ports deal in digital data. 1996-2022 Ziff Davis. Many "high speed" cables available claim to support 4K60 video, deep color, 4:4:4 sampling, and other features without claiming Premium High Speed status or certification. We're solidly in the age of4K resolution, with8Kstarting to heat up (don't worry, it'll be at least a year or two before it becomes worthwhile to most viewers).

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