An HDMI cable may last five days or five years, depending on the person using them. In most cases, these cables are resilient and strong, so it's rare to see a case in which an HDMI cable breaks. One of the few reasons people throw away older HDMI cables is because they upgrade to new HDMI cables.
Yes, HDMI cables deteriorate. Common problems that may be signs or symptoms of a bad cable include no picture and no sound. If you suspect your cables have gone bad, you can try to check your system settings or buy a new HDMI cable.
Like many audio, video, and data cables, HDMI cords can suffer from signal degradation at longer lengths—50 feet is generally considered the maximum reliable length. And it's rare to see an HDMI cable longer than 25 feet in a store. Even online, cables more than 50 feet long can be hard to find.
HDMI cable's length can be just as important as what brand or video-handling technology it uses. Overly long cables may decrease quality so much so that you notice a distracting amount of noise on your screen's image. This is what happens when HDMI cables are too long.
Does the length of HDMI cable matter? Yes, the length of an HDMI cable matters. A shorter HDMI cable has less distance for the signal to travel, which will result in less signal loss. A longer HDMI cable will require the signal to travel for a greater distance, and end up with lower quality picture and audio.
Can a very expensive HDMI cable show a better picture and sound quality than a cheaper one? The quick answer is no. An HDMI cable, regardless of the materials used, can either transmit a signal or not – there's no in-between. An expensive HDMI doesn't produce richer colors or crisper sound than cheaper versions.
For resolutions near 4K, it's recommended to use an HDMI cable that is no longer than 3 meters (10 feet). After that distance, the signal can start to degrade. For lower resolutions, the reliable distance is much longer, with the most common being 15 meters (50 feet).
Although gold-plated cables are advantageous and even required like professional grade electronics, regular HDMI cables can provide decent picture quality. However, gold-plated is always better. Gold-plated cables provide the same image quality as the source – high quality.
Check your HDMI cable connections. Disconnect the HDMI cable from your source device and the TV and then reconnect making sure the connection is secure. If the issue continues, try using a different or new HDMI cable.
You can determine if your existing cable is adequate in one of two ways. Check if the cable is labeled as High Speed, Premium High Speed, or Ultra High Speed. If your HDMI cable doesn't clearly specify what type it is, you might be able to look it up if the manufacturer and part number are printed on the cord.
If you can't reuse them or find someone else who will use them, take your old wires and cables to the nearest e-waste recycling facility. Many companies that accept electronics for recycling, such as Best Buy, may also accept cables, wires, and cords.
The HDMI cable standard can impact color and resolution, but newer versions are not required for 4K TV.
For consumers, it's important to understand the differences in cables to get the best HDMI cable without paying an arm and a leg. The “4k HDMI” label is mostly marketing, so it doesn't mean a specific feature that will improve image quality.
Relative to a standard HDMI cable, the main difference is that a high speed cable uses HDMI versions 1.3 to 1.4a. This introduces features like deep color and 3D graphics. The bandwidth also increases to 10Gbps.
Regular Cables. One claim that manufacturers make with gold HDMI cables is that the gold plating helps with transmitting the signal. They claim that, because gold is a better conductor of electricity than regular cables, there's less "deterioration" as the signal passes into and out of the cable.
Contrary to popular belief (and misinformation) HDMI cables don't actually make all that much difference in overall picture quality. Sadly, people are still buying overpriced HDMI cables in droves, spending far too much money than necessary, believing they'll get far better quality video.
Maximum Length of HDMI Cables. Generally speaking, the maximum reliable length possible for passive HDMI cables that will have a good signal transmission is 25 feet. If you want a resolution near 4K, then the HDMI cable should be at most 3 meters or 10 feet in order to preserve video quality.
Yes, two HDMI cables can be connected together using an HDMI repeater. This does not only connect two HDMI wires but also boosts the quality of the data signal coming from the source gadget to the output. HDMI extender coupled with ethernet cables is also a possible way to connect two wires together.
Advantages of Fiber Optic HDMI Cable
First of all, a fiber optic HDMI cable can deliver top performance even in very long distances. There is no degradation of signals over large distances of transmission. For conventional HDMI cables, their signals usually start to attenuate at a distance of 25 feet/7.5 meters.
While 4k HDMI 2.0 is a good choice for your AV equipment, 8k HDMI 2.1 has more benefits. It surpasses some inefficiencies you may experience when using 4k cable, meaning lag-free gaming, real-time gameplay, and low latency.
And even the broken or faulty HDMI cable won't cause any damage to your TV. But, an HDMI cable can be so faulty at times that it leads to distortion of your TV video and audio. For instance, if you raise the volume too high, you may begin to hear a scratching noise from your speakers.
1) Longer life span: The biggest advantage to using a braided cable is that they have a longer lifespan. Their build and inherent structural integrity makes them less prone to kinks and twists, and hence can withstand a lot of abuse.