50 ft HDMI cable, what to look out for?

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BlahBlahYouToo

Lifer
Jul 10, 2007
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at a cable this length, is there anything i should look out for to ensure that a quality image/sound is produced?

i'm reading a lot of reviews on amazon, many having difficulty with 1080p, and it only working when using 1080i.
http://www.amazon.com/HDMI-Cable-50-...9070063&sr=8-1

^just one of the examples, other 50ft cable reviews have the same complaint about 1080p not working, just 1080i.
 
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HeXen

HeXen

Diamond Member
Dec 13, 2009
7,832
37
91
without a signal booster, i can't imagine its quality could end up being very good.
I know other stuff like USB or esata requires a booster if longer than 6ft or so.....why so long? plan on having your BR player in your attic?
 
sivart

sivart

Golden Member
Oct 20, 2000
1,786
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I have a 35ft HDMI running from my Blu-ray player to the projector (okay, from the receiver to the projector) and it works find without any problem. Can you go any shorter than 50ft?
 
C

CrimsonWolf

Senior member
Oct 28, 2000
867
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Anubis said:
i suggest going with monoprice or blue jeans for a cable of that length

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/

both will cost more then amazon but the quality level will be higher, especially with BJC
Click to expand...

Ditto on BJC for a cable that long. Their stuff is great. They don't guarantee it but they claim they've run 1080p up to 125 feet. At $135.50 it's not cheap but should be a good bet.

It is certified to the longest distances of any HDMI cable we know of--45 feet for Category 1 ("Standard" speed), 25 feet for Category 2 ("High speed". In actual usage, it ordinarily will work at distances far exceeding these--we have run 1080p video through a 125 foot Series-1 HDMI cable without any information loss, but results will vary depending on the capabilities of the sending and receiving circuits of the devices in use.
Click to expand...
 
Modelworks

Modelworks

Lifer
Feb 22, 2007
16,240
7
76
Really not a good idea to run HDMI 50ft. The protocol was never designed for those distances so if it works count yourself lucky. Besides the cable quality you have to account for the equipment on each end and how good they are at error correction. It will not be the same for everyone.

The main problem is impedance , not signal strength. Any signal sent over wire encounters impedance. If it isn't correct then you get reflections on the wire that are like waves where your signal arrives at the other end and bounces back along the same wire interfering with new signals. The longer the cable the worse it gets. Look for an HDMI equalizer, it works to keep the impedance matched and prevent the reflections.

It is sort of like running USB 15ft+ . I have done usb over 30ft with just spliced together cables and some devices worked fine, but some wouldn't.

If you get an equalizer then the best place for it is middle way of the connection. Using 2 x 25ft cables with the equalizer will work well.
 
Modelworks

Modelworks

Lifer
Feb 22, 2007
16,240
7
76
BlahBlahYouToo said:
ok, what if i drop it down to say, 35-40 ft.?
how much better is that going to be?
Click to expand...

Can't really say because it is going to depend on the equipment. Most stuff is pretty much guaranteed to work at 25ft over that and you have to try it and see.
 
Chapbass

Chapbass

Diamond Member
May 31, 2004
3,146
95
91
My 50 footer worked just fine as well. That is until the ends broke due to the gauge of the cable being super thick and putting all sorts of stress on the ends :\


wtb HDBaseT
 
Number1

Number1

Diamond Member
Feb 24, 2006
7,881
549
126
Chapbass said:
My 50 footer worked just fine as well. That is until the ends broke due to the gauge of the cable being super thick and putting all sorts of stress on the ends :\


wtb HDBaseT
Click to expand...

I had the same problem with my 35 footer. I moved the computer a little bit and the HDMI connector came right off. My source replaced it free of charge.....

On topic, one would think that having the HDMI logo on a cable would guaranty a level of performance, ie support for 1080P and down at the very least.
 
Modelworks

Modelworks

Lifer
Feb 22, 2007
16,240
7
76
Number1 said:
On topic, one would think that having the HDMI logo on a cable would guaranty a level of performance, ie support for 1080P and down at the very least.
Click to expand...

That is assuming they are a legit HDMI manufacturer. There is a lot of HDMI products that are black market.

Thankfully HDMI is about to be replaced for long distance cables. HDBASET and adapters for it are in the FCC approval process. Then all you would need is a cat5 cable.
 
C

CubanlB

Senior member
Oct 24, 2003
562
0
76
On lengths 50ft and above I have noticed that your source devices hdmi can be just as important as the quality of your cable. In personal experience 50ft cable + Yamaha RX-V363 = 1080p fail. Same 50ft cable with a Denon AVR-1910 worked just fine.

Equalizers can help if you are having a signaling problem, but they can also draw power from the 5v on the hdmi down to a point where the hdcp will not function, and I never recommend installing equalizers where it will be difficult to access them (like in a ceiling/wall).
 
Destiny

Destiny

Platinum Member
Jul 6, 2010
2,270
1
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Since we are on the subject to look out for in an HDMI cable... I have been receiving conflicting facts regarding HDMI 1.4... my friend who works for an electronics company told me HDMI 1.4 is not recognized or certified by HDMI themselves and that it might be just a marketing gimic? He showed me a cease and desist order from HDMI themselves regarding HDMI 1.4...Can someone confirm this? Modelworks can you confirm this?
 
Number1

Number1

Diamond Member
Feb 24, 2006
7,881
549
126
Destiny said:
Since we are on the subject to look out for in an HDMI cable... I have been receiving conflicting facts regarding HDMI 1.4... my friend who works for an electronics company told me HDMI 1.4 is not recognized or certified by HDMI themselves and that it might be just a marketing gimic? He showed me a cease and desist order from HDMI themselves regarding HDMI 1.4...Can someone confirm this? Modelworks can you confirm this?
Click to expand...

HDMI

Your friend is on something.
 
Homerboy

Homerboy

Lifer
Mar 1, 2000
30,890
5,001
126
I picked up a 24G 35ft HDMI from monoprice.
The 1st one they delivered was bad.
Exchanged with monoprice (shipping on their dime) for a new cable. Works flawlessly. Carries video and audio from basement XBMC machine to TV in family room. I LOVE not having the device in the same room :)
 
Modelworks

Modelworks

Lifer
Feb 22, 2007
16,240
7
76
Destiny said:
Since we are on the subject to look out for in an HDMI cable... I have been receiving conflicting facts regarding HDMI 1.4... my friend who works for an electronics company told me HDMI 1.4 is not recognized or certified by HDMI themselves and that it might be just a marketing gimic? He showed me a cease and desist order from HDMI themselves regarding HDMI 1.4...Can someone confirm this? Modelworks can you confirm this?
Click to expand...

1.4a is recognized but the problem is its still in a state of flux. They only released the certification test in march so anything made before then was not allowed to be marked at 1.4a. After march any device bearing the 1.4a labeling had 90 days to comply with the test or remove the 1.4a labeling.

It really made a mess of things because it takes 6-9 months for an electronics company to bring something like a dvd player to the production stage and another 3-4 months to actually ship it. Some of them gambled that what they had in production would pass the final testing and went ahead and started making product with the 1.4a labeling. So there could be products out there made in the early part of this year marked 1.4a but are not actually 1.4a compliant which is what the HDMI licensing was trying to prevent by sending out cease and desist orders. The consumer electronics market is so competitive that some companies couldn't wait and tried to get the jump on having 1.4a products before they were supposed to.
 
Number1

Number1

Diamond Member
Feb 24, 2006
7,881
549
126
Destiny said:
WOW! :ninja: ... I double checked and the letter from HDMI said no company is allowed to promote HDMI 1.4?... discombobulated :mad:
Click to expand...

I know they are trying to move away from this numbering system and start describing cables ast to what they are capable of. For example, theyll sell you an HDMI cable with 3D capability and network connectivity. Much simpler for the consumers in theory.
 
vi edit

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,484
8,344
126
My projector is a Mitsubishi HC3800 and even at 25ft there's some intermittent synching issues. It's definitely not recommended to go longer than that with my particular device. As others have said, it's the source and display devices that will be the weak link at that long of a run.
 
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