One of the most prevalent symptoms of a broken HDMI cable is the appearance of sparks or dazzling specks. These distortions are generally white. The sparks may sound like shooting stars or white noise, but you can also confuse them with mild interference.
An expensive HDMI doesn't produce richer colors or crisper sound than cheaper versions. However, an HDMI cable made with better materials can be more durable, and support higher bandwidth at longer distances, but it won't offer any difference with the picture quality.
Computers can send the maximum resolution and frame rate possible in the current HDMI spec. If you've got a beefy computer and want to connect to a UHD TV, it's probably worth it to get Ultra High Speed or at least Premium Certified cables. Noncertified cables might work, but it's less likely.
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.
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.
When it comes down to 4K TV, you do not need to pick up special HDMI cables. The HDMI cable standard can impact color and resolution, but newer versions are not required for 4K TV.
The “4k HDMI” label is mostly marketing, so it doesn't mean a specific feature that will improve image quality. But if you have any cables past the HDMI 1.4 version, then they will be moving the same 4k image across the cable regardless of any marketing.
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.
Most cable standards will provide the appropriate bandwidth and support for most display resolutions we see today. Even an HDMI 1.4 cable, released in 2009, can support 4K video at around 24 FPS. This means that even older cables have the capacity to handle video and audio from today's modern TVs and displays.
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).
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.
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.
The majority of HDMI connectors in use today are the Type A (Standard), Type C (Mini) and Type D (Micro) shown below. HDMI Type B (Dual Link) was developed for very high-resolution displays but was never used.
HDMI 2.1 allows for higher resolutions like 8K and higher frame rates of up to 120 frames per second (fps). Resolution improves the clarity and sharpness of the picture, which means you can simply see more details, and have less distance to the screen or a bigger screen without noticing any pixels.
HDMI 2.1 is only needed if you want to use HDMI with 4K over 60Hz. This applies to consoles, as on PC you can get the same performance with DisplayPort 1.4, which is readily available. So, it's likely adding HDMI 2.1 cables and expense to your setup is not something you need to worry about now.
So while a bad HDMI cable won't necessarily render your TV useless, it can cause severe damage to individual components.
Video Resolutions – HDMI cables currently on the market accommodate video resolutions of 1080i/720p, 1080p, 4K or 8K. If you are simply replacing a cable to connect older 1080i or 720p components, a standard HDMI cable will suffice.
Is it worth spending more on HDMI cables? The short answer is no, spending more on HDMI cables shouldn't affect the quality of your picture. So while more expensive models may last longer, they shouldn't offer any noticeable visual or audio benefits over cheaper HDMI cables.
One of the most common causes of HDMI signal loss or interference is a faulty or incompatible cable. A faulty cable can have damaged connectors, loose wires, or bent pins that prevent the signal from reaching the device.
It doesn't matter how long the cable is, it is the electronics in the TV that define the input lag value. After all, we are talking about difference in nanoseconds here since signal moves inside the HDMI cable at 85% of the Speed of Light, making these lengths too small for any significant difference.
Your TV may look blurry or fuzzy because you might be using an incorrect aspect ratio, a lower resolution setting, a smaller bitrate setting, a sharpness setting that's too low, using an older HDMI cable that isn't high speed, a blur reduction/motion setting that should/shouldn't be toggled on, or the possibility that ...
The 4k image is smoother and has more detail than the 1080p image. Look closely and you'll see that the edges around objects in the 1080p picture are a bit more blurry, and text looks clearer on the 4k TV.
With HDMI 2.0b, we could enjoy a maximum of 4K resolution at a maximum frame rate of 60Hz. With HDMI 2.1, we can get 4K at 120Hz, 8K at 60Hz, and right up to 10K resolution for industrial and commercial applications. This is particularly great news for gamers, as higher frame rates mean smoother, better-looking games.