where to buy HDMI Cables

[Larkspeed]

However, I would strongly disagree with that statement. If anything, digital transmission is even more demanding than analogue because of the waveform. Digital signals tend to be all or nothing (as Gonz0 discovered in his post), but they are still subject to the same laws of physics in transmission lines - the amplitude will diminish with longer cables, and degradation of the waveform (pulse stretching and pulse distortion) can lead to inter-symbol errors and other digital unpleasantness.

Well I can only go by personal comparison

When we purchased our Blu-Ray player I went to set it up only to discover they had not supplied a HDMI cable with it.

The shops were already shut and it was Saturday so did not want to wait till Monday to try it.

I borrowed a cable from a friend and this was a really expensive supposed top of the line branded cable that he paid some stupid price like 55 euro for.

When the shops opened I went to action, the equivalent of boyes in the UK, and paid 3 euro for a cable.

When i switched them out there was no difference in picture or sound quality between expensive or cheap.

As you said they are all or nothing and unless you plan on running really long HDMI cables (I do have a 15 meter one and it is also perfect) as long as all wires are intact and the signal is getting through you will not see an appreciable quality difference between branded and generic cables.

You can have a dead cable just as easily on brand name ones

[peterb]

<---Snip

As you said they are all or nothing and unless you plan on running really long HDMI cables (I do have a 15 meter one and it is also perfect) as long as all wires are intact and the signal is getting through you will not see an appreciable quality difference between branded and generic cables.

You can have a dead cable just as easily on brand name ones

Again I don't disagree with what you said, but you missed the point I was making. It isn't just about a 'dead' or open cct cable, it is about having a signal at the end of the cable that is good enough for the equipment to recognise it. Over a short length, the cable quality probably doesn't matter, over a longer length it does.

HDMI connectors are also relatively fragile, and a cheap cable may not be made to the same standard and could fail prematurely if it is being plugged or unplugged frequently. But if you have found a source that works for you, good.

I'm not disagreeing with you, merely pointing out that digital signals are just as demanding as analogue signals in their transmission requirements.