andrew-theasby
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| posted on 14/7/11 at 11:34 AM |
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TV wiring experts
Can anybody please tell me if a HDMI cable can be cut and lengthened, or are there kits available to make them the length you require? Is it just a
multicored cable? Just on with hanging my new telly on the wall and i want to get all the cables sunk in before i wallpaper. Is it wise to have long
HDMI cables anyway, would it lose a lot of picture quality or no noticeable difference? I could route the cables sidewards for a shorter run rather
than going into the loft then back down, but then that would be another channel to cut in the plaster. Thanks. PS Telly is mounted on plastered
chimney breast, not plaster board, and DVD player etc is to the side set back. Thanks
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liam.mccaffrey
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| posted on 14/7/11 at 11:57 AM |
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how long do you want it?
45m Long Active HDMI Cable Extender Repeater 1080p PS3 | eBay
Build Blog
Build Photo Album
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MikeRJ
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| posted on 14/7/11 at 12:18 PM |
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An HDMI cable is specifically constructed to create a controlled impedance and low loss. Ignore anyone that suggests that because HDMI is a digital
signal that the cable doesn't matter, this is simply displaying their ignorance, but is a surprisingly common fallacy.
I would not recommend cutting and joining an HDMI cable, it may work out ok for shorter lengths, but you will create an impedance mismatch that will
increase return loss and could degrade the signal enough to cause problems.
Longer length HDMI cables are ok up to 15 meters or so, but at this length I would not be buying cheap unbranded cables (which are nearly always ok
for short links). Since you are burying them in a wall I would definitely be buying the best quality I could afford - digging out the wall to replace
a cable with a duff connector or to upgrade a low spec cable is not fun.
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craig1410
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| posted on 14/7/11 at 12:53 PM |
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Yeah, there are enough little issues with HDMI without creating more by joining cables. There are also plenty of cable lengths available so try to buy
the length you need if at all possible. Keep them as short as possible without stretching and buy a good value cable, not too cheap and not the
stupidly expensive ones either.
I found Tesco have a good value cable which comes in 1.5m and 3m lengths for £10 or £15 resp.
Here it is: http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.208-7071.aspx
I use either three or four of these on my home cinema linking Sky+ HD, Apple TV, XBox 360, LG DVD Player, Onkyo AV Receiver and LG Plasma TV. Note
that Sky+ HD has some issues with audio over HDMI so you need to use optical to get best results. Apart from that it all works great.
Hope this helps,
Craig.
edit: I'd go as direct as possible rather than up into the loft and back. Cutting channels in plaster shouldn't be a big deal, but try to
go in straight lines so that you know where the cables are in future and don't drill through them or put picture hook nails through them...
[Edited on 14/7/2011 by craig1410]
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Agriv8
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| posted on 14/7/11 at 02:15 PM |
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Mike I agree with you for most of this I would like to draw your to the following from indipendant which mag
27 February 2010
Cheap proves cheerful for HDMI leads
When Which? lab tested the following HDMI leads, the cheapest lead proved just as good as the most expensive:
A £10 Tesco Value HDMI lead
A £20 John Lewis HDMI lead
A £100 Belkin HDMI lead
Amazingly, our expert viewers saw no difference at all in the picture quality when using the three HDMI leads, with our technical tests confirming
identical performances. We passed data through all our HDMI leads at 6.2Gb per second – a data rate more demanding than Blu-ray – without a single
error occurring.
but with this in mind if I was the original poster ( plastering in the Cable ) and the cable was over 10m Long AND/OR 3D was planned to be sent
through it I would not be heading for the Cheep ones but then agiain I would Never fork out £100
Not wanting an argumant just my 2p worth
regards
Agriv8
Taller than your average Guy !
Management is like a tree of monkeys. - Those at the top look down and see a tree full of smiling faces. BUT Those at the bottom look up and see a
tree full of a*seholes .............
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craig1410
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| posted on 14/7/11 at 02:27 PM |
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Just to clarify something as it appears from Agriv8's post that he is suggesting the Tesco cables are "cheap". This may well just be
the way it comes across due to the mix of quoted article and own comments below.
To me, "cheap" for HDMI cables is in the £1 to £5 range and I'd urge caution over using these unless you have seen them or received
a word of mouth recommendation from someone you trust. See here for a selection of "cheap" HDMI cables:
http://www.cablesuk.co.uk/?gclid=CKTEt4eDgaoCFQEf4QodRj53xg
The Tesco ones I referred to above are what I would call "value" cables because they are not expensive (anything above £20 I'd call
expensive for HDMI cables) and yet they are very well constructed and look like they will last well. I would certainly have no issues with running
them through the wall plaster. I did a lot of research and touched a lot of cables before I decided to buy these and they have proved to be a good
buy.
By the way, I should mention that I have a degree in electronics and electrical engineering and used to design and build expensive engine test cell
harnesses for Lucas Automotive so I know I thing or two about cables. That said, I would strongly discourage anyone from spending more than £10 or £15
for an HDMI cable of typical length but equally I would discourage them from spending less than £7 or £8 unless you are confident it is perhaps
reduced from the normal price for some commercial reason.
Cheers,
Craig.
edit: I think these are the Tesco Value cables referred to in the Which article. I've seen these too and they are not as good as the ones I gave
a link to earlier: http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.205-7562.aspx
They don't look as nice, the cable is poorer quality and they aren't as well built. Spend the extra £1 on the ones I linked earlier.
[Edited on 14/7/2011 by craig1410]
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jossey
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| posted on 14/7/11 at 03:36 PM |
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Try this
ethernet to HDMI connector.
i have 100meters of hdmi quality video going to my garage from my house. works 100% fine.
linky
you will use 2 x rj45 cables which you can buy 100m for £4 off ebay....
good luck.
extending hdmi is easy with this and will not cause any issues upto 100 meters with some connectors without a booster.
IT DOES MY HEAD IN WHEN PEOPLE TELL YOU TO BUY GOLD CONNECTORS OR BETTER HDMI. comet said it will improve the sound and video quality which is
surprising when it transmits zeros and ones. better quality 0101010101100011
F**K off.
[Edited on 14/7/11 by jossey]
Thanks
David Johnson
Building my tiger avon slowly but surely.
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daniel mason
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| posted on 14/7/11 at 05:18 PM |
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you would be far better off just buying a longer hdmi lead.
you can,as stated,stream hd down a screened cat 5 using rj45's but in my opinion,the picture quality is not quite as good.
my ste up is as good as any ive ever seen for picture and sound quality. i like the QED rangege personally but its up to you. chord company also do a
good range
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andrew-theasby
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| posted on 14/7/11 at 08:14 PM |
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Thanks for the replies, i think the 3 metre cable should do the job, which doesnt sound as if its classed as "long" Means i can put that
into the vertical trunking now rather than plastering it in to go round the corner so i can change it if ever required.
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Ninehigh
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| posted on 15/7/11 at 08:02 AM |
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Note how all those tests have found a new cable shows no difference in picture quality. Try those same cables in 10 years?
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craig1410
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| posted on 15/7/11 at 09:45 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Ninehigh
Note how all those tests have found a new cable shows no difference in picture quality. Try those same cables in 10 years?
Or just keep the extra £90 in the bank and use it to buy a new one in 10 years' time. Still £80 better off... 
Seriously though, most equipment is plugged in and left for a few years until a new Sky box appears or a new DVD/Bluray player or whatever. Not much
stress on the cables or connectors in practice for most people.
The chances are that we'll have another cable technology by then anyway. Perhaps Thunderbolt.
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Agriv8
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| posted on 15/7/11 at 12:48 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Ninehigh
Note how all those tests have found a new cable shows no difference in picture quality. Try those same cables in 10 years?
I predict there will be a new format by then " fibre or wireless" my Audi a6 nav' Phone' CD and MP3 all connect to a fibre
loop that goes to the amp.
but wireless makes sense as bradnd leaders will want to sell us the next big thing.
I am also using 20 year old cat 5 cables at work with no problem designed for 1 mb now happily talking 100mb ( but that is a slightly diferent digital
technology and I would not use one to hook a server up ).
regards
Agriv8
Taller than your average Guy !
Management is like a tree of monkeys. - Those at the top look down and see a tree full of smiling faces. BUT Those at the bottom look up and see a
tree full of a*seholes .............
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