DDorrell86 wrote:I was looking for a cheap 12 foot one just a couple days ago and the cheapest one they had at best buy near me was $99.99. This is a fantastic buy if you're wanting to condense audio and hi def video into one cable. However if your hooking up a 10 grand entertainment system, cough up the money and get some higher end cables... you'll be glad you did.

Couldn't agree with you more, and anyone who disagrees is flat out wrong. If you are building a $10k entertainment system, $100 cables are an easy way to get to that number fast. Personally though, my goal is quality, so i'll skip the monster cables.

timmyd24601 wrote:Because you get superior service... As somebody who works in a locally owned "brick and mortar" store, if you buy a cable from us and it doesn't work, we replace it...

And also you get what you pay for, yes even with digital cables... By buying a quality product for more (not saying Monster is quality, because they aren't, Monster sucks...) you get a much more consistent performance for much longer...

That being said, for this price, you can replace them every month and it would still be worth it...

So what goes wrong with a cable over time? The way I would use these cables would probably not involve a lot of moving around and repeated flexing and unplugging.

Here's a summary of what v1.4 adds to v1.3b:

HDMI 1.4: Added Ethernet capability. If one HDMI 1.4 device is connected to your home network, it can share that connection with other Internet-ready HDMI 1.4 devices via a 1.4 HDMI cable. Note: As of 1/7/11 we are unaware of any components that support Ethernet over HDMI. Also included the capability to send audio from your TV's tuner back to your home theater receiver. Called an "audio return channel," it's ideal for folks who get their high-def programs over the air using an antenna and want to be able to enjoy surround sound with those TV shows. Released May, 2009.
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-XYyIaCRVxWO/learn/learningcenter/home/cables/hdmi.html?page=2

johnsonium wrote:That's irresponsible advice. Are you saying that if a person puts money into the parts of their system that actually counts, the components and speakers, they should waste money on cables that will do nothing to improve the quality of their home entertainment experience? That's like saying that a person who buys a Mercedes should buy premium gas just for the heck of it. That said I don't get me started on the whole high octane rip-off. Of course, compared to premium cables, the amount of money gained through premium gas is a drop in the bucket.

Disagree with your argument regarding fuel . High performance engines (Merc, BMW) are tuned for high octane. Although they will detune automatically for lower-octane, you are better off running them as specified. Running the engine outside it's manufacturer-designated parameters will put undue stress on the engine over time. I'm not saying that it will ruin your engine...but high octane fuel is not a scam...

that being said...buy cheap hdmi cables, and if you can't afford high octane fuel, buy regular gas until you can sell your car.

Cameraman wrote:Last time I bought HDMI cables from here, the first one I opened had faulty wiring straight out of the packaging. Thanks, woot!

Do you know that WOOT doesn't actually make anything? Also, they don't personally open each item and ensure that it is perfect. That's the job of the manufacturer, to ensure the product is made to a certain quality standard. Why blame the messenger. Try looking at the source, cheap Chinese labor.

albuquerquemat wrote:So what goes wrong with a cable over time? The way I would use these cables would probably not involve a lot of moving around and repeated flexing and unplugging.

Well, you see, when all the little electronical neutronics are going back and forth and around and around they will degrade the metaliricic parts of the cable, thus resulting in degramadation of the interiorascopic bits. It's simple really

Here's an excellent article on HDMI vs. Component video without the personal animosity evidenced in some earlier posts...

http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/34579/122868.html

timmyd24601 wrote:Because you get superior service... As somebody who works in a locally owned "brick and mortar" store, if you buy a cable from us and it doesn't work, we replace it...

And also you get what you pay for, yes even with digital cables... By buying a quality product for more (not saying Monster is quality, because they aren't, Monster sucks...) you get a much more consistent performance for much longer...

That being said, for this price, you can replace them every month and it would still be worth it...

Not only did you drink the Kool-Aid, but you bought stock in it, eh? What you're not telling us is that the mark-up on cables in brick and mortar stores is ridiculously high and isn't worth the extra $50. Only people who don't know better will waste their money on that crap.

I've been using HDMI cables from Sam's Club and Monoprice for years now with no issues.

mattdayjr wrote:12' Black HDMI Cables from Monoprice are $5.12 normally or $4.92 each if you buy at least 2.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&cs_id=1024009&p_id=4959&seq=1&format=2

can u say STANDARD SPEED ????

Well, I can't count. At first I was confused about how this was a deal until I realised it came with two. So, including shipping, it's about 7.50 per cable, if you only buy it one pack. Maybe I'll get it if I can split the cost with a friend of mine.

stipo wrote:In for two! Don't know why! But In for two!

LOL! I don't know why I'm also in for two!

firehazard wrote:Not only did you drink the Kool-Aid, but you bought stock in it, eh? What you're not telling us is that the mark-up on cables in brick and mortar stores is ridiculously high and isn't worth the extra $50. Only people who don't know better will waste their money on that crap.

I've been using HDMI cables from Sam's Club and Monoprice for years now with no issues.

Hellz yes. If I'm paying an extra $50 for customer service, it better come with a happy ending. wink wink nudge nudge, et cetera.

middlehead wrote:I bought 3 of the Philips bendable head cables off Sellout last week, but damned if I ain't tempted to get these too.

I did! Bought them and these too!!

nevermind

sssprinkle wrote:Here's an excellent article on HDMI vs. Component video without the personal animosity evidenced in some earlier posts...

http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/34579/122868.html

What is this? Reasonableness and objectivity on the Internet??

My brain! My brain is oozing out my ears!

jmo05001 wrote:Disagree with your argument regarding fuel . High performance engines (Merc, BMW) are tuned for high octane. Although they will detune automatically for lower-octane, you are better off running them as specified. Running the engine outside it's manufacturer-designated parameters will put undue stress on the engine over time. I'm not saying that it will ruin your engine...but high octane fuel is not a scam...

that being said...buy cheap hdmi cables, and if you can't afford high octane fuel, buy regular gas until you can sell your car.

Damn, you beat me to it, love it when people that don't understand compression ratio and volatility of gasoline claim that higher octane gas is a rip off.

But agreed, cheap cables for the win.

mattdayjr wrote:12' Black HDMI Cables from Monoprice are $5.12 normally or $4.92 each if you buy at least 2.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&cs_id=1024009&p_id=4959&seq=1&format=2

Add in the price of shipping though and the ones from monoprice are more expensive. Monoprice is usually the cheapest option for everyday cables, it just happens today Woot is a little cheaper.

johnsonium wrote:I've bought several HDMI cables over the Internet in various lengths because I'm always helping friends and family set up their home theaters. I've never paid more than about $5 per cable. You can tell from the construction that they are of lower quality. Mostly it shows in the lack of flexibility which can make routing more difficult. However, I've never had one of these cables cause a problem. With digital, there is no such thing as a loss in video or sound quality. The signal is either there or it isn't. The only thing that could occur is the video or sound could drop out if the signal is lost. It's a simple fact that with digital you can get away with less quality due to the lack of susceptibility to interference. This is the dirty little secret the clerks at stores will never tell you.

In my own home theater I'm using four of these cables. Three of them input into my amp (cable, Xbox and Blu-Ray) and one is an output from the amp to the TV. If there were an issues with a cable, a $5 replacement is sitting waiting in my drawer. There is absolutely no reason to pay the outrageous prices that the big box stores charge. None. For the price of a single $40 cable, you could by eight cheap cables and have plenty of spares. So far after three years of using my current setup this has never occurred. Additionally, none of the installs I've done for other people have had HDMI issues as well.

By the way, there is a lot of controversy surrounding the efficacy of high-end speaker wire as well. The debunker "The Amazing Randy" has put up a cash prize to anyone that can prove in a double-blind test that high-end speaker cable is better than ordinary 16-gauge lamp cord. Yes, not even dedicated speaker wire but the cord that connects lamps and other electric appliances to AC wall current. So far, nobody has won the prize. Let the buyer beware, hopefully armed with the right information.

Here's a great write up proving big $$ cables are a waste. The author was an engineer for McIntosh, who arguably, make some of the finest (and priciest) audio equipment available. http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm

tehooper wrote:Component video only sends up to 720p/1080i, so HDMI/DVI is necessary if you want to get up to 1080p resolution. So HDMI by definition beats component video.

Also HDMI is the only way to transmit 6.1 and 7.1 sound; the best you'll get from the RCA cables accompanying your component video cables is stereo, or 5.1 from a SPDIF Optical or Coaxial audio cable.

Not exactly true...

Many Bluray players have "5.1" or "7.1" analog outputs. So the player does the lossless. This is a great feature for those still sporting an older but good sounding receiver but lacks HDMI.

WOW !!!! so happy i checked Woot .. before leaving for work today, we have been waiting for these cables to appear again, cause every time they are on here they sell out . This is a great price for a pack of two, At our stores here the price for ONE Cable is 50 bucks and up...and thats for 8 ft...

These wont last long...

happy we finally grabbed a pair..

have a great day everyone
Kc

If I don't need a cable as long as 12', am I better off getting a shorter one? One of the articles linked above talks about the "digital cliff." Do digital signals gradually degrade over length, or is it more of a step-wise phenomenon?

TIA

citichaser wrote:Does this carry audio?

Do you mean audio from the source? In which case, as others have said, yes.

If you mean the Audio Return Channel (i.e. back from the TV to a receiver or amp), all existing cables support it. (the ARC is part of the 1.4 spec for devices, but does not require changes to cables)

More info: HDMI.org HDMI 1.4 FAQ

timmyd24601 wrote:HDMI can not beat a nice set of component video cables...

Component = analog, max 1080i (in practice). High Speed HDMI = digital, max 1080p.

I won't get into arguments about analog vs digital, because most manufacturers overstate the need for shielding and signal integrity so they can sell overpriced cables. Suffice it to say, with HDMI, as long as the destination can recover all the 1s and 0s from the source, the signal is essentially flawless.

I am a little ignorant in HDMI technology but when I bought my last cable I was told to look for Htz. some HDMI cables are only capable up to 60 Htz, some 120, and some are capable up to 240 Htz. Obviously the 240 Htz cable cost much more but my TV's refresh rate is 240 Htz, so does this mean that I have to have a cable that will carry this, and if so what Htz are these cables?

bop13 wrote:I am a little ignorant in HDMI technology but when I bought my last cable I was told to look for Htz. some HDMI cables are only capable up to 60 Htz, some 120, and some are capable up to 240 Htz. Obviously the 240 Htz cable cost much more but my TV's refresh rate is 240 Htz, so does this mean that I have to have a cable that will carry this, and if so what Htz are these cables?

What? No, there's no such beast as far as I'm aware.

http://www.audioholics.com/education/cables/120-hertz-hdmi-cables

kreegah wrote:What? No, there's no such beast as far as I'm aware.

http://www.audioholics.com/education/cables/120-hertz-hdmi-cables

They do make 240Htz cables, i've seen them, but they are expensive.http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=240+hz+hdmi+cable&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=6841386071&ref=pd_sl_2hktqxfv7c_b

sombraala wrote:I thought that cassette tapes were a myth.

yes, they are; but, 8-tracks are legendary!

More crap from Woot!

Boy do I miss the old Woot.

Everyone sells out when they throw money at you, that being Amazon.

Remember that heart rendering letter and BS promise how nothing was going to change the former owner of Woot whose probably sitting on a beach somewhere sipping a pina colata!

Mediocre offerings continue! People continue to cmplain and look for alternatives to Woot!

Sooner or later, there won't be any feedback, and then the uprising truly begins, we all leave for good!

bop13 wrote:They do make 240Htz cables, i've seen them, but they are expensive.

My point is, the signaling of the HDMI cable generally has nothing to do with the refresh rate of the television...I'm sure an expert (or cable salesman) will beg to differ if I'm wrong.

sombraala wrote:I thought that cassette tapes were a myth.

They are. It was just a story that mom & dad 8-track told to their kids to scare them into behaving.

citichaser wrote:Does this carry audio?

Yes, and wonderful Kool Aid too! Won't you try the Kool Aid children?

Dreamersland wrote:I did! Bought them and these too!!

Same here! Longer is always better!

timmyd24601 wrote:Most people don't know what HDMI actually stands for...

Haphazardly Developed Mostly Intermittent

Another Sony product being shoved down our throats, HDMI can not beat a nice set of component video cables...

Oh gimme a break... I HAVE a nice set of component cables.. a REALLY nice set.. A set I spent a lot of bucks on to get the best picture I possibly could. The picture looks no better than one I can get from a crappy HDMI cable.. PLUS, you don't have to plug a tangle of cables all into the right spots with only 6 inches between the wall and your tv. HDMI is just fine, so get over yourself and your component cables...

skelly328 wrote:Wow, if you actually want to be less smart than you are now, read posts from Xvern, Cmader, Costner, Johnsonium (x3), shiftlock (second half of second sentence did him in), and timmyd24601 (one good and one bad).

Those posts tell you information that is in no way factual and will mislead buyers due to their uneducated position on the world of analog and digital and the type of medium that is carrying the signal.

As a professional in the cabling industry these posts are totally misleading. This is not an argument about cost of cables or where you buy them. The issue is the "supporting" reasons.

So "as a professional in the cabling industry" you mean you work at Radio Shack right?

Yea - you need to get over yourself, because there is no difference between these cables and anything Monster produces in terms of signal quality or degredation.

If you will notice in my first post I clearly said "for all intents and purposes" when I spoke of digital signal loss, because in 98% of the home theaters which will use such cables, they aren't long enough to make a difference. Also, head to head testing has confirmed countless times that digitial cables from sources such as Monoprice or other non-branded (OEM and/or "cheap") cables perform just as well as higher end (expensive) digital cables.

By the way, I'm a Certified Electronics Technician, a member of ISCET, a Certified Broadcast Technologist, and a member of the Society of Broadcast Engineers, so I don't need a lesson (or an insult) from someone like you. I know my cables and I know what I'm talking about. You can spend hundreds of dollars on high end HDMI cables which will not outperform a $5 cable from Monoprice - and that isn't just my opinion but actual fact. I've seen the comparisons - and even on an oscilloscope the differences are negligible so there is simple NO possible way for the human eye or ear to discern a difference.

If you are heavily invested with Monster and want to feel good about your purchases by all means do so, but don't insult others with your "superior knowledge" when in fact you haven't added a single piece of factual or relevant information to the discussion.

qmaximus wrote:Found the same cable on ebay: 1 for $15
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Memorex-12-Feet-HDMI-Cable-w-Labels-and-Ties-/140512690760?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20b7358248

Be aware some Wooters will 'flip' items purchased on Woot and list them on ebay before they actually receive them. By the time the auction ends they have made a profit.

3goldens wrote:More crap from Woot!

Boy do I miss the old Woot.

Everyone sells out when they throw money at you, that being Amazon.

Remember that heart rendering letter and BS promise how nothing was going to change the former owner of Woot whose probably sitting on a beach somewhere sipping a pina colata!

Mediocre offerings continue! People continue to cmplain and look for alternatives to Woot!

Sooner or later, there won't be any feedback, and then the uprising truly begins, we all leave for good!

Are you HIGH right now? Little early in the morning for that, innit it?

Or maybe I missed the joke?

As a brick & mortar guy, I'll openly tell people that most will not "see" a difference between cheap & expensive cables. That said, I'd rather have the 240/480 hz cables if I can afford them. Yes, the audioholics site does a great job debunking myths about HDMI cables, but it makes one mistake: the "hertz" rating has nothing to do with bandwith. Bandwidth just determines how much information can be contained per packet, not per second. Faster HDMI cables--10.2 gbps, 14.3 gbps, up to 17.8 gbps--move these packets along faster, hence the increased frame rate capabilities. Yes, the device only provides a 60hz signal, but if the TV can't pull those packets faster than 60hz, all you will see is a 60hz picture. If you have a 600hz plasma, your "ideal" cable is something rated 240/480hz at the moment. That said, most people will not be able to tell the difference. Resolution, color, brightness, hue, saturation - no difference (thank you digital signal). Motion will be the biggest difference...you'll have slightly less blur on fast-moving scenes, and less "perceived" lag in video games with higher rated cables. Is Monster expensive? Of course. Is it worth it? Not unless you're super picky and don't feel like shopping around. Result? If you're shopping here on Woot anyways - buy these cables, duh. If you come talk to me in a brick & mortar store, I'll tell you which cables are technically superior. The choice is yours.

jcoc321 wrote:yes, they are; but, 8-tracks are legendary!

I was listening to the radio (AM no less) and the host was talking about a 45 RPM phonograph (50's) that was designed to go in the glove box. No, not while driving, but to play while watching the submarine races....

overdoer wrote:As a brick & mortar guy, I'll openly tell people that most will not "see" a difference between cheap & expensive cables. That said, I'd rather have the 240/480 hz cables if I can afford them. Yes, the audioholics site does a great job debunking myths about HDMI cables, but it makes one mistake: the "hertz" rating has nothing to do with bandwith. Bandwidth just determines how much information can be contained per packet, not per second. Faster HDMI cables--10.2 gbps, 14.3 gbps, up to 17.8 gbps--move these packets along faster, hence the increased frame rate capabilities. Yes, the device only provides a 60hz signal, but if the TV can't pull those packets faster than 60hz, all you will see is a 60hz picture. If you have a 600hz plasma, your "ideal" cable is something rated 240/480hz at the moment. That said, most people will not be able to tell the difference. Resolution, color, brightness, hue, saturation - no difference (thank you digital signal). Motion will be the biggest difference...you'll have slightly less blur on fast-moving scenes, and less "perceived" lag in video games with higher rated cables. Is Monster expensive? Of course. Is it worth it? Not unless you're super picky and don't feel like shopping around. Result? If you're shopping here on Woot anyways - buy these cables, duh. If you come talk to me in a brick & mortar store, I'll tell you which cables are technically superior. The choice is yours.

Thanks for the info. That said, I think I will buy these for my cable box and game console, and get the 240/480 for my blu ray player. Let me know if you think this is mixed up.

citichaser wrote:Does this carry audio?

Yes

It's a good deal if you specifically need two 12' High Speed HDMI Cables. I don't need anything longer than 6' and I'm in the process of replacing a couple of those with 3' cables to clean up the rat's nest in my entertainment center. HDMI cables aren't particularly flexible. They don't tuck away neatly. There's also more signal loss as cable length increases. If you need 12' cables get these, but don't get longer cables than you need.