My HDMI cable obsolete?

Emil · « **on:** 23 Aug 2012, 03:51 pm »

Hi guys/gals

Recently purchase a Roku box for Netflix and have it connected to my plasma via a generic HDMI cable and everything is fine.
I thought I would give it a go with my home theater projector but something not right. Im getting a blue screen alternating with signal like there is a disruption in the streaming. Im getting excellent signal strenght so Im a bit baffled.
Went to the local Best Buy. He asked me the length of of my HDMI cable ( 15ft) and how old it was ( 5 years?). He suggest I try a short run of HDMI cable ( no change) and if that didnt work I needed to upgrade the cable.
I just tried using the RCA video cable. Terrible picture but no disruptions so he may have a point.

What do you guts think before investing in new HDMI cable.

BTW, my HDMI works fine with my Oppo non-bluray DVD player

glynnw · « **Reply #1 on:** 23 Aug 2012, 03:54 pm »

Don't know if cable is cause, but you can buy cable on ebay for 1/4 of Best Buy price and experiment

Emil · « **Reply #2 on:** 23 Aug 2012, 03:58 pm »

Quote from: glynnw on 23 Aug 2012, 03:54 pm

Don't know if cable is cause, but you can buy cable on ebay for 1/4 of Best Buy price and experiment

Just looked at the Monoprice website and see a 15 foot pair of "high speed" HDMI cables for 22 bucks.

Phil A · « **Reply #3 on:** 23 Aug 2012, 04:21 pm »

Monoprice is very good for the money. I have a couple of those (one going each way) from the processor in the main system to the bedroom receiver (on the other side of the wall) and vice versa. For the really long runs (I have a 50 footer in main system and a 30 or so footer in the basement system) to the projectors, I went with Blue Jeans best cables.

ted_b · « **Reply #4 on:** 23 Aug 2012, 04:22 pm »

Quote from: Emil on 23 Aug 2012, 03:58 pm

Just looked at the Monoprice website and see a 15 foot pair of "high speed" HDMI cables for 22 bucks.

Yes, Monoprice sells good HDMi cables. And they are spec'd for good bandwidth, a nicety for longer lengths (older HDMI cables often produced issues at 15ft+)..
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&cs_id=1024004&p_id=3663&seq=1&format=2
You can even use their Redmere ones which are thinner yet good for long distances.

Bob in St. Louis · « **Reply #5 on:** 23 Aug 2012, 05:30 pm »

A quick Google search of "HDCP" and you'll find that some HDMI units are not compatible ("handshake") with each other. Sure, you may have a whacked out cable, but the few feet you're talking about isn't the problem. I've got a 25' cable I bought from Oppo that works great.
Speaking of Oppo, I bought a player from them that wasn't compatible with my projector. There was no "fix", the only solution was return the Oppo.

Don't buy cables at BB though.
Best wishes.
Bob

Emil · « **Reply #6 on:** 23 Aug 2012, 07:50 pm »

Thanks for the responses so far.

Oh, forgot to add that the Netflix menu is projected just fine. Its when I start playing a program is when I have the problem. So I dont think there is a "hand shake" problem there.

Just got back from Radio Shack and bought 3 foot length of their high speed HMDI. No change

Bemopti123 · « **Reply #7 on:** 23 Aug 2012, 08:45 pm »

It might not be the same but I have been experiencing some angst using HDMI cabled sources to my new Marantz receiver. It has about 6 HDMI source inputs in the back as well as 1 more in the front....I connected my MBP along with a Mini display to HDMI converter in the front and into a HDMI cable to the front port....Was getting weird disruptions, a little shaking of the image and somehow washed out. Then, I plugged to the back Bluray PS3 HDMI and it worked without hiccups. I suspect that it was either the HDMI cable that I used in the front port as well as the physical port itself for the problems.

I got a Amazon values HDMI cable and did the same routine in the front....no signals at all! So, the idea perhaps was that it was the Amazon HDMI and also the original HDMI cable.

Before I returned it to Amazon, I decided to do a diagnostics test.

I got a Oppo DVD to be the original source. I swapped amongst 3 HDMI cables I have had in hand with the back inputs first and finally the front HDMI input socket.
All of the HDMI inputs worked well with the PS3 cable.
Then did the same with the Amazon HDMI. It also passed the test NP.
Another HDMI cable I had laying around did drop the signal with the Oppo in the front socket while it was glitchy with some back HDMI inputs. Off to the trash it went.

The Amazon HDMI was able to get steady output from the Oppo and also strangely the MBP with the Mini display port adapter from the front HDMI input.

In between, because of my doubts, I have ordered 2 a little bit higher end, bulkier Audioquest HDMIs from Crutchfield. Once I get them, I will replace and do the test again.

What I have learned about this entire ordeal is that not all HDMI cables are built the same. I have 1 monoprice HDMI and it is fine.

But, the other generic HDMI cables I have gotten I do not know from where, are suspicious at best.

Perhaps the Audioquests will also interact strangely between different sources and sockets...but I am attempting to minimize what I have experienced so far.

The fact is that it seems HDMI standards are not as seemless as they make it seem. Therefore, not all cables will be reliable to deliver the signal it is supposed amongst tens of thousands of HDMI devices out there.

That is my story.