Clare Newsome:We use blind ABX testing methodology for cables, with a team of testers, and using different sources and displays (flatscreen up to projector).
We're also in an environment where people truly call it as they see it (or not) - I truly don't think you can say the same about a bunch of blokes watching a brief singular A/B over football (if they'd been asked to anonymously write their verdict down on a checklist, i'd have been at least a little more convinced of its validity - then there's be no fear of saying they did/didn't see a difference: the peer pressure is gone). The agenda of the show was obviously also set from the start, which has yet more influence.
And all of this is without even beginning to discuss the potential sonic differences between HDMI cables - which this report doesn't even begin to investigate or consider. Or indeed the different behaviour over different lengths of cable.
A good answer. I did say that the user test part of the video was somewhat chaotic, you just said it better. What about using instrumentation to compare signal in to signal out? I accept what you say about the video having an agenda from the outset, but do you think signal comparison is a valid test?