25' HDMI cable - 22AWG or 24AWG?

[Aharami]

Looking at these two cables
24AWG
22AWG

I need a 25' HDMI cable to run from my receiver (looking to have receiver handle HDMI switching instead of running multiple cables up to the proj) to my ceiling mounted projector. Cable will be installed in-wall.

I know the usual mantra is lower gauge for longer runs, and I have no problem with getting 22AWG, except that reviews say 22AWG is a bit too thick for tight turns, and I'm concerned about this one 90 degree turn this cable will have to make (dropping from ceiling to cavity next to stairs to get down to A/V equipment located under the stairs)

What say ATHT? should I just get the 24AWG or the 22AWG?

and yes, I will be using google checkout/paypal with monoprice so that I don't have to worry about my CC getting stolen.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

24AWG worked for my 35' HDMI cable. Just get the higher gauge and see if it works. If it doesn't you can always get the 22AWG.

 

[CrimsonWolf]

I'd just try the 24 AWG first. It'll probably work fine and you don't have to worry about kinking it.

If you're really concerned about it, try BJC. They have a 28 AWG going to 25 feet. It's only "high-speed" up to 15', but not sure if that matters for you. They're handy cables.

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/hdmi-cables/hdmi-cable.htm.

 

[kalrith]

For the 90° turn you mentioned, is there any way you could make the turn more gradually? If not, then it would be safer to use the 24AWG than to kink the 22AWG, and you'd probably be fine either way.

 

[kalrith]

For the 90° turn you mentioned, is there any way you could make the turn more gradually? If not, then it would be safer to use the 24AWG than to kink the 22AWG, and you'd probably be fine either way.

 

[Aharami]

I'd just try the 24 AWG first. It'll probably work fine and you don't have to worry about kinking it.

If you're really concerned about it, try BJC. They have a 28 AWG going to 25 feet. It's only "high-speed" up to 15', but not sure if that matters for you. They're handy cables.

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/hdmi-cables/hdmi-cable.htm.

are you talking about the BJC Series F2 cable? Or the Tartan one? The Series F2 is more than double the cost...not sure if I want to spend that much on a cable. Surprisingly, the Tartan is cheaper than monoprice's 24 AWG cable. Both are chinese made, so I might just opt for bjc tartan over the monoprice

For the 90° turn you mentioned, is there any way you could make the turn more gradually? If not, then it would be safer to use the 24AWG than to kink the 22AWG, and you'd probably be fine either way.

It's going from a 3.5" deep wall cavity, thru a wall header, and into a 8" deep ceiling cavity. I can make the turn gradual, but not as gradual as I would like. The wire will definitely not be bent 90°. Just that the turn is 90°

 

[sdifox]

22ga

 

[kalrith]

It's going from a 3.5" deep wall cavity, thru a wall header, and into a 8" deep ceiling cavity. I can make the turn gradual, but not as gradual as I would like. The wire will definitely not be bent 90°. Just that the turn is 90°

With that in mind, I would personally go with the 22AWG. I don't think 25' is long enough to spend $50 on BJC, but going with a thicker cable for a few dollars more seems well worth it. As long as you can make the turn gradual, I think you'll be fine.

 

[CrimsonWolf]

are you talking about the BJC Series F2 cable? Or the Tartan one? The Series F2 is more than double the cost...not sure if I want to spend that much on a cable. Surprisingly, the Tartan is cheaper than monoprice's 24 AWG cable. Both are chinese made, so I might just opt for bjc tartan over the monoprice


It's going from a 3.5" deep wall cavity, thru a wall header, and into a 8" deep ceiling cavity. I can make the turn gradual, but not as gradual as I would like. The wire will definitely not be bent 90°. Just that the turn is 90°

Yeah, I was talking about the Series F2 but the Tartan should be good too since it sounds like you don't need it to be super flexible.

 

[Modelworks]

If you are running the cable inside a wall your cable needs to be rated CL2 or CL3. I never run HDMI over 20ft because at that point even the best cables start to show deviation from the eye pattern, though most equipment will continue to work fine up to around 50ft. Mainly make sure when you do bend the cable that you make the bend as wide as possible. Don't do a 90 in 3 inches of cable, that will cause reflections.

This is what the manufacturer of the chips that read HDMI signals has to say about cables and what to choose:

if you want to maxi-mize overall signal quality and cable reach, we recommend
using superior quality cables and connectors with thicker
gauge wires (22 AWG is best, 28 AWG is most common),
minimize excessive cabling by using the most direct path
possible, and reduce return loss due to impedance mismatch-
es and reflections by reducing connectors, adapters, solder
joints and couplers. Cables should be routed to avoid noisy
grounds, heavy EMI environments, and bends or loops in the
cables.


in order to achieve tight skew tolerances, each wire and
pair must be closely matched in length. DVI and Category 1
HDMI cables allow only 151 psec (0.25 Tbit) of intra-pair skew
and 2.42 nsec (0.4 Tpixel) of inter-pair skew. Category 2
HDMI cables have even more stringent requirements with 111
psec of allowable intra-pair skew and only 1.78 nsec of al-
lowable inter-pair skew. This necessitates matched twist ra-
tios for each TMDS twisted pair, but matching twist ratios also
increases capacitance between pairs and can increase
crosstalk dramatically. DVI and HDMI cables combat this ef-
fect by using shielding around every twisted pair, and even
more shielding around the entire cable to help reject noise
from being injected into the cable. The tight tolerances, addi-
tional shielding, and intricate connectors result in a more
expensive cable.
The most prevalent negatives of DVI and HDMI cabling are
related to their bulk and cost. In an effort to reduce cost and
simplify cable routing, CAT5 and its variants are gaining in
popularity. Like DVI and HDMI cabling, there is no standard
performance for basic CAT5 cabling and performance can
vary greatly. Unlike DVI and HDMI cabling, CAT5 contains no
shielding to reduce crosstalk and noise (Figure 17) and is
much more lenient when it comes to impedance variations
and skew due to mismatched lengths and manufacturing tol-
erances.

Regardless of whether it’s CATx, DVI, or HDMI cabling, if the
twisted pairs are identical in composition and tolerances for
thickness, spacing, twists, and dielectric, then the attenuation
curves and deterministic jitter will be similar.

 

[Aharami]

snapped a couple pics
Area in red is where my AV rack is going to be.

I was planning on going straight up with the wires and then drill holes thru the header to feed the wire into the ceiling joist cavity. but as you can see from the next picture, drilling a hole thru the thick header is going to be a bitch. Alternatively, I have to create a soffit for the pipes in the top left. I can extend the soffit out a bit and use the soffit space to feed the wires into the ceiling cavity.

 

[sdifox]

Wait, you haven't close it yet? Then installation is a cinch. Definitely go with the 22GA just to be sure. Make sure you get the high speed one to futureproof.