Amazing prices for HDMI cables
 

On May 7, 9:13*pm, Roderick Stewart
wrote:
In article , Clive Page wrote:
I decided it would be useful occasionally to be able connect my newish
laptop to our TV, and found that both had HDMI connections (which I've
no experience of using before). *So off to buy an HDMI cable...

Messrs Maplin have a shop near us so I often get such items there, but
their prices were £25 and upwards which surprised me; other local shops
like PC World had prices which were similar or even further into the
stratosphere. *I then Googled and found a number of on-line retailers
selling them at around £5 which seemed more reasonable. *Then to ebay
where I've just got one from a UK dealer, delivered in under 2 days, for
£1-19 including postage and packing. *It works fine.

Is there something I'm missing about the need for gold-plated (and
presumably diamond-encrusted) HDMI cables in some situations, that
obviously I don't need? *I can't think of any other commodity item where
there's a price ratio of over 20:1 between competing retailers.

The fact that you're asking this means the only thing you're missing is
gullibility, an all too common property in too many others.

For the expensive cables, you'd be paying for packaging and bull****. For
some people, technical sounding bull**** presented in a convincing way
seems to be taken as a substitute for peace of mind, the reasoning
apparently being that the extra money pays for something terribly clever
and technical that they couldn't possibly understand but which will save
them from the cost of repairs or the services of somebody with real
knowledge later on. In reality, cables are just made of metal wires, and
the electrons can't read the price labels.

Rod.
--
Virtual Access V6.3 free usenet/email software fromhttp://sourceforge.net/projects/virtual-access/

This is the only reasonably scientific test I've seen, and this proved
that a properly constructed 2 quid cable gave exactly the same picture
as a hundred quid one:-

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/di...vs-hdmi?page=2

Amazing prices for HDMI cables
 

On Saturday, May 7th, 2011 at 12:39:37h +0100, Clive Page asked:

Is there something I'm missing about the need for gold-plated (and
presumably diamond-encrusted) HDMI cables in some situations, that
obviously I don't need?

The only thing to keep in mind is the version of HDMI which the cable
supports, although the versions are backwards compatible.

Helpful summary at

http://en.wikipedia.ORG/wiki/HDMI

Amazing prices for HDMI cables
 

In message , "Brian Gaff, probably.."
wrote
Its the continuing erosion of margins of course. Back in the old days of hi
fi, you often read the letters pages from small shops saying that joe public
came in, did an hours worth of demos, then pushed off and bought the item
cheap at a box shifters warehouse. Now these themselves are being replaced
by internet shops, who don't need expensive accessable venues, jst a web
site and a storeage site.

They may not even need a storage facility. Often they just pass your
name on to the manufacturer/importer who deliver direct to you cutting
out the need to deliver to an intermediate warehouse.

--
Alan
news2009 {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

Amazing prices for HDMI cables
 

On 07/05/2011 12:39, Clive Page wrote:
I decided it would be useful occasionally to be able connect my newish
laptop to our TV, and found that both had HDMI connections (which I've
no experience of using before). So off to buy an HDMI cable...

Messrs Maplin have a shop near us so I often get such items there, but
their prices were £25 and upwards which surprised me; other local shops
like PC World had prices which were similar or even further into the
stratosphere. I then Googled and found a number of on-line retailers
selling them at around £5 which seemed more reasonable. Then to ebay
where I've just got one from a UK dealer, delivered in under 2 days, for
£1-19 including postage and packing. It works fine.

Is there something I'm missing about the need for gold-plated (and
presumably diamond-encrusted) HDMI cables in some situations, that
obviously I don't need? I can't think of any other commodity item where
there's a price ratio of over 20:1 between competing retailers.


It's a digital cable. The bits get there, or they don't. You'd have to
be very (un)lucky to get a cable which would give you most of the bits
(so it worked at all) but dropped a few (so you get picture degradation).

Unless the plugs were loose - which would be pretty obvious.

What you are missing is of course the profit margin.

Andy

Amazing prices for HDMI cables
 

"Clive Page" wrote in message
...
I decided it would be useful occasionally to be able connect my newish
laptop to our TV, and found that both had HDMI connections (which I've no
experience of using before). So off to buy an HDMI cable...

Messrs Maplin have a shop near us so I often get such items there, but
their prices were £25 and upwards which surprised me; other local shops
like PC World had prices which were similar or even further into the
stratosphere. I then Googled and found a number of on-line retailers
selling them at around £5 which seemed more reasonable. Then to ebay
where I've just got one from a UK dealer, delivered in under 2 days, for
£1-19 including postage and packing. It works fine.

Is there something I'm missing about the need for gold-plated (and
presumably diamond-encrusted) HDMI cables in some situations, that
obviously I don't need? I can't think of any other commodity item where
there's a price ratio of over 20:1 between competing retailers.


--
Clive Page

Indeed!

CPC, Micro Direct and Aria have them for sensible prices and expect them in
the pound shop soon.

Gold plating is only desirable for connections that will be made and broken
frequently (e.g. plugging in a video camera). Even then this does not jack
up the price that much: -

CPC - HDMI cable from 95p (1m)
CPC - HDMI cable with gold plated connectors from £1.57p (0.15m)

HDMI is a digital signal, so it either gets there or it doesn't - for
example your ADSL probably comes down a couple of miles of hair thin,
corroded and immersed aluminium cable from the exchange, but manages several
Mbps with BERR rates of maybe one a week (worse than ISDN that could go for
months).

Amazing prices for HDMI cables
 

On 08/05/2011 20:56, R. Mark Clayton wrote:
"Clive wrote in message
...
I decided it would be useful occasionally to be able connect my newish
laptop to our TV, and found that both had HDMI connections (which I've no
experience of using before). So off to buy an HDMI cable...

Messrs Maplin have a shop near us so I often get such items there, but
their prices were £25 and upwards which surprised me; other local shops
like PC World had prices which were similar or even further into the
stratosphere. I then Googled and found a number of on-line retailers
selling them at around £5 which seemed more reasonable. Then to ebay
where I've just got one from a UK dealer, delivered in under 2 days, for
£1-19 including postage and packing. It works fine.

Is there something I'm missing about the need for gold-plated (and
presumably diamond-encrusted) HDMI cables in some situations, that
obviously I don't need? I can't think of any other commodity item where
there's a price ratio of over 20:1 between competing retailers.


--
Clive Page

Indeed!

CPC, Micro Direct and Aria have them for sensible prices and expect them in
the pound shop soon.

Gold plating is only desirable for connections that will be made and broken
frequently (e.g. plugging in a video camera). Even then this does not jack
up the price that much: -

CPC - HDMI cable from 95p (1m)
CPC - HDMI cable with gold plated connectors from £1.57p (0.15m)

HDMI is a digital signal, so it either gets there or it doesn't - for
example your ADSL probably comes down a couple of miles of hair thin,
corroded and immersed aluminium cable from the exchange, but manages several
Mbps with BERR rates of maybe one a week (worse than ISDN that could go for
months).



EEK, but what about the skin tones? What about the audio transprency? I
feel like a veil has been lifted with my Russ Andrews HDMI cables. But
don't expect to see the same benefit yourself untill you have upgraded
your mains leads to at least mithrill or unobtanium.

My own amps have 33kv input transformers to avoid local load variations.
I pay for a 33Kv feed and meetering. It's totally worth it. The
sound is so un-veilled, I can imagine $celeb totally naked without even
going on the internet.

--
R




--
R

Amazing prices for HDMI cables
 

Roger Mills wrote:

So are you saying that the leads which the OP has seen at vastly
differing prices are actually *identical* but with different mark-ups
applied - or is there any physical difference?

Obviously there are physical differences because the leads are made in
different factories, and some will perhaps be more durable or more
pleasing to the eye than others. But HDMI is a digital interface, so to
put it crudely the lead is either going to work or it isn't.

Bill

Amazing prices for HDMI cables
 

On May 8, 11:10*pm, Ron Lowe wrote:
On 08/05/2011 20:56, R. Mark Clayton wrote:





"Clive *wrote in message
...
I decided it would be useful occasionally to be able connect my newish
laptop to our TV, and found that both had HDMI connections (which I've no
experience of using before). *So off to buy an HDMI cable...

Messrs Maplin have a shop near us so I often get such items there, but
their prices were £25 and upwards which surprised me; other local shops
like PC World had prices which were similar or even further into the
stratosphere. *I then Googled and found a number of on-line retailers
selling them at around £5 which seemed more reasonable. *Then to ebay
where I've just got one from a UK dealer, delivered in under 2 days, for
£1-19 including postage and packing. *It works fine.

Is there something I'm missing about the need for gold-plated (and
presumably diamond-encrusted) HDMI cables in some situations, that
obviously I don't need? *I can't think of any other commodity item where
there's a price ratio of over 20:1 between competing retailers.

--
Clive Page

Indeed!

CPC, Micro Direct and Aria have them for sensible prices and expect them in
the pound shop soon.

Gold plating is only desirable for connections that will be made and broken
frequently (e.g. plugging in a video camera). *Even then this does not jack
up the price that much: -

CPC - HDMI cable from 95p (1m)
CPC - HDMI cable with gold plated connectors from £1.57p (0.15m)

HDMI is a digital signal, so it either gets there or it doesn't - for
example your ADSL probably comes down a couple of miles of hair thin,
corroded and immersed aluminium cable from the exchange, but manages several
Mbps with BERR rates of maybe one a week (worse than ISDN that could go for
months).

EEK, but what about the skin tones? What about the audio transprency? I
feel like a veil has been lifted with my Russ Andrews HDMI cables. * But
don't expect to see the same benefit yourself untill you have upgraded
your mains leads to at least mithrill or unobtanium.

My own amps have 33kv input transformers to avoid local load variations.
* I pay for a 33Kv feed and meetering. *It's totally worth it. *The
sound is so un-veilled, I can imagine $celeb totally naked without even
going on the internet.

non of which is any use unless you have the following:


http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/w...comments/4309/


--
R

--
R- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Amazing prices for HDMI cables
 

On 08/05/2011 20:56, R. Mark Clayton wrote:
"Clive wrote in message
...
I decided it would be useful occasionally to be able connect my newish
laptop to our TV, and found that both had HDMI connections (which I've no
experience of using before). So off to buy an HDMI cable...

Messrs Maplin have a shop near us so I often get such items there, but
their prices were £25 and upwards which surprised me; other local shops
like PC World had prices which were similar or even further into the
stratosphere. I then Googled and found a number of on-line retailers
selling them at around £5 which seemed more reasonable. Then to ebay
where I've just got one from a UK dealer, delivered in under 2 days, for
£1-19 including postage and packing. It works fine.

Is there something I'm missing about the need for gold-plated (and
presumably diamond-encrusted) HDMI cables in some situations, that
obviously I don't need? I can't think of any other commodity item where
there's a price ratio of over 20:1 between competing retailers.


--
Clive Page

Indeed!

CPC, Micro Direct and Aria have them for sensible prices and expect them in
the pound shop soon.

Gold plating is only desirable for connections that will be made and broken
frequently (e.g. plugging in a video camera). Even then this does not jack
up the price that much: -

CPC - HDMI cable from 95p (1m)
CPC - HDMI cable with gold plated connectors from £1.57p (0.15m)

HDMI is a digital signal, so it either gets there or it doesn't - for
example your ADSL probably comes down a couple of miles of hair thin,
corroded and immersed aluminium cable from the exchange, but manages several
Mbps with BERR rates of maybe one a week (worse than ISDN that could go for
months).



I have had problems choosing cables from CPC -
basically down to "how cheap should I go"? Are the £1
ones likely to fall apart when you open the packet?
Will they have the "almost-fitting" type of connectors
that are either a struggle to install or else will
work loose just with normal levels of case vibration?

It's not quite the same as the OP's dilemma, as
there's very little price differential between several
different brands on sale. I just tend to avoid the
very cheapest. Even then, I don't think I've paid
more than £4.

I have had a problem with one cheap cable causing
interference with the TV signal. It's possible some
of these are not well screened. Sometimes the TV
fails to see connected HDMI devices and I end up
unplugging the cable, but this could be down to the TV
or device interfaces. It doesn't seem the most
reliable technology, but I wouldn't know how far to
blame the cables. More likely, problems are caused by
varying interpretations of the interface specifications.

As for ADSL, my line is currently showing errors every
second, but it still works, mostly. I'm not sure HDMI
would survive that.

Amazing prices for HDMI cables
 

On 09/05/2011 15:53, Jim wrote:

As for ADSL, my line is currently showing errors every second, but it
still works, mostly. I'm not sure HDMI would survive that.

HDMI wouldn't. ADSL has error correction.

As someone who is on the wrong end of "a couple of miles of hair thin,
corroded and immersed aluminium cable" I know this...

Andy