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Which HDMI Cable is BEST for Apple TV 4?
- Thread starter iRobby
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I know that digital connections are essentially all-in or nothing seeing as all you're doing is sending 1's and 0's.
That said, I cheaped out and got a $5 cable online. My TV is getting 3's and not sure what to make of it......
Go to mono price, spend $3 on a 12ft cable and never think of this kind of stuff again.
That said, I cheaped out and got a $5 cable online. My TV is getting 3's and not sure what to make of it......
Go to mono price, spend $3 on a 12ft cable and never think of this kind of stuff again.
Only time I would worry about an HDMI cable is for very long runs and/or if you are going to be moving it around a lot, plugging it in and unplugging etc. In those cases I would look into cables with good reviews for those specific things. For example over a very very long run with a cheap cable that isn't shielded properly and not installed properly (running with high voltage and especially variable frequency cabling) you can get "sparkles" in the image from interference.
I've had great luck with AmazonBasic cables. Fairly inexpensive and fairly robust. I use one (DP to HDMI) for my laptop which gets moved around a lot and it works great.
The reason not to worry about image/sound quality is because of how the data is transmitted. Due to TMDS the data is different at the source than the receiver (or at least rearranged). Because of this you will have very obvious problems or a perfect image. So if it appears to be working properly then it is working perfectly.
However its still not a great idea to run out and get the cheapest cable available because they can break due to poor construction. But there won't be a visual/audible difference between two functioning HDMI cables.
I've had great luck with AmazonBasic cables. Fairly inexpensive and fairly robust. I use one (DP to HDMI) for my laptop which gets moved around a lot and it works great.
The reason not to worry about image/sound quality is because of how the data is transmitted. Due to TMDS the data is different at the source than the receiver (or at least rearranged). Because of this you will have very obvious problems or a perfect image. So if it appears to be working properly then it is working perfectly.
However its still not a great idea to run out and get the cheapest cable available because they can break due to poor construction. But there won't be a visual/audible difference between two functioning HDMI cables.
When my DirecTV receiver was replaced last year I started getting DHCP errors on my 1080p television. My signal path is somewhat long: DirecTV > Oppo BDP-105D > Yamaha AV3000 > Panasonic Plasma which certainly didn't help things. What was confusing was that my Apple TV and Oppo worked just fine routing through the Yamaha. The only thing that had changed was the DirecTV receiver and that was the path that was failing.
I found an article that listed cables at the time that would support 4K when I'm ready to upgrade. Monoprice, Monster, Wireworld, and Audioquest all had cables which failed to deliver at least one 4K signal type. I finally just replaced the cable from my receiver to the TV with an Audioquest Carbon that I found for 1/2 price and haven't had a problem since.
https://www.soundandvision.com/content/uhd-blu-ray-vs-hdmi-let-battle-begin-page-2
The HDMI 2.0 spec supports up to 18 Gbps. As discussed in the article, the splash screen on the Samsung UHD player tested was outputting an 18 Gbps signal which is at the top end of the 2.0 spec. So even a good cable can fail it the signal is pushing the edge of the HDMI spec.
The bottom line is that the functionality of an HDMI cable is dependent upon the cable's construction, length (over 5 meters is problematic), certification (HDMI 2.0 or 2.1 which will go to 48 Gbps), and electronics in the signal chain. If you have a simple installation (just, say, a connection between an Apple TV and your television) then an inexpensive cable will likely work. But as you add more components, increase the total signal path length, push more data such as 4K 60 Hz, you may start running into problems.
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I remember getting put together on my first Plasma 1080 TV / Original PS3 with one of those $85 3 foot long Monster cables.
F That again.
You must have Monster gold-plated HDMI cable. As everyone knows, gold improves the quality of the bits as they travel the wire.
That's just cruel, man.
Pffft, Monster cables are overpriced junk from a shady company, everybody knows that - what you really want - if you really care about picture quality, is a 2m AudioQuest Diamond Braided HDMI Cable, available for the bargain price of $1,494.75.
Of course, what good is a high-quality AppleTV-to-screen connection if you don't treat the incoming bits with the utmost care? So you'll need to connect the AppleTV to your Internet connection with a 1.5m Audioquest Vodka Ethernet Cable which will only set you back $338.75. Totally worth it for the best picture. And if you need a longer run from your Internet service to your AppleTV, they have you covered with the 8m AudioQuest Diamond Ethernet Cable, for $5,494.75. Now, that price may seem a little high until you realize it includes FREE shipping.
Now is that really too much to ask in order to stream cat videos from YouTube?
Of course, what good is a high-quality AppleTV-to-screen connection if you don't treat the incoming bits with the utmost care? So you'll need to connect the AppleTV to your Internet connection with a 1.5m Audioquest Vodka Ethernet Cable which will only set you back $338.75. Totally worth it for the best picture. And if you need a longer run from your Internet service to your AppleTV, they have you covered with the 8m AudioQuest Diamond Ethernet Cable, for $5,494.75. Now, that price may seem a little high until you realize it includes FREE shipping.
Now is that really too much to ask in order to stream cat videos from YouTube?
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I only use HDMI cables from the £1 shop (uk). Work perfectly. One died once so I bought another one.