HDMI Cables-which one?

[admin_exported]

I have bought an Onkyo 606, Panasonic 42PZ80 (the Full HD one) and Kef 3005SE (No blue ray yet- later in the year). All I need now is an HDMI lead(s). I see there are literally hundreds to choose from- which one would be most stuitable for my system? Does it make a difference? Should I just get any?

In addition I have some old equipment (VCR etc) which I gather I need to replace the scarts (which are old original ones which came with the systems) with 'ordinary' plug cables- again any recommendations?

Many thanks for any guidance given.

 

[Anonymous]

From the technical point of view, if the cables are relatively short (under 3m) there shouldn't matter too much which brand / color you choose as long as they work. Personally I would invest more on cables used for analogue transmissions and less for those that send digital.

PS3 has no toruble sending full HD 1080 with uncompressed PCM over the cheap plastic HDMI cable it comes with so I see no reason for spending £££ on HDMIs.

 

[professorhat]

Just to say Simon, have a look at a more expensive one (borrow one from a dealer on a money back guarantee) and see if you can see a difference. If you can't, take it back and get your money back, if you can, use the more expensive one. I got good results from upgrading my HDMI cable from the free one that came with my PS3.
That's it, I'm saying no more.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Simon,

I always think theres lots of different opinions on cable matters from what Ive seen the short time Ive been using the site.
Professors option seems the best! Try before you decide!
Personally I upgraded my PS3 cable to the QED cable made just for PS3 and have been very pleased with the difference.
I have a Pioneer kuro 42" and feel the cable was worth every penny to get the most from the kit I bought!
I was lucky to get the cable brand new from ebay for £22 as I think the shops wanted around £50.

Worth shopping around!

 

[Anonymous]

I know your going to think me stupid- but what is PS3?

 

[professorhat]

No worries! It's my Playstation 3 (mainly used for playing DVDs and Blu-Rays)

 

[Anonymous]

I surely don't want to start any debate on cheap vs expensive HDMI cables so please don't be offended by my curiosity. When you say it made a difference, could you share a bit more detail about how the new cable changed the quality of the video / audio for you? What aspects did you feel were improved when using a better HDMI cable?

To use a analogy, everytime after I wash my car, I have the feeling that it drives much better than when it was filthy but in reality the mechanics are all the same. Could this happen as well when we buy a quality, more expensive cable that in reallity transports the digital stream on short distances as well as the cheaper version?