AmazonBasics High-Speed HDMI Cable (6.5 Feet/2.0 Meters) Review.
"Great inexpensive HDMI cables" 2009-12-01
By A. Cohen (Portland, OR)
It is a relief to find HDMI cables that are inexpensive and deliver high quality video. I paid $40 for a 4ft cable at Circuit City a year ago, and less than half that price for the 10ft cable from Amazon.
As an electrical engineer I can tell you copper is copper. Unless Monster cable has coaxial wire for each signal line, which they don't because then the cable would be 10x larger than it is, then it's just copper wire inside a shield. There's still going to be crosstalk and capacitive coupling and all that stuff. All that "gas filled" stuff doesn't matter either. If you look at the mathematical equasions for the frequency response of an unshielded wire, you'd know none of this stuff makes any major difference.
The biggest thing to avoid, if you can, are ferrite cores on a cable. Ferrite cores are those black blob things that overmold the cable near one or both of the connectors. Ferrite cores act as high frequency filters and may cause signal degradation. They are typically used to comply with FCC laws and other regulatory bodies' radiated emissions laws. They add cost to the cable and typically degrade performance.
Regarding expensive cables, HDMI or otherwise, what no one asks is the most fundamental question - Why? Let's assume Monster cable isn't lying and they can provide 300 GHz bandwidth or whatever they claim. Why do you need a cable that outperforms so much? It's like owning a car that can go 1000 MPH but the speed limit is 55MPH. In my field, that's called "over-engineering" which equates to unnecessary additional cost, which is exactly the problem Amazon has solved by sourcing this simple low cost HDMI cable.
While I'm soapboxing, gold plating isn't necessary either. Silver is the best conductor, followed by Copper, and then Gold (third best). Stainless Steel isn't far behind. The only reason gold plating is "better" is Gold does not corrode (but neither does stainless steel... they actually gold plate the stainless steel, how dumb is that?). If you are using your cables in a house where the humidity & temp is relatively constant, you should never need gold. As far as I can tell, Gold is just a gimmick to charge more for cables.
"Reasonably priced, gets full Amazon support behind it" 2009-10-01
By A. Dent (Minas Anor, GD)
Just to clear any doubt, this cable works as well as any other 6 ft. HDMI wire, including the premium ones and it's no better than those that sell at Amazon for one penny (I actually have one in use right now).
I am in the process of upgrading my AV receiver and I needed an extra wire. So, I purchased one Amazon branded HDMI cables and not a very expensive 'premium' brand or a less expensive 'discount' brand because...
AmazonBasics vs. Other Discount Brands
--------------------------------------
It's not an easy call between an AmazonBasics-branded wire and someone else's that sells for less (plus shipping :) ) but, here's why I went with Amazon this time.
If you look carefully, you will find the probably hundreds of HDMI 'brands' offered at Amazon (exclude the 'premium') fall in about 3 'types':
a - usually under $10 plus shipping
b - usually under $10 but over $5 that qualify for Super Savers free shipping
c - listed for as low as 1 penny plus shipping
AmazonBasics beats category 'a' on price and it's more or less on-par with category 'b' as far as price is concerned. Category 'c' saves you a few dollars - and I did order a couple of these myself - but, Amazon has a few extra advantages worth considering if you don't mind paying a little extra.
- EASY RETURN - I know because I had to return quite a few items for various reasons. Amazon makes it very easy and, if you are returning the item because it came defective or damaged Amazon pays for shipping.
- WARRANTY - these wires come with a 1-year warranty (talking about future-proofing). If an HDMI cable performs for one year, the ods that it would stop working after that are pretty close to zero. It's possible that the other vendors back their inexpensive cables too (I never checked) but I am highly confident that Amazon will be around to honor its warranty and I'm not so sure about vendors I know less.
- QUALITY ASSURANCE - I've never had any problems with 'cheap' HDMI cables but it may be reassuring to have Amazon's name on a wire. My assumption is that Amazon did insist on some quality checks before they stamped their logo on the product.
HDMI Background and the FUD of Premium Cables
---------------------------------------------
Let's face it, HDMI 1.3x cables have become a commodity these days. There are 'premium' brands, for sure and some look prettier than others (for something that goes to the back of your equipment and no one else will probably see) but the fact is that nearly all of today's makes and models qualify for 'high-speed' or 'Category 2' (see HDMI 1.3 specs below). Just to eliminate the confusion, it's worth stating that:
The FUD (see definition below) campaign attempting to attract buyers toward the more expensive brands makes a series of claims. I will address them, as they may apply to this specific cable.
- Practically all HDMI 1.3x certified cables are HIGH-SPEED or CATEGORY 2. Only the Category 2 (high-speed) cables support 1080p resolutions.
- The HDMI official site advises that even HDMI cables under 15 ft. (5m) that were made BEFORE the HDMI 1.3 specification can work as Category 2 cables. The FUD claim that signal attenuation is less over a more expensive cable may be true, nut that's irrelevant on a 6 ft. length.
- The 'ultra high-speed' claim that some premium brands make means very little or 'nothing'. As far as I know, there is NO official HDMI specification for 'ultra high-speed' and, every time I checked the specs of cables labelled as 'ultra', all I saw was the familiar HDMI 1.3 specifications and nothing more.
- The 'premium', very expensive HDMI cables are NOT 'future proof'. The HDMI 1.4 specs that add an Ethernet channel, an audio return channel, support for 3-D and 4K by 2K resolution use a physically different connector - in other words, the highly-expensive and the ultra-expensive 'premium' cables do NOT work with HDMI 1.4.
- At this length - 6 ft., you will get as good a service from a no-brand or Amazon-labeled cable as you would from a super-expensive rip-off. Any HDMI 1.3 cable should be able to carry, error free, all the signal your electronic equipment may put out.
________________________________________
Here are the HDMI 1.3 specs supported by this cable the premium brands and the less expensive alternatives:
Maximum signal bandwidth (MHz) 340
Maximum TMDS bandwidth (Gbit/s) 10.2
Maximum video bandwidth (Gbit/s) 8.16
Maximum audio bandwidth (Mbit/s) 36.86
Maximum Color Depth (bit/px) 48
Maximum resolution over single link at 24-bit/px 2560×1600p75
Maximum resolution over single link at 30-bit/px 2560×1600p60
Maximum resolution over single link at 36-bit/px 1920x1200p75
Maximum resolution over single link at 48-bit/px 1920×1200p60
sRGB
YCbCr
8 channel LPCM/192 kHz/24-bit audio capability
Blu-ray Disc video and audio at full resolution
Consumer Electronic Control (CEC)
DVD-Audio support
Super Audio CD (DSD) support
Deep Color
xvYCC
Auto lip-sync
Dolby TrueHD bitstream capable
DTS-HD Master Audio bitstream capable
Updated list of CEC commands (only on HDMI 1.3a,b,c)
________________________________________
Note: FUD Definiton
FUD - Fear, uncertainty, doubt.
According to Wikipedia, "the term originated to describe disinformation tactics in the computer hardware industry and has since been used more broadly. FUD is a manifestation of the appeal to fear."
Still Wikipedia, quoting Eric S. Raymond: "The idea, of course, was to persuade buyers to go with safe [...] gear rather than with competitors' equipment. This implicit coercion was traditionally accomplished by promising that Good Things would happen to people who stuck with [...], but Dark Shadows loomed over the future of competitors' equipment [...]".
"AmazonBasics makes a very good HDMI cable" 2009-10-11
By J. Sundquist (New York)
I got an email from Amazon announcing their new line of AmazonBasics cables. They said that their goal was to make a high quality cable and sell it at a very reasonable price.
They have achieved that goal.
I ordered two of the six foot HDMI cables and on nine foot cable for about eight bucks each.
The cable came in a simple cardboard box with nothing but a twist tie aside from the cable (which is a good thing, I hate the plastic blister packs that cut your hands and unnecessary stuff in the box to go in the landfill).
The cable has a solid, quality feel to it. Nothing feels cheap or chintzy.
Connecting the cable between my TV and several compontents including my brand new Samsung Blu Ray player, the connection just worked every time.
For comparison purposes, I bought a $50 super delux, high end, will solve all the problems in your life (according to the sales guy) HDMI cable at Radio Shack. Connecting the AmazonBasics cable to the same Blu Ray player as the fancy cable I saw **NO DIFFERENCE**!
Looking into it I found out that HDMI is a standard that is run by an organization. In order for anyone to make an HDMI cable and put the HDMI logo on it (which the AmazonBasics cable does), the cable must be made to the HDMI organizations standards. So the group basically tells the companies how the cable must be made in order to be given the HDMI logo. The long and short of it is that cheap cable or expensive cable, it must work to the same standards in order to have the HDMI logo.
So, super fancy $50 cable gets thrown back across the counter to Radio Shack guy for return and AmazonBasics cable gets a new home in back of my entertainment center.
I'm now going to purchase several more of these for family and friends to have as spares since they don't know any better and will get suckered by the sales guy at best buy into buying a $50 Monster Cable HDMI cable that does nothing better than this one.
"High Quality, Excellent Warranty" 2009-12-22
By Amozarte (Saint Louis, MO - United States)
It seems like a review of an HDMI cable can't be written without arguing the philosophy of whether it's worth it to pay exhorbitant amounts of money for an A/V cable, or if a "cheap" cable will do the trick. Rather than reinvent the wheel I'll simply say that:
1) This cable is about $6 (and eligible for free Prime shipping)
2) Amazon offers a one year warranty
3) Amazon has an excellent returns policy
Given those items, what have you got to lose by giving this cable a try? If you aren't satisfied, return it and then spend the big bucks.
Having said that, I use it to connect my PS3 (i.e. my BluRay player) to my HDTV and my personal experience with this cable has been positive. The cable is sturdy and feels well-made, unlike some other $6 cables I have used in the past. The picture/sound quality meets my expectations and I could discern no problems whatsoever. Overall I am pleased enough that I will purchase the same cable again in the future. I also plan to give other Amazon branded cables a try as needed.
"AmazonBasics makes a very good HDMI cable" 2009-10-11
By J. Sundquist (New York)
I got an email from Amazon announcing their new line of AmazonBasics cables. They said that their goal was to make a high quality cable and sell it at a very reasonable price.
They have achieved that goal.
I ordered two of the six foot HDMI cables and on nine foot cable for about eight bucks each.
The cable came in a simple cardboard box with nothing but a twist tie aside from the cable (which is a good thing, I hate the plastic blister packs that cut your hands and unnecessary stuff in the box to go in the landfill).
The cable has a solid, quality feel to it. Nothing feels cheap or chintzy.
Connecting the cable between my TV and several compontents including my brand new Samsung Blu Ray player, the connection just worked every time.
For comparison purposes, I bought a $50 super delux, high end, will solve all the problems in your life (according to the sales guy) HDMI cable at Radio Shack. Connecting the AmazonBasics cable to the same Blu Ray player as the fancy cable I saw **NO DIFFERENCE**!
Looking into it I found out that HDMI is a standard that is run by an organization. In order for anyone to make an HDMI cable and put the HDMI logo on it (which the AmazonBasics cable does), the cable must be made to the HDMI organizations standards. So the group basically tells the companies how the cable must be made in order to be given the HDMI logo. The long and short of it is that cheap cable or expensive cable, it must work to the same standards in order to have the HDMI logo.
So, super fancy $50 cable gets thrown back across the counter to Radio Shack guy for return and AmazonBasics cable gets a new home in back of my entertainment center.
I'm now going to purchase several more of these for family and friends to have as spares since they don't know any better and will get suckered by the sales guy at best buy into buying a $50 Monster Cable HDMI cable that does nothing better than this one.
By A. Cohen (Portland, OR)
It is a relief to find HDMI cables that are inexpensive and deliver high quality video. I paid $40 for a 4ft cable at Circuit City a year ago, and less than half that price for the 10ft cable from Amazon.
As an electrical engineer I can tell you copper is copper. Unless Monster cable has coaxial wire for each signal line, which they don't because then the cable would be 10x larger than it is, then it's just copper wire inside a shield. There's still going to be crosstalk and capacitive coupling and all that stuff. All that "gas filled" stuff doesn't matter either. If you look at the mathematical equasions for the frequency response of an unshielded wire, you'd know none of this stuff makes any major difference.
The biggest thing to avoid, if you can, are ferrite cores on a cable. Ferrite cores are those black blob things that overmold the cable near one or both of the connectors. Ferrite cores act as high frequency filters and may cause signal degradation. They are typically used to comply with FCC laws and other regulatory bodies' radiated emissions laws. They add cost to the cable and typically degrade performance.
Regarding expensive cables, HDMI or otherwise, what no one asks is the most fundamental question - Why? Let's assume Monster cable isn't lying and they can provide 300 GHz bandwidth or whatever they claim. Why do you need a cable that outperforms so much? It's like owning a car that can go 1000 MPH but the speed limit is 55MPH. In my field, that's called "over-engineering" which equates to unnecessary additional cost, which is exactly the problem Amazon has solved by sourcing this simple low cost HDMI cable.
While I'm soapboxing, gold plating isn't necessary either. Silver is the best conductor, followed by Copper, and then Gold (third best). Stainless Steel isn't far behind. The only reason gold plating is "better" is Gold does not corrode (but neither does stainless steel... they actually gold plate the stainless steel, how dumb is that?). If you are using your cables in a house where the humidity & temp is relatively constant, you should never need gold. As far as I can tell, Gold is just a gimmick to charge more for cables.
By A. Dent (Minas Anor, GD)
Just to clear any doubt, this cable works as well as any other 6 ft. HDMI wire, including the premium ones and it's no better than those that sell at Amazon for one penny (I actually have one in use right now).
I am in the process of upgrading my AV receiver and I needed an extra wire. So, I purchased one Amazon branded HDMI cables and not a very expensive 'premium' brand or a less expensive 'discount' brand because...
AmazonBasics vs. Other Discount Brands
--------------------------------------
It's not an easy call between an AmazonBasics-branded wire and someone else's that sells for less (plus shipping :) ) but, here's why I went with Amazon this time.
If you look carefully, you will find the probably hundreds of HDMI 'brands' offered at Amazon (exclude the 'premium') fall in about 3 'types':
a - usually under $10 plus shipping
b - usually under $10 but over $5 that qualify for Super Savers free shipping
c - listed for as low as 1 penny plus shipping
AmazonBasics beats category 'a' on price and it's more or less on-par with category 'b' as far as price is concerned. Category 'c' saves you a few dollars - and I did order a couple of these myself - but, Amazon has a few extra advantages worth considering if you don't mind paying a little extra.
- EASY RETURN - I know because I had to return quite a few items for various reasons. Amazon makes it very easy and, if you are returning the item because it came defective or damaged Amazon pays for shipping.
- WARRANTY - these wires come with a 1-year warranty (talking about future-proofing). If an HDMI cable performs for one year, the ods that it would stop working after that are pretty close to zero. It's possible that the other vendors back their inexpensive cables too (I never checked) but I am highly confident that Amazon will be around to honor its warranty and I'm not so sure about vendors I know less.
- QUALITY ASSURANCE - I've never had any problems with 'cheap' HDMI cables but it may be reassuring to have Amazon's name on a wire. My assumption is that Amazon did insist on some quality checks before they stamped their logo on the product.
HDMI Background and the FUD of Premium Cables
---------------------------------------------
Let's face it, HDMI 1.3x cables have become a commodity these days. There are 'premium' brands, for sure and some look prettier than others (for something that goes to the back of your equipment and no one else will probably see) but the fact is that nearly all of today's makes and models qualify for 'high-speed' or 'Category 2' (see HDMI 1.3 specs below). Just to eliminate the confusion, it's worth stating that:
The FUD (see definition below) campaign attempting to attract buyers toward the more expensive brands makes a series of claims. I will address them, as they may apply to this specific cable.
- Practically all HDMI 1.3x certified cables are HIGH-SPEED or CATEGORY 2. Only the Category 2 (high-speed) cables support 1080p resolutions.
- The HDMI official site advises that even HDMI cables under 15 ft. (5m) that were made BEFORE the HDMI 1.3 specification can work as Category 2 cables. The FUD claim that signal attenuation is less over a more expensive cable may be true, nut that's irrelevant on a 6 ft. length.
- The 'ultra high-speed' claim that some premium brands make means very little or 'nothing'. As far as I know, there is NO official HDMI specification for 'ultra high-speed' and, every time I checked the specs of cables labelled as 'ultra', all I saw was the familiar HDMI 1.3 specifications and nothing more.
- The 'premium', very expensive HDMI cables are NOT 'future proof'. The HDMI 1.4 specs that add an Ethernet channel, an audio return channel, support for 3-D and 4K by 2K resolution use a physically different connector - in other words, the highly-expensive and the ultra-expensive 'premium' cables do NOT work with HDMI 1.4.
- At this length - 6 ft., you will get as good a service from a no-brand or Amazon-labeled cable as you would from a super-expensive rip-off. Any HDMI 1.3 cable should be able to carry, error free, all the signal your electronic equipment may put out.
________________________________________
Here are the HDMI 1.3 specs supported by this cable the premium brands and the less expensive alternatives:
Maximum signal bandwidth (MHz) 340
Maximum TMDS bandwidth (Gbit/s) 10.2
Maximum video bandwidth (Gbit/s) 8.16
Maximum audio bandwidth (Mbit/s) 36.86
Maximum Color Depth (bit/px) 48
Maximum resolution over single link at 24-bit/px 2560×1600p75
Maximum resolution over single link at 30-bit/px 2560×1600p60
Maximum resolution over single link at 36-bit/px 1920x1200p75
Maximum resolution over single link at 48-bit/px 1920×1200p60
sRGB
YCbCr
8 channel LPCM/192 kHz/24-bit audio capability
Blu-ray Disc video and audio at full resolution
Consumer Electronic Control (CEC)
DVD-Audio support
Super Audio CD (DSD) support
Deep Color
xvYCC
Auto lip-sync
Dolby TrueHD bitstream capable
DTS-HD Master Audio bitstream capable
Updated list of CEC commands (only on HDMI 1.3a,b,c)
________________________________________
Note: FUD Definiton
FUD - Fear, uncertainty, doubt.
According to Wikipedia, "the term originated to describe disinformation tactics in the computer hardware industry and has since been used more broadly. FUD is a manifestation of the appeal to fear."
Still Wikipedia, quoting Eric S. Raymond: "The idea, of course, was to persuade buyers to go with safe [...] gear rather than with competitors' equipment. This implicit coercion was traditionally accomplished by promising that Good Things would happen to people who stuck with [...], but Dark Shadows loomed over the future of competitors' equipment [...]".
By J. Sundquist (New York)
I got an email from Amazon announcing their new line of AmazonBasics cables. They said that their goal was to make a high quality cable and sell it at a very reasonable price.
They have achieved that goal.
I ordered two of the six foot HDMI cables and on nine foot cable for about eight bucks each.
The cable came in a simple cardboard box with nothing but a twist tie aside from the cable (which is a good thing, I hate the plastic blister packs that cut your hands and unnecessary stuff in the box to go in the landfill).
The cable has a solid, quality feel to it. Nothing feels cheap or chintzy.
Connecting the cable between my TV and several compontents including my brand new Samsung Blu Ray player, the connection just worked every time.
For comparison purposes, I bought a $50 super delux, high end, will solve all the problems in your life (according to the sales guy) HDMI cable at Radio Shack. Connecting the AmazonBasics cable to the same Blu Ray player as the fancy cable I saw **NO DIFFERENCE**!
Looking into it I found out that HDMI is a standard that is run by an organization. In order for anyone to make an HDMI cable and put the HDMI logo on it (which the AmazonBasics cable does), the cable must be made to the HDMI organizations standards. So the group basically tells the companies how the cable must be made in order to be given the HDMI logo. The long and short of it is that cheap cable or expensive cable, it must work to the same standards in order to have the HDMI logo.
So, super fancy $50 cable gets thrown back across the counter to Radio Shack guy for return and AmazonBasics cable gets a new home in back of my entertainment center.
I'm now going to purchase several more of these for family and friends to have as spares since they don't know any better and will get suckered by the sales guy at best buy into buying a $50 Monster Cable HDMI cable that does nothing better than this one.
By Amozarte (Saint Louis, MO - United States)
It seems like a review of an HDMI cable can't be written without arguing the philosophy of whether it's worth it to pay exhorbitant amounts of money for an A/V cable, or if a "cheap" cable will do the trick. Rather than reinvent the wheel I'll simply say that:
1) This cable is about $6 (and eligible for free Prime shipping)
2) Amazon offers a one year warranty
3) Amazon has an excellent returns policy
Given those items, what have you got to lose by giving this cable a try? If you aren't satisfied, return it and then spend the big bucks.
Having said that, I use it to connect my PS3 (i.e. my BluRay player) to my HDTV and my personal experience with this cable has been positive. The cable is sturdy and feels well-made, unlike some other $6 cables I have used in the past. The picture/sound quality meets my expectations and I could discern no problems whatsoever. Overall I am pleased enough that I will purchase the same cable again in the future. I also plan to give other Amazon branded cables a try as needed.
By J. Sundquist (New York)
I got an email from Amazon announcing their new line of AmazonBasics cables. They said that their goal was to make a high quality cable and sell it at a very reasonable price.
They have achieved that goal.
I ordered two of the six foot HDMI cables and on nine foot cable for about eight bucks each.
The cable came in a simple cardboard box with nothing but a twist tie aside from the cable (which is a good thing, I hate the plastic blister packs that cut your hands and unnecessary stuff in the box to go in the landfill).
The cable has a solid, quality feel to it. Nothing feels cheap or chintzy.
Connecting the cable between my TV and several compontents including my brand new Samsung Blu Ray player, the connection just worked every time.
For comparison purposes, I bought a $50 super delux, high end, will solve all the problems in your life (according to the sales guy) HDMI cable at Radio Shack. Connecting the AmazonBasics cable to the same Blu Ray player as the fancy cable I saw **NO DIFFERENCE**!
Looking into it I found out that HDMI is a standard that is run by an organization. In order for anyone to make an HDMI cable and put the HDMI logo on it (which the AmazonBasics cable does), the cable must be made to the HDMI organizations standards. So the group basically tells the companies how the cable must be made in order to be given the HDMI logo. The long and short of it is that cheap cable or expensive cable, it must work to the same standards in order to have the HDMI logo.
So, super fancy $50 cable gets thrown back across the counter to Radio Shack guy for return and AmazonBasics cable gets a new home in back of my entertainment center.
I'm now going to purchase several more of these for family and friends to have as spares since they don't know any better and will get suckered by the sales guy at best buy into buying a $50 Monster Cable HDMI cable that does nothing better than this one.
