HDMI cables and so called 'High-Speed'

[Jlabute]

Just a note:
After my TV died, I bought a new TV with the help of Visions. Knowing in advance I would need 'high-speed' cables, I order a pack of 2 x 3' HDMI high-speed AmazonBasic cables, and bought a new receiver to support 4K pass-thru. While cabling everything together, I noticed I didn't have a 'High-Speed' HDMI cable long enough to go from the receiver to the TV. (The receiver up-scales to 4K.) So, I went to Walmart and bought a 6' 'High-Speed' HDMI cable for $20. My thoughts were, Monster HDMI cables which everyone sells, are very over-priced. The Walmart cable had high-speed written all over the insulation of the cable so I was pretty sure I was getting 'high-speed', lol.

So, I soon had everything wired up. Cable box to receiver, and PS4 to receiver. I noticed I could play games on the PS4, but once I whipped in a Blu-ray, the video play-back started to flicker, had snow, same with cable box content. Audio was also having trouble. I thought I was having an HDCP issue or incompatibility of some sort because I trusted the cables, they were all 'high-speed'! lol. I thought the receiver sucked.

After spending time with a Yamaha tech and leaving me with a few ideas, I tried a number of things and eventually swapped the receiver to TV Walmart high-speed cable with an old non-high-speed Rocketfish (and thicker HDMI) cable I had for 7 years and everything started to work fine. After seeing this, I went out and bought a Monster HDMI cable just to feel safe.

Lesson learned, even though some of these cheaper HDMI 'High-Speed' cables are advertised as "High-Speed" and 18Gbps, they may not work as advertised. In follow-up, the Yamaha tech said he sees this problem often.

[gman313]

Just a note:
After my TV died, I bought a new TV with the help of Visions. Knowing in advance I would need 'high-speed' cables, I order a pack of 2 x 3' HDMI high-speed AmazonBasic cables, and bought a new receiver to support 4K pass-thru. While cabling everything together, I noticed I didn't have a 'High-Speed' HDMI cable cable long enough to go from the receiver to the TV. (The receiver up-scales to 4K.) So, I went to Walmart and bought a 6' 'High-Speed' HDMI cable for $20. My thoughts were, Monster HDMI cables which everyone sells, are very over-priced. The Walmart cable had high-speed written all over the insulation of the cable so I was pretty sure I was getting 'high-speed', lol.

So, I soon had everything wired up. Cable box to receiver, and PS4 to receiver. I noticed I could play games on the PS4, but once I whipped in a Blu-ray, the video play-back started to flicker, had snow, same with cable box content. Audio was also having trouble. I thought I was having an HDCP issue or incompatibility of some sort because I trusted the cables, they were all 'high-speed'! lol. I thought the receiver sucked.

After spending time with a Yamaha tech and leaving me with a few ideas, I tried a number of things and eventually swapped the receiver to TV Walmart high-speed cable with an old non-high-speed Rocketfish (and thicker HDMI) cable I had for 7 years and everything started to work fine. After seeing this, I went out and bought a Monster HDMI cable just to feel safe.

Lesson learned, even though some of these cheaper HDMI 'High-Speed' cables are advertised as "High-Speed" and 18Gbps, they may not work as advertised. In follow-up, the Yamaha tech said he sees this problem often.

I have found a huge range in quality on HDMI cables and it is not necessarily cost dependent. Can't remember brands now

But this is a great post, you can spend huge bucks on a system only to have the cable limit the quality

[kelownman]

I have never had any problems with HDMI cables from primecable or cablesalescanada.
certified premium ultra slip high speed hdmi, hdr, 38AWG, 6 ft $9.99
https://www.primecables.com/p-360748-ca ... #sku370568

or Premium HDMI® 2.0 Cables with Nylon Jacket PrimeCables® Mamba Series - 6Ft (Black)
Zinc-Alloy, Gold Plated, Nylon Jacket, 26AWG for $10.99
https://www.primecables.com/p-352225-pc ... #sku357553

or 6' Ultra Slim v1.4 High-Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet & RedMere Technology, Fully compliant with HDMI 1.4 standards
Supports: 3D; 4K; Ethernet, HD 1080p; ARC; SYCC601 for $8.95
http://www.cablesalescanada.com/index.p ... s_id=23736


or 6' Ultra Slim v1.4 High-Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet & RedMere Technology, Fully compliant with HDMI 1.4 standards
Supports: 3D; 4K; Ethernet, HD 1080p; ARC; SYCC601 for $15.50
http://www.cablesalescanada.com/index.p ... ts_id=5677

[36Drew]

Lesson learned, even though some of these cheaper HDMI 'High-Speed' cables are advertised as "High-Speed" and 18Gbps, they may not work as advertised. In follow-up, the Yamaha tech said he sees this problem often.

HDMI is both a specification and certification. A properly-built HDMI cable will operate at 10.2 Gbps and 18 Gbps. The use of the HDMI logo on the packaging is meant to be a licensed and certified use - but we all know that some overseas manufacturers will slap wordmarks and trademarks on anything they can. These are so-called grey-market cables and often counterfeit the use of the HDMI certification mark.

So no, not all "HDMI" cables are as advertised. If you see the HDMI logo on a product box, the cable should be working as you expect. If they don't work, then return them - along with a complaint. Walmart (and other name-brand stores) should not be selling counterfeit products.

Some further info: http://www.hdmi.org/manufacturer/premiumcable/faq.aspx

[Jlabute]

That's a good link. So the Walmart cable I bought was not certified seeing it did not have the holographic logo.
Just FYI, the brand is Onn. It did not work as well as old cables I had. Onn called it a premium cable too.

[Queen K]

HA, premium to them maybe.

[36Drew]

That's a good link. So the Walmart cable I bought was not certified seeing it did not have the holographic logo.

So I'll just point out a couple things here.

Registered HDMI Logo mark

That's the "Registered HDMI Mark" which can only be used by a licensee when they produce a cable that meets the HDMI specification.

Then AudioQuest has this to say:

The HDMI 2.0 spec does NOT define or require new cables or connectors, according to the information the HDMI Forum has released so far. Although the testing specification for HDMI 2.0 has not yet been established, and there are no cables that can be officially labeled as “HDMI 2.0 Compliant,” HDMI has stated that all current High Speed cables are capable of transmitting 18 Gbps when used with HDMI 2.0 electronics at both ends, and are therefore compatible with all HDMI 2.0 features. This is accomplished using signal processing that will be employed in all HDMI 2.0 hardware. For compatibility with all HDMI 2.0 features, new cables are not required for customers with High Speed cables, including AudioQuest High Speed HDMI cables.

In addition to the fact that HDMI 2.0 equipment will be 100% backward compatible with features from all previous versions of the HDMI spec, it’s also important to note that even when HDMI 2.0 equipment is used, bandwidths above the HDMI 1.4 maximum of 10.2 Gbps aren’t required unless video signals higher than 4K@30p are transmitted over the cable. Currently no such source material is available to consumers. Nearly all movie material at 4K would be 4K@24p for example.

So long story short - by displaying that logo, Onn is claiming that the cable conforms to the HDMI 1.4 specification. It therefore should also function at both 10.2 Gbps (HDMI 1.4) and 18 Gbps (HDMI 2.0). The cable is defective - it does not meet the specification and therefore has no right to bear that mark.

The indications of what the various marks mean are on the HDMI org's website at http://www.hdmi.org/consumer/buying_guide.aspx#Choose - It's very obvious that you should be getting 4K and ethernet out of that cable based on the use of that logo. You can use the HDMI org's "enforcement tool" to check the status of a licensee http://www.hdmi.org/learningcenter/enforcement_search_tool.aspx

You should return it. You should also write Onn and the HDMI Forum (Will Bush at [email protected] or office phone number (408)-861-4886 according to their site) indicating your situation and asking what Onn plans to do about their tooling. HDMI is rather defensive about their mark, so be sure to include them.

Oh - and get your money back from Wal Mart. ;)

[Jlabute]

Thanks 36Drew,
I returned the cable and I will complain since the cable wasted a week of my time, and for others too probably. I noticed on the Walmart website a number of customers are not happy with Onn. I did not see Onn in the hdmi.org company search.

Addendum: I sent an e-mail to hdmi.org.

[Jlabute]

hdmi.org responded to my e-mail.


Thank you for forwarding this to my attention, HDMI LA takes compliance very seriously we will research this brand ONN to identify the manufacturer, once identified we will take action accordingly if necessary.

Regards,

[36Drew]

Thanks for the update.

Onn itself is a trademark of WalMart. I'm not certain if the manufacturer or the brand holder would be responsible in this case, although I suspect that WalMart bears some liability as it's ultimately their branding and packaging that bears the HDMI mark.