The Great Cable Rip-Off, For Visual Learners
Expensive cables are a big rip-off. No surprise there – we wrote about it at length in our “The Truth About Monster Cable” trilogy in 2007. (1, 2 and 3.) But if you’re a visual learner, Mint.com offers this infographic.
Mint’s main gig is offering a beautiful online service for managing personal finances. But they also dabble in sassy visual aids for money-related topics, like this one, that goes beyond the usual rabble-rousing to give some insight into what retailers get out of the great HDMI cable scam. [Mint via]
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Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
For the aussie readers. cablechick.com.au is great for HDMI cables. No, I’m not affiliated with them in any way and I’m just a customer. But their cables are cheap but great quality and they have q wide range of cable types. I just bought an HDMI to DVI cable for $28 and it arrived the next day express post.
This has been a public service announcement.
I have solved many network problems over the years, due to cheap cables falling apart.
It is not just that they work on day one that matters!
Agreed. I bought 3x HDMI cables for about $15 each 18 months ago. Without the amp or tv moving over a 12 month period I noticed intermittent signal crashing… then less intermittent crashing as the cable connections seemed to just mysteriously disintergrate!
Two eBay purchases later I managed to buy 2x Monster cables (the latest ‘versions’ – a 1m & a 2m) for $65 including postage.
Believe me or not, but as soon as I plugged them in the colours on my HD Bravia tv seemed a lot more vibrant. For the extra $20 or so and a bit of shopping around – regardless of the theoretical performance gains, I have a much better built and longer lasting set of cables.
Nope mate… Digital 1s and 0s, it may have appeared more vibrant but it wasn’t. Best way to prove it or disprove it would be to hook up a cheap cable and a monster cable making photos of exactly the same screen shot (keeping the light conditions and camera settings the same) and comparing them on your computer.
Having said that I do agree with Shane, somewhere between $10-$40 is the most you’d need to pay to get a HDMI cable that will last you as long as your TV.
OK – I don’t believe you. Explain to me how the vibrancy of the colours on your screen were affected by the exact same stream of 1s and 0s moving into your TV?
“OK, here comes the signal….1100101010110111….hey, wait a minute. These 1s and 0s are from a MONSTER CABLE! Quick, adjust the screen’s colour saturation settings to provide a richer viewing experience for out rich and gullible owner!”
There’s no argument over quality of build, but spending and extra $200 on a cable becomes a little ridiculous.
Never buy the most expensive, never buy the cheapest. Look for the middle ground.
i bought a $15 HDMI cable from Coles, and it works brilliantly on a 32″ samsung. Give em a go, you don’t anything to lose. except 15 bucks