Hdmi cables tv: The Best HDMI Cables for Your TV in 2023

The Best HDMI Cables for Your TV in 2023

Most TVs you see on store shelves these days are “smart” models that come with streaming apps built-in. But to connect other peripherals, such as a next-gen game console or Blu-ray player, you’ll still want to keep a few HDMI cables on hand. You don’t have to spend a ton to get solid cable that can support the higher resolutions and frame rates of modern games and movies, just check out our picks for the best HDMI cables of 2023. 

Get the most out of Amazon Prime Day 2023

Amazon’s biggest shopping event of the year is officially here. We’ve scoured thousands of deals to find you the very best that our CNET experts recommend. Whether you’re looking to replace your old TV or laptop or you want some great everyday non-techie gear, we’ve got it right here. And be sure to check out our Prime Day Deals page and Liveblog since some of these deals come and go quickly.

Even the cheapest HDMI cables can handle 4K HDR signals nowadays, so there’s no reason to drop serious cash on one. But even in a level playing field, some cables are better than others. While there are some more expensive options out there, as long as the cable is able to pass the resolution you want, the picture will look the same as any other cable, regardless of price. The only thing you really need to think about is cable length.

With that in mind, we have some recommendations for inexpensive options that should work with any TV and source combination you have… as long as they connect with HDMI. 

Geoffrey Morrison/CNET

So grab your game console, plug in your cable box and fire up your streaming device, computer, cable or satellite box, home theater receiver or DVD, Blu-ray and Ultra HD player. Here are our top picks for the best, most reliable and affordable HDMI cables.

Read more: Best 4K TVs for 2023

Cable recommendations (6 feet): Monoprice or Cable Matters

I used 6-foot (1.8-meter) cables as the example for pricing, but there are plenty of longer and shorter options. You can save some money getting shorter cables, but make sure they’re long enough for you to place your gear where you want. Measure twice, buy once.

Why are these brands considered the best HDMI cable? Because they’re the cheapest ones we trust and they have great warranties. The Amazon Basics Premium-Certified Braided HDMI Cable is also worth considering, and is available for around $8.

We don’t specifically review HDMI cables here at CNET, but in our TV test lab we’ve been using inexpensive cables from Amazon and Monoprice for years. All of them have carried hundreds of hours of 4K and HDR video flawlessly, with way more plugging and unplugging than typical cables are subject to. None have failed with compatible devices.

There are cheaper options, but beyond our own experience, our recommendations have great user reviews and have sold HDMI cables for years. They’re also rated to have the bandwidth to handle 4K and HDR content. This is often listed as “18Gbps,” referring to the amount of bandwidth possible, in gigabits per second, with the HDMI 2. 0 standard (see below for HDMI 2.1 details).

Other options

Maybe you don’t want a Monoprice or Cable Matters HDMI cord for some reason. We checked a few other large retailers and found cables we liked from each one. Here they are.

Tripp Lite P568-006

$12 at Walmart$12 at Amazon

$12 at Walmart$12 at Amazon

Philips 4-foot High-Speed HDMI Cable

$9 at Target

$9 at Target

Do you really need new cables?

As we mentioned above, just because you’re getting a new TV doesn’t necessarily mean you need new HDMI cables, even if you’re upgrading to something with 4K and HDR. Over short distances, say under 6 feet, just about any recent “high speed HDMI cable” should work fine. “High Speed” is the rating used by HDMI companies to indicate cables that have the bandwidth to handle 1080p and greater video resolutions.

You can think of bandwidth like a pipe. You need to be able to get a lot of “water” through the pipe with 4K and HDR content. A high speed cable needs to be “big” enough to handle it all.

Unfortunately, there’s no way to tell just by looking at a cable whether it’s a high speed HDMI cable that can handle the deluge of data required for 4K and HDR content. Even if it says High Speed on the jacket, that’s not 100 percent useful. A cable can be considered a “high speed HDMI cable” if it passes 1080p, but not be well enough made to handle 4K. The only way to verify it works as high speed HDMI is to test it.

The good thing is, if it works, it works. For example, if you’re sending a 4K HDR signal from your 4K Blu-ray player to your 4K HDR TV and the TV shows a 4K HDR signal, you’re set. It’s not possible to get a better image using a different 4K HDMI cable. That’s not how the technology works.

There are only two “fails” with an HDMI cable. The most likely is you won’t get any signal at all: A blank or flashing screen. First, check that everything’s connected correctly and all your HDMI device settings are correct.  

A closeup view of the HDMI cable failure known as sparkles.

Geoffrey Morrison/CNET

The only other “fail” mode of HDMI cables is sparkles. This looks like snow on the screen. It can be heavy enough to look like static, like an old TV tuned to a dead channel, or it can be random-but-regular flashes of white pixels. This means you’ll need new cables. 

If the TV is receiving the same resolution you’re sending it (e.g., the TV says it’s 4K HDR when you’re sending 4K HDR), you’re all set. A different cable won’t make that image sharper, brighter or anything else. 

Also remember, if one step in your chain isn’t 4K HDR, nothing is. As in, if you connect a 4K Blu-ray disc player to an old sound bar and then to a 4K TV, you won’t be able to get a 4K signal to the TV. Also, some TVs only have one or two HDMI inputs that are HDMI 2.1 compatible. Check your owner’s manual for that, too. 

What about HDMI 2.1? 

The latest version of HDMI is called 2. 1. This is a huge leap forward in terms of bandwidth, capable of up to 8K resolutions and beyond. There are also new cables, called Ultra High Speed, and these can carry 8K signals as well as the popular 4K/120Hz used by the Xbox Series X and others. If you’re into gaming, it’s worth trading up to one of these, and as we found with the Cable Matters cords above, it doesn’t incur much of a price premium.

For more info on that, check out our HDMI 2.1 explainer.

Longer cables?

The vast majority of you will just need an HDMI cable of a few feet/meters to connect your TV to your nearby cable/satellite box, video streamer, 4K Blu-ray player, or game console. Some of you, though, are looking for something with a longer cable length. There are a lot of variables to consider, which we’ll discuss, so we don’t have a simple pick.

In broad strokes, the build and material quality is much more important in a long HDMI cable than short. Over 15 feet there is a much higher chance that a mediocre cable won’t work, or won’t work at the resolution you want. This still doesn’t mean you need to spend a fortune on a long cable, there are plenty of options for roughly the same price per-foot as the ones mentioned above. It does mean that no-name cables might be less likely to work. 

To put it another way, a poorly made 3-foot cable will probably work fine for most people, but a poorly made 15-foot cable probably won’t. With any long-run solution you’re considering, make sure it can handle 4K/60, HDR and so on. Many options can’t. There are three technologies to consider:

Active: An active HDMI cable has a small chip built into the cable that takes a little power from the device’s HDMI connector and uses it to boost the HDMI signal. These cables cost a little extra, but are far more likely to work. A long passive cable might work for you, but it might not. It depends on your gear. Since they’re not significantly more expensive, they’re worth considering for any long run.

Optical: Though a similar technology to the old-school audio interface, HDMI-over-optical is capable of far greater bandwidth. It’s also capable of far greater distances. It’s easy to find options that are over 330 feet. Prices have dropped radically in the last few years, with options available for similar prices per-foot as traditional copper cables. Most don’t even need external power. They work and look just like a thin HDMI cable.

Wireless: You could also skip cables completely and just go wireless. This isn’t quite as simple as it sounds, though. There are far too many considerations to get into here, but a few things to keep in mind: 1) They’re going to cost more than cables; 2) 4K options often only work in-room and can be blocked by anything, including cabinet doors and even people. Though wireless seems like it should be easy for multiple devices in this era of near-ubiquitous Wi-Fi, it’s not. If you’re considering this, definitely do your research before you buy.

Connected thoughts

There are, of course, many other cable options. 

If you want to keep hunting for the best deal, make sure the cable you’re considering is either Premium Certified, says it can do 4K/60, or can handle 18Gbps bandwidth. And it’s an added bonus if it has a great warranty like the Monoprice cables.

Keep in mind there’s no such thing as HDMI cable “versions.” As in, there’s no such thing as an “HDMI 2.0” cable. The version numbers refer to the physical connections in your TV, receiver or sound bar. So your TV and 4K Blu-ray player need to both have HDMI 2.0 to watch HDR content, but the cable connecting them couldn’t care less. It’s just a dumb pipe. 

As long as that pipe is “big” enough, which is to say it has enough bandwidth, you should be good to go. The 18Gbps bandwidth mentioned above came about with the HDMI 2.0 spec, so if a cable claims it, it’s likely built to handle the additional data that HDMI 2.0 connections can provide. The new Ultra High Speed cables are capable of 48Gbps, but that’s far beyond what any current source can send.

Lastly, if you want to run the cables through a wall, make sure you get HDMI cables specifically made for that. Check your local building codes for the HDMI specification you need. 

More home entertainment necessities

• Best 4K TVs for 2023, Tested and Reviewed
• Best TV for 2023
• Best 55-Inch TV for 2023
• Best 65-Inch TV for 2023
• Best Soundbars for 2023
• Best Streaming Device for 2023: Picks From Roku, Google, Amazon and Apple
• Quitting Netflix? Try These Free Options Instead
• Best Portable Projector for 2023

As well as covering TV and other display tech, Geoff does photo tours of cool museums and locations around the world, including nuclear submarines, massive aircraft carriers, medieval castles, epic 10,000-mile road trips, and more. Check out Tech Treks for all his tours and adventures.

He wrote a bestselling sci-fi novel about city-sized submarines, along with a sequel. You can follow his adventures on Instagram and his YouTube channel.

The Best HDMI Cables for Your TV in 2023

Most TVs you see on store shelves these days are “smart” models that come with streaming apps built-in. But to connect other peripherals, such as a next-gen game console or Blu-ray player, you’ll still want to keep a few HDMI cables on hand. You don’t have to spend a ton to get solid cable that can support the higher resolutions and frame rates of modern games and movies, just check out our picks for the best HDMI cables of 2023. 

Get the most out of Amazon Prime Day 2023

Amazon’s biggest shopping event of the year is officially here. We’ve scoured thousands of deals to find you the very best that our CNET experts recommend. Whether you’re looking to replace your old TV or laptop or you want some great everyday non-techie gear, we’ve got it right here. And be sure to check out our Prime Day Deals page and Liveblog since some of these deals come and go quickly.

Even the cheapest HDMI cables can handle 4K HDR signals nowadays, so there’s no reason to drop serious cash on one. But even in a level playing field, some cables are better than others. While there are some more expensive options out there, as long as the cable is able to pass the resolution you want, the picture will look the same as any other cable, regardless of price. The only thing you really need to think about is cable length.

With that in mind, we have some recommendations for inexpensive options that should work with any TV and source combination you have… as long as they connect with HDMI. 

Geoffrey Morrison/CNET

So grab your game console, plug in your cable box and fire up your streaming device, computer, cable or satellite box, home theater receiver or DVD, Blu-ray and Ultra HD player. Here are our top picks for the best, most reliable and affordable HDMI cables.

Read more: Best 4K TVs for 2023

Cable recommendations (6 feet): Monoprice or Cable Matters

I used 6-foot (1. 8-meter) cables as the example for pricing, but there are plenty of longer and shorter options. You can save some money getting shorter cables, but make sure they’re long enough for you to place your gear where you want. Measure twice, buy once.

Why are these brands considered the best HDMI cable? Because they’re the cheapest ones we trust and they have great warranties. The Amazon Basics Premium-Certified Braided HDMI Cable is also worth considering, and is available for around $8.

We don’t specifically review HDMI cables here at CNET, but in our TV test lab we’ve been using inexpensive cables from Amazon and Monoprice for years. All of them have carried hundreds of hours of 4K and HDR video flawlessly, with way more plugging and unplugging than typical cables are subject to. None have failed with compatible devices.

There are cheaper options, but beyond our own experience, our recommendations have great user reviews and have sold HDMI cables for years. They’re also rated to have the bandwidth to handle 4K and HDR content. This is often listed as “18Gbps,” referring to the amount of bandwidth possible, in gigabits per second, with the HDMI 2.0 standard (see below for HDMI 2.1 details).

Other options

Maybe you don’t want a Monoprice or Cable Matters HDMI cord for some reason. We checked a few other large retailers and found cables we liked from each one. Here they are.

Tripp Lite P568-006

$12 at Walmart$12 at Amazon

$12 at Walmart$12 at Amazon

Philips 4-foot High-Speed HDMI Cable

$9 at Target

$9 at Target

Do you really need new cables?

As we mentioned above, just because you’re getting a new TV doesn’t necessarily mean you need new HDMI cables, even if you’re upgrading to something with 4K and HDR. Over short distances, say under 6 feet, just about any recent “high speed HDMI cable” should work fine. “High Speed” is the rating used by HDMI companies to indicate cables that have the bandwidth to handle 1080p and greater video resolutions.

You can think of bandwidth like a pipe. You need to be able to get a lot of “water” through the pipe with 4K and HDR content. A high speed cable needs to be “big” enough to handle it all.

Unfortunately, there’s no way to tell just by looking at a cable whether it’s a high speed HDMI cable that can handle the deluge of data required for 4K and HDR content. Even if it says High Speed on the jacket, that’s not 100 percent useful. A cable can be considered a “high speed HDMI cable” if it passes 1080p, but not be well enough made to handle 4K. The only way to verify it works as high speed HDMI is to test it.

The good thing is, if it works, it works. For example, if you’re sending a 4K HDR signal from your 4K Blu-ray player to your 4K HDR TV and the TV shows a 4K HDR signal, you’re set. It’s not possible to get a better image using a different 4K HDMI cable. That’s not how the technology works.

There are only two “fails” with an HDMI cable. The most likely is you won’t get any signal at all: A blank or flashing screen. First, check that everything’s connected correctly and all your HDMI device settings are correct. 

A closeup view of the HDMI cable failure known as sparkles.

Geoffrey Morrison/CNET

The only other “fail” mode of HDMI cables is sparkles. This looks like snow on the screen. It can be heavy enough to look like static, like an old TV tuned to a dead channel, or it can be random-but-regular flashes of white pixels. This means you’ll need new cables. 

If the TV is receiving the same resolution you’re sending it (e.g., the TV says it’s 4K HDR when you’re sending 4K HDR), you’re all set. A different cable won’t make that image sharper, brighter or anything else. 

Also remember, if one step in your chain isn’t 4K HDR, nothing is. As in, if you connect a 4K Blu-ray disc player to an old sound bar and then to a 4K TV, you won’t be able to get a 4K signal to the TV. Also, some TVs only have one or two HDMI inputs that are HDMI 2. 1 compatible. Check your owner’s manual for that, too. 

What about HDMI 2.1? 

The latest version of HDMI is called 2.1. This is a huge leap forward in terms of bandwidth, capable of up to 8K resolutions and beyond. There are also new cables, called Ultra High Speed, and these can carry 8K signals as well as the popular 4K/120Hz used by the Xbox Series X and others. If you’re into gaming, it’s worth trading up to one of these, and as we found with the Cable Matters cords above, it doesn’t incur much of a price premium.

For more info on that, check out our HDMI 2.1 explainer.

Longer cables?

The vast majority of you will just need an HDMI cable of a few feet/meters to connect your TV to your nearby cable/satellite box, video streamer, 4K Blu-ray player, or game console. Some of you, though, are looking for something with a longer cable length. There are a lot of variables to consider, which we’ll discuss, so we don’t have a simple pick.

In broad strokes, the build and material quality is much more important in a long HDMI cable than short. Over 15 feet there is a much higher chance that a mediocre cable won’t work, or won’t work at the resolution you want. This still doesn’t mean you need to spend a fortune on a long cable, there are plenty of options for roughly the same price per-foot as the ones mentioned above. It does mean that no-name cables might be less likely to work. 

To put it another way, a poorly made 3-foot cable will probably work fine for most people, but a poorly made 15-foot cable probably won’t. With any long-run solution you’re considering, make sure it can handle 4K/60, HDR and so on. Many options can’t. There are three technologies to consider:

Active: An active HDMI cable has a small chip built into the cable that takes a little power from the device’s HDMI connector and uses it to boost the HDMI signal. These cables cost a little extra, but are far more likely to work. A long passive cable might work for you, but it might not. It depends on your gear. Since they’re not significantly more expensive, they’re worth considering for any long run.

Optical: Though a similar technology to the old-school audio interface, HDMI-over-optical is capable of far greater bandwidth. It’s also capable of far greater distances. It’s easy to find options that are over 330 feet. Prices have dropped radically in the last few years, with options available for similar prices per-foot as traditional copper cables. Most don’t even need external power. They work and look just like a thin HDMI cable.

Wireless: You could also skip cables completely and just go wireless. This isn’t quite as simple as it sounds, though. There are far too many considerations to get into here, but a few things to keep in mind: 1) They’re going to cost more than cables; 2) 4K options often only work in-room and can be blocked by anything, including cabinet doors and even people. Though wireless seems like it should be easy for multiple devices in this era of near-ubiquitous Wi-Fi, it’s not. If you’re considering this, definitely do your research before you buy.

Connected thoughts

There are, of course, many other cable options. 

If you want to keep hunting for the best deal, make sure the cable you’re considering is either Premium Certified, says it can do 4K/60, or can handle 18Gbps bandwidth. And it’s an added bonus if it has a great warranty like the Monoprice cables.

Keep in mind there’s no such thing as HDMI cable “versions.” As in, there’s no such thing as an “HDMI 2.0” cable. The version numbers refer to the physical connections in your TV, receiver or sound bar. So your TV and 4K Blu-ray player need to both have HDMI 2.0 to watch HDR content, but the cable connecting them couldn’t care less. It’s just a dumb pipe. 

As long as that pipe is “big” enough, which is to say it has enough bandwidth, you should be good to go. The 18Gbps bandwidth mentioned above came about with the HDMI 2.0 spec, so if a cable claims it, it’s likely built to handle the additional data that HDMI 2.0 connections can provide. The new Ultra High Speed cables are capable of 48Gbps, but that’s far beyond what any current source can send.

Lastly, if you want to run the cables through a wall, make sure you get HDMI cables specifically made for that. Check your local building codes for the HDMI specification you need. 

More home entertainment necessities

• Best 4K TVs for 2023, Tested and Reviewed
• Best TV for 2023
• Best 55-Inch TV for 2023
• Best 65-Inch TV for 2023
• Best Soundbars for 2023
• Best Streaming Device for 2023: Picks From Roku, Google, Amazon and Apple
• Quitting Netflix? Try These Free Options Instead
• Best Portable Projector for 2023

As well as covering TV and other display tech, Geoff does photo tours of cool museums and locations around the world, including nuclear submarines, massive aircraft carriers, medieval castles, epic 10,000-mile road trips, and more. Check out Tech Treks for all his tours and adventures.

He wrote a bestselling sci-fi novel about city-sized submarines, along with a sequel. You can follow his adventures on Instagram and his YouTube channel.

A few tips on how to choose an HDMI cable for your TV

Material Information

Questions and answers

If you still do not know how to choose an HDMI cable that is reliable, does not attenuate the signal and supports all the important functions of a modern TV, we will try to help you. We suggest using several important characteristics as selection criteria: cost, version of the standard, dimensions, connector shape.

Cost

No matter how hard marketers try to highlight the special qualities of expensive HDMI cables (more than $100) that include gold and silver elements, practice has shown that they practically do not differ from budget 5-dollar counterparts in terms of their ability to transmit video signals and multi-channel audio without loss .

If you’re not going to be constantly unplugging and plugging the HDMI cable into your TV and peripherals, it’s worth buying an inexpensive version of it. This axiom is valid for short HDMI cables (up to 10 meters).

HDMI cable version

Since the adoption of the HDMI standard in 2002, the following versions have been developed: 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.2a, 1.3, 1.3b, 1.4a, 1.4b, 2.0. Today, most modern multimedia equipment supports HDMI 1.4, although there are quite a few cables of the old 1.3 standard on the market.

The latest version of HDMI 2.0, providing ultra-high resolution 3D picture transmission at higher frame rates (50/60 Hz), is used only in top models of electronic equipment. For the average user who wants to watch 3D programs and UltraHD video in acceptable quality (at a frame rate of 25/30 Hz), it will be quite sufficient to stop at an HDMI cable version 1.4.

Some HDMI cables are marked with the word Ethernet, which means that they have an additional twisted pair cable that allows you to connect directly to the Internet. The moment is debatable, given that most modern TVs already support Smart technologies, which involve wireless and wired web switching methods.

HDMI cable dimensions

When choosing an HDMI cable, you should be guided by a simple rule: the longer you need the cable, the thicker it should be. In this case, manufacturers use thicker conductors and a good layer of insulation, which do not contribute to signal attenuation and provide increased reliability of the cable itself.

Let’s say experts say that if an HDMI cable is about 5 meters long, its thickness should not be less than 7 mm. But a 20-meter cable should not be narrower than 11 mm. Sometimes the HDMI cable marking is indicated not in the metric system that is familiar to us, but in the American AWG parameter. In this case, remember: the smaller the indicated AWG, the thicker the HDMI cable will be.

Connector shape

Well, the last parameter that determines which HDMI cable to choose is the shape of the connector. Today, 4 types of HDMI connectors are most common:

• HDMI Standard or Full Size (Type A Full Size) – for most modern home equipment;
• Mini HDMI (Type C Mini) – for smartphones, tablets, portable video players and digital camcorders;
• Micro HDMI (Type D Micro) – for digital camcorders and miniature devices such as video cards;
• Car HDMI (Type E) – more secure.

Therefore, before going to the store, it is advisable to look at the technical documentation of the equipment that you want to connect with a cable to find out what type of HDMI connector it uses.

If the materials in this article did not help you solve your question, ask it on our forum.

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What an HDMI 9 cable looks like0001

With the HDMI interface, we can digitally transmit uncompressed audio and video signals. The method of transmission using a digital wire appeared on the market almost 15 years ago. What does an HDMI cable look like?

Many wires on sale look similar and customers don’t focus on their specifications when choosing a wire for a home theater, console or receiver. Does it matter how we choose the cable? Undoubtedly!

This article will tell you which digital cord to choose for individual devices, but first, let’s find out what an HDMI cable is, how transmission through this interface works, why it is worth buying an HDMI cable, what it is used for and what parameters such a wire should have.

HDMI cable and interface

HDMI is an abbreviation of High-Definition Multimedia Interface, which in English means High Definition Multimedia Interface. The presentation of this standard took place in 2003. Since then, a lot has changed, and several remakes of it have already appeared on the market. Each of them offered increasingly faster data transfer than its predecessor.

As already mentioned, this standard is used to send uncompressed multi-channel audio and video data. The digital cord is ideal for connecting digital devices. Thanks to a single standard, it is possible to combine most television devices such as Blu-ray players or even DVD players, TVs, game consoles, set-top boxes, decoders or monitors. Configuration options are plentiful.

Starting with version 1.4, HDMI technology supports resolutions greater than 1080p, including Deep Color and 3D formats. The HDMI High Speed ​​Cable has been designed to provide 1080p resolution and beyond, including new display technologies such as 3D, 4K and Deep Color.

HDMI cable classification

The HDMI standard is actually a mess. Of course, in the standards tables everything is described in great detail, which is true, in fact we have many modifications of the HDMI standard, and they all refer to the connector, which looks identical in each version. It’s no surprise that electronics vendors are trying to exploit this confusion and push us to buy expensive but unnecessary cords.

HDMI technology has four main cable versions:

• standard – for 1080i scanning;
• high speed – for 4K/60Hz;
• premium – for 4K/60 Hz, but with full color resolution 4:4:4, that is, without the so-called subsampling;
• ultra high speed – for 10K using connector in version 2.1.

Speaking of connectors, in terms of the intensity of the supported signal, there are also four main options:

• in version 1.0-1.2a, approximate throughput is up to 5 Gbps;
• version 1.3-1.4b provides up to 10 Gbps;
• version 2.0-2.0b – up to 18 Gbps;
• version 2.1 – up to 48 Gbps.

The latest version of the HDMI 2.1 standard was announced on November 28, 2017. The HDMI 2.1 cable supports a maximum data rate of 42.6Gbps, and can also support the Display Stream Compression (DSC) function to transmit images at a resolution of 7680×4320 at 120Hz.

HDMI cable connectors

HDMI technology implies a high quality plug connection. Connectors HDMI cable may have different. The classic digital wire has two plugs (“male”). On sale, you may find wires with a female contact (“mother”) on one side and a plug (“male”) on the other side as an extension cord. There are also corner or swivel ends available, which will be useful, for example, when you hang the TV on the wall.

Continued progress and miniaturization are driving manufacturers to equip equipment with smaller and smaller connectors as their throughput increases. The microHDMI and miniHDMI standard is designed for portable device connectors.

Connecting a TV to a computer is not a problem at the moment. Just make sure your computer and TV have HDMI jacks. Every HD TV has at least one or two HDMI connectors. Laptops often have HDMI, while ultrabooks or other models offer microHDMI. If your computer has microHDMI installed, you will need to purchase a microHDMI/HDMI adapter or cable with this adapter.

HDMI cable recommendations

what maximum permissions will be sent on it.

When buying HDMI cable for TV from , choose High Speed ​​HDMI Cable, version 1.3 or 1.4, up to 15 meters long. High-speed transmission is especially useful when watching movies in Full HD mode.

D A lower cord will do for the monitor. Of course, by choosing a High Speed ​​wire, you will eliminate bottlenecks that lead to slow information transfer. But in most cases, standard wire should do the trick. There is also a length restriction – no more than 15 m, and the optimal length is 3-5 meters. It is advisable to choose a digital cable 1.3+, with Deep Color support, as well as a bandwidth of 340 MHz.

For PlayStation 4, as with TVs, you need a High Speed ​​cable with Ethernet or just High Speed. When playing on PlayStation 4, it is recommended to use a faster transfer. By choosing version 1.4+, you will be able to use Dolby True HD support, audio return channel, 340 MHz bandwidth, 10.20 Gbps maximum bit rate, and audio video synchronization.

Before choosing an HDMI cable for connecting digital gadgets, you should check the quality of the materials from which it is made:

• copper-aluminum – inexpensive, but more prone to cracking;
• copper-steel – strong but less flexible;
• Oxygen Free Copper is the most commonly used material in the digital cord industry, featuring high conductivity and no signal attenuation issues, supporting all the features offered by the HDMI standard.

Expensive or cheap

Cheap and expensive digital wires do not differ in terms of picture and sound quality. Big name fancy cables won’t provide improved contrast or saturation, but rather they will ensure that there are no problems. Moreover, expensive cables, due to the use of various creative shielding methods, become rigid, difficult to bend and hide from view.

You may find digital cords labeled Premium. Does that mean they are any better? Partly yes. Premium is a paid certificate that is issued to the manufacturer. This marking tells us that this wire can operate up to 18 Gb / s and will cope with the 2.0 standard. But products without this badge of honor also support the indicated transfer rate, so you shouldn’t specifically “chase” it, but you just need to carefully study the inscriptions on the packaging.

The best idea when choosing an HDMI cable is to buy an ordinary, simple digital cable, and in case of problems that most likely will not arise, give it anti-advertising.

How do I check if the digital cable works when I buy it? Follow the instructions:

• check the wire with a cable tester, you can order it from the online store;
• inspect the soldering of the connector for mechanical defects, the color of the metal of the plug should not differ;
• inspect the entire length of the cord – no protrusions or irregularities are allowed;
• study the packaging, it must contain information about the manufacturer and have a presentation.

What HDMI cable should be like

You already know that the quality of a cable for digital technology does not match the quality of the picture, although the cheapest copies may simply be faulty. We have also determined that the Premium mark is more of an official payment for a flawless guarantee than a criterion that affects the quality of what will be connected to our TV. Does this mean that you can take the first available cable from the shelf and head to the checkout?

Not exactly. Those who buy the wire only for watching TV and movies in Full HD may do so. However, it’s time to prepare for the UHD standard, that is, 4K resolution with HDR. Perhaps you already have such a TV, or will.

HDR (High Dynamic Range)

Good cables should have high transmission capacity and maximum resolution at a screen refresh rate of 60 Hz – at least 18 Gbps and 4K with HDR, respectively. Slower cables will transmit at 24Hz and provide 4K resolution but no HDR.

Maximum length

The length of the wire is one of the main parameters to consider when making a purchase. Therefore, the route and length of the cord should be thought out in advance.

The maximum allowable length of an HDMI wire cannot exceed 15 meters – this is the recommendation of the HDMI Working Group (with Hitachi, Panasonic, Philips, Sony, Thomson, Toshiba) overseeing the standard. If your telecommunications infrastructure requires the use of a longer wire, then you will have to resort to the so-called repeaters or signal regenerators.