HDMI cables -- worthwhile?

[tracemhunter]

HDMI cables do make a large difference. However, DO NOT buy the cable at your local big box electronics store. The thing with digital cables (i.e. HDMI) vs. analog cables (i.e. component, composite) is that quality of the cable does not matter. The source just sends 0's and 1's so the TV either gets the signal or it doesn't. Monoprice.com has 6ft HDMI cables for around $6. You do not need to spend $130 at Best Buy for a Monster HDMI cable. You will not be able to tell the difference between the two. Hope that helps and saves you some money.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

$40 bucks for 12 feet of cable...
Do they make a noticeable difference regarding video quality for hi-def or upconverting dvd players??

Color-wise yes. Resolution wise, only for 1080p sets.

 

[GUARDIAN]

Color-wise yes. Resolution wise, only for 1080p sets.

so what u r saying is i need to convince my wife to let me upgrade cuz i got hdmi cables and in order to take full advantage of them we need a 1080i instead of the 720p we got?

 

[puddlemonkey]

Now why would I want to screw a monkey?

No no no, you got it backwards. The monkey screw you!

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

so what u r saying is i need to convince my wife to let me upgrade cuz i got hdmi cables and in order to take full advantage of them we need a 1080i instead of the 720p we got?

1080p, not i. 720p is better than 1080i, especially for games/sports where things are fast paced and an interlaced signal struggles to keep up. I've played videogames in 1080i and had to switch back to 720p because the picture was too glitchy. If you have a PS3 or similar HD player capable of producing RGB-Full, and Super White, the difference is exceptional with 1080p or 720p.

Example-

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/29838.html

 

[GUARDIAN]

1080p, not i. 720p is better than 1080i, especially for games/sports where things are fast paced and an interlaced signal struggles to keep up. I've played videogames in 1080i and had to switch back to 720p because the picture was too glitchy. If you have a PS3 or similar HD player capable of producing RGB-Full, and Super White, the difference is exceptional with 1080p or 720p.

Example-

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/29838.html

it is definitely noticeable side by side. no ps3 though

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

it is definitely noticeable side by side. no ps3 though

Still one of the cheapest bluray players on the market. I'd get that before a 1080p set if you already have 720p....wait for the prices to drop. Resolution from 720p to 1080p only starts noticeably becoming an issue if you have a gigantic display (>50").
There might be some hd players that have RGB-Full and Super White funcionality.

 

[tracemhunter]

People get all caught up in the whole 1080p thing but in order to tell the difference between 720p and 1080p you have to be sitting rather close. 2.5x to 3.3x the height (not diagonal) of the screen is a good estimate according to all of the home theater enthusiasts. So, for a 42" diagonal set you need to be sitting between 4.3ft and 5.6ft away to be able to tell the difference between 720p and 1080p. That is the reason why there are no 32" 1080p sets. The manufacturers know that nobody is going to be sitting 2ft away from their TV. I have a 52" 1080p LCD and Blu-ray movies look incredible from 6.5ft away.

 

[saint808]

Try your local cable company and see if they have them at cost. I work for a cable company and we sell the 6 ft for $11.