HDMI cable for a new LG OLED

...which my friend is planning to get (55C7P). It has HDR/Dolby Vision, 4k, etc. I'm wondering what version of cable he needs to get, i.e. 2.0 or whatever. It's not a long run, and my tendency would be to buy Blue Jeans since they offer the most technical information* and reasonable prices.


*for instance HDMI Spec Versions -- Blue Jeans Cable

 

Save yourself tons of money and get one from Monoprice.

 

A premium Blue Jeans 6' is $22, a cheap Monoprice like $4. So not tons of money, though a big percentage. I suppose if the Monoprice (or anything else) works, it works, though if I was running in a wall I would want something with the most guarantee against future whatever.

 

These are wires to carry 0s and 1s. There is no functional difference between the cheapest and most expensive HDMI wire except what you'll spend to get a wire to do the job.

Monoprice sells good cables. Buy with confidence and keep the extra funds. There is no benefit whatsoever in getting the more expensive one.

 

Just be sure it is certified high speed, 18GB transfer speed, to eliminate possible handshake issues.

 

When I bought mine last spring the salesman said not to waste money buying an expensive cable.

 

As an electrical engineer, let me say that "it's just 1s and 0s" is a misconception, which by the way is not true for CDs/DVDs/Blu-rays either (in a cable and actually inside the transport etc).

The signal sent down the cable varies between high and low state, and that transition is NOT instantaneous. There are rise and fall times associated with the waveform which in fact is really analog, then "rectified" into 1s and 0s. Anyway, if the cable is poor, the rise and fall times can be too much and the whole mess doesn't work. I'm oversimplifying, and actually now I'm wondering how this applies in an optic cable...same/similar phenomenon I'm pretty sure in some way, because for example SPDIF optic doesn't have enough bandwidth to send 5.1 24/96 PCM.

Which is how we come to

Which maybe the Monoprice happen to be, or various others. OR the cables get used in not the most extreme use cases and work. OR they randomly stop working which has happened to me as well, twice, when the cables were not even touched and no equipment moved.

So while I'd agree there should not be a need to buy anything more expensive than an 18GB certified Blue Jeans for $22, that does not mean every cheap cable you can get on Amazon is will be OK, not just from a functionality aspect but also quality control i.e. does the darn thing break the first time you move it.

Some USB or coax cables could indeed work better than others (more distance), up to a point. For instance, a more expensive USB cable would actually let my printer work in the bookshelf where I needed it, and cheaper cables didn't. That said, "more expensive" was maybe double, not the crazy prices charged by some brands.

In this case, it's easy and cheap here in SoCal to order the Monoprice for cheap and see how it is.

 

I was using this as shorthand for the fact that it either will work or won't ; there is no in-between as this is digital. I believe the HDMI standard allows for up to 25ft of distance before experiencing hiccups or possibly no functionality.

I (perhaps wrongfully) assumed the distance would be far more reasonable than that. If you're specifically looking to make full use of 4K, yes, I agree, buying a cable certified to work with those sources would be a wise move.

Let us know how the Monoprice panned out. In all my years of dealing with them, they've never let me down.

 

Make sure you get HDMI 2.1 (or the newer 2.2) cables, so you'll be future-proofed for 4K HDR and so on, which are sometimes called "Ultra High Speed HDMI Cables." I don't have a problem with reasonably-priced cables like Monoprice or Blue Jeans provided they can hit that spec.

 

Isn't the latest HDMI version 2.1? You may mean HDCP 2.2.

 

There's always a new version of HDMI lurking in the wings...

 

I've never regretted buying cables from Monoprice. They are always of sufficient quality and perform as well as fancier ones that sell for substantially more. Sure, the difference in price is not that great, but twenty bucks is twenty bucks. Why overpay?

 

The Amazon Basics have worked well in my setup, with multiple 4K/HDR sources. HDCP 2.2 compliance with the cable and the inputs it is used in, is important as well.

 

Ha ha actually that's not entirely true on a transistor level, since they are so small now. Although in another, quantum sense, there is truly no in-between.
My brain is now wondering if you could make a digital system that DID have "in-betweens" and how could it sound better and how would it work.
My odd brain is also picturing Ken Starr interrogating Bill Clinton, who is riposting "Well, can, uh, we, uh, define what IS a zero and exactly what is a one?"

 

You are guilty of thinking too much..

 

We just bought a 4K LG set and bought our HDMI (2.1) cables at the dollar store.

 

These work perfectly for me: Certified Premium High Speed HDMI Cable, HDR, 3ft Black - Monoprice.com