Cheap cables offer poor quality: Cheaper HDMI cables can work as well as as premium ones in some circumstances. Premium HDMI cables can boost your quality: You can't push the picture quality beyond the connected devices' capabilities.
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.
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.
Yes, cheap HDMI cable can cause problems. The cheap price usually means the materials used are less durable and might even cause you more problems earlier on. Our experts suggest getting a cable of high quality to minimize potential issues.
So, it is always better to use 8K cables for audio/video with 8K or high resolutions. As discussed earlier, 8k HDMI cables can also handle 4K content at 120 frames per second; they are best for high-end gaming. However, you will need a 4K PC with over 60 fps to support the latest game consoles.
Compared to 4K, 8K has a better resolution and frame rate. HDMI 2.1 lowers the throttle since a cable's bandwidth controls how much data it can transmit. 8K cables transmit data at a rate of up to 48gbps, which is more than twice as fast as 4K cables, which only transmit data at a rate of up to 18.2Gbps.
HDMI® Specification HDMI 2.1a is the most recent update of the HDMI® specification and supports a range of higher video resolutions and refresh rates including 8K60 and 4K120, and resolutions up to 10K. Dynamic HDR formats are also supported, and bandwidth capability is increased up to 48Gbps.
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.
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.
There are a few exceptions, but for the most part, any cable you find at the store will support a 4K video. Now, it may not support 4K video at a higher framerate. For this, you might need to source an ultra-high-speed of premium HDMI cable.
Although it is true that gold-plated cables are superior to regular cables, probably the main difference is the maximum bandwidth. While regular cables can achieve maximum transfers of 10 Gbit/s, a gold-plated cable can go up to 17 Gbit/s.
Premium HDMI Cables are a special certification for High Speed HDMI Cables that have been designed and certified for ultra-reliable performance for 4K/UltraHD at up to 18Gbps bandwidth including advanced features such as 4K60, HDR, and expanded color spaces including BT.
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.
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.
But you may need to replace them eventually
The one caveat to all this is that while HDMI cables don't simply go bad over time– they may need to be replaced one day. There are physical damage reasons that that might happen, such as extreme force shearing the cable in two, or damaging the internal wiring.
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.
Standard, High-Speed, Premium High-Speed, and Ultra High-Speed HDMI cables can also support an additional HDMI Ethernet Channel (HEC). These cables are made to allow multiple HDMI-connected devices to share a single traditional Ethernet connection to a broadband router at speeds of up to 100 Mb/sec.
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.
The PowerBear 8K HDMI Cable
The PowerBear 6 foot HDMI cable boasts 8K resolution at 60 Hz, along with compatibility with 4K and 2K and 1080P resolutions. The gold plated connectors provide high speed bandwidth for amazing video and sound quality.
Currently, HDMI 2.0 cables are needed to achieve a 4K picture at 60fps or an 8K picture at 30fps. HDMI 2.1, on the other hand, promises 4K resolution at 120fps, 8K resolution at 60fps, and a ceiling that will ultimately support 10K resolution—whenever the industry happens to reach that point.
Active optical HDMI cables can reach a maximum length of 40 metres, while the newest 4K and 8K HDMI cables are limited to 10 metres and 5 metres respectively. Remember that although 30 metres is the maximum length for an HDMI cable, shorter lengths may also be required depending on your device and setup.
HDMI 2.1 – the latest and greatest HDMI version – has the most support for 144Hz with the least compromise, allowing 1440p and 4K resolution at 144Hz; although anything higher than that and you'll need to use Display Stream Compression (DSC) or Chroma Subsampling. That said, 144Hz 4K TVs are few and far between.