Best HDMI Cable: Van Del Hul Flat vs. Chord Company Silver Plus

[Anonymous]

Thanks Prof! You've sold me on the PS3! IMO, it would be the dream machine if it could adopt a Wii like controller.

By the way, any idea when new announcements are made on gaming machines like the PS3? I didn't see anything announced in CES. But am I right to say that the only changes that have been made to the PS3 since introduction is the change in hard drive capacity, number of USB ports and firmware upgrades only, right? Hence, it doesn't matter when we buy, right?

And do you have any idea why manufacturers like QED has a special HDMI cable made specifically for the PS3? I wonder whether there is any difference at all versus the regular HDMI cables.

 

[professorhat]

When they changed the PS3 from the original 60Gb to the 40Gb model, there were a few other changes such as reducing number of USB ports from 4 to 2, removing SACD playback functionality and also removing the backwards compatability to play old PS2 games. Most of these were done to cut the cost of the console back from £425 to £299 so it could compete a bit better against the Xbox. However, since all the new announced models are now the same same as the 40Gb model, it doesn't matter which one you buy as the only difference is the size of the hard drive and this can easily be upgraded should you wish to.

On the HDMI cables, I'm pretty sceptical about any cables which are made specifically for the PS3 and think they are more likely just marketing ploys. I don't think you'll find any difference between these and the other cables these manufacturers sell to the AV market. As I mentioned earlier, I use the Chord HDMI Silver Plus with my PS3 and am very happy with the results.

 

[Anonymous]

Removed by Mods - house rules violation

 

[d4v3pum4]

seakingadvice:And do you have any idea why
manufacturers like QED has a special HDMI cable made specifically for
the PS3? I wonder whether there is any difference at all versus the
regular HDMI cables.

Simple marketing. The PS3
is a HDMI v1.3 device capable of outputting 1080p/24fps etc. etc.
Their cable has been tested at the highest bandwidth etc. and it's black and
therefore it matches the PS3. That's the only "designed for PS3" feature I can think of as every HDMI cable is also designed for the PS3, they're just not black and shiny. Nearly as bad as Monster cables but don't get me started on that lot.

 

[Anonymous]

.... So the winner is? VDH or the Chord?.. or how about QED's cable?

 

[Anonymous]

I think based on the WHF reviews, the winner would be the VDH followed by the Chord and then QED. However, I don't think that you can go wrong with either of the 3. I got myself the VDH btw.

 

[Anonymous]

Is there ONE shop, internet or otherwise where they are cheaper, want to purchase the VDH HDMI Flat?
What's the best price YOU have purchased your's for?

 

[Anonymous]

The Chord has now dropped to 4 stars in the latest issue of WHF magazine. VDH still holding on to the crown.

 

[pioneer7]

Here you go http://www.hificables.co.uk/11627/Van-Den-Hul-HDMI-Flat.html

 

[ukgthor]

or you can find it here for a couple of quid cheaper. I just bought two from them and both delivered within two days of purchase and no shipping costs !

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry if this is a little off topic, I do agree cables make a difference, but analogue cables.

Digital is digital, a 1 is a 1, 0 is 0. As long as we're not talking about budget cables that are poor quality and break up the signal, any £10+ hdmi cable under 3m should be the same.

I dont see how a £80 cable can possibly be better than a £20 cable. All the bits flow down the cable the same way...

 

[Anonymous]

I spent last night setting my new home cinema up (Sony BDP-S350 Blue Ray, HT-IS100 home cinema system, connected up to a 40W4000 TV), and to my horror, the wonderfully flexible and rather expensive vDH Flat HDMI cable I bought really doesn't feel comfortable plugged into the sub unit.

The connections are concealed in a recess in the bottom of the sub, and so you plug the cable in perpendicular to the ground. As such, the cable has to bend 90 degrees about 5-10mm from the end of the moulding around the jack. It feels like it's putting a lot of strain on the connector and I'm really not happy with it.

I've had a little look around, and the Wireworld Island 5 HDMI cable seems like it might be a little more flexible and suitable for this particular unit.

Has anyone had any experience of the Island 5?

Does anyone want a 1.0m VDH flat HDMI cable, £50 including postage

 

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't worry too much about it. As long as the picture, sound, etc. is OK, then it should be fine.

If you really want, then consider the QED or Chord.

 

[Anonymous]

Are the QED or Chord more flexible than the VDH flat though? I need something that will turn 90 degrees about 3-4cm from the connector ... and the VDH really doesn't feel comfortable doing that.

I'm assuming in all this that the Wireworld Island 5 is more flexible than the VDH flat -- can anyone confirm my assumption there?ÿ

 

[Anonymous]

I think 4cm should be far away enough from the connector to allow the VDH to turn. But that's assuming that you're turning it on the broad flat part and not the narrow part.

 

[Andrew Everard]

jordanharper:I need something that will turn 90 degrees about 3-4cm from the connector

I think that might put a strain on almost any HDMI cable at the point where it joins the plug, and also on the socket into which it's plugged.

Something like this

might be a sensible investment.

 

[Minigill]

Do they effect the connection quality having another step in the chain ?