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I'd like to connect my PC to an HDTV using an HDMI-HDMI cable. The distance between them is about 8 m; is the length going to be an issue? I'm worried the signal might deteriorate over such a distance.

Also, does price have any major impact on the signal quality? I'd like to buy an 8-10 m cable for somewhere around 20$. Would such a cheap cable be good for what I want?

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6 Answers 6

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According to these Gizmodo articles (The truth about Monster cable, Part I, Part II & Part III), for a short 2m run practically any cable will do, but for 10m runs to 1080p you might run into problems with lower quality cables. They suggest trying a cheap cable to start with and if you have problems look for a certified HDMI 1.3a "Highspeed" cable.

The Monoprice 35ft ($35.17) and 50ft ($53.64) cables they tried both failed the 1080p lab tests though the 35ft cable passed the real-world test when connected to a TV (rather than a signal analyzer), possibly due to error correction built in to the TV. So that cable might be a good one to try.

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  • I have to say, I read the articles from top to bottom, but I'm more confused than when I started :). Thanks for the links, by the way, I remember reading those articles. So, in your opinion, would a cheap cable be ok for 1080p at 10 m (~33ft)?
    – alex
    Nov 8, 2009 at 16:19
  • I know what you mean about those articles - but they seem to suggest that the cheap(ish) 10m Monoprice cable should do the trick. If not, you've lost ~$30 dollars which is probably a better bet than going for the expensive (>$100) option to start with.
    – pelms
    Nov 8, 2009 at 19:09
  • For anyone finding this: I bought a cheap 10M cable online, and the picture drops out frequently at 1080p.
    – MGOwen
    Apr 5, 2016 at 2:23
  • Maybe your cable is only rated standard and not high-speed. A standard cable only supports 1080i - not 1080p. Aug 24, 2016 at 7:36
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I just installed a hdmi cable over a distance of 20 meters. At first I bought the cheapest 20m cable I could find -> 50€. Somehow it didn't really work. It worked for my tv, but not for my work lcd (which was the primary target). I then bought a cable for 100€ (again 20m) and that one is high speed certified (whatever that means) and has a build in repeater. The second cable worked just fine. It can transmit sound and video in full hd resolution - can't test any higher resolution.

I have a similar experience with dvi cable. Which tough me one thing: If in doubt, buy a reasonable cheap cable. Non cable is worth a fortune, but the cheapest one never works.

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  • High-speed means it supports 1080p and above, while standard rating is only 1080i and below. Or more to the point, the 2 ratings indicate what bandwidth the cable can handle and you need the high-speed bandwith for 1080p and above. Aug 24, 2016 at 7:38
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There is no definitive max length specified in the HDMI specification. I'm using a 5m cable myself to transmit 720p without issue.

There's usually not any difference in quality between cheap and expensive cables. I would go for the cheapest cable I can find at the length you want.

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  • The thing is, I've had problems with a DVI-HDMI cable. 720p was fine, 1080p was awful. That's why I'd rather be certain before I actually buy anything... Anyway, thanks for the answer and +1
    – alex
    Nov 7, 2009 at 16:30
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I recall a study where cable quality only matter when the length is insane, like 50m+. Sadly, I can't find the study/review right now.

If I were you I wouldn't be worried and I'd run right over to monoprice.com

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  • I'd really appreciate it if you could find that study, or at least something similar.
    – alex
    Nov 7, 2009 at 16:28
  • argh .. I just looked for 30 mins and can't find it. The review had signal quality pictures too ... bummer :( sorry
    – basszero
    Nov 7, 2009 at 21:35
  • @basszero no problem :). Thanks for taking the time, though!
    – alex
    Nov 7, 2009 at 23:09
  • sweet pelms got it!
    – basszero
    Nov 8, 2009 at 5:28
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A tale has been drifting around the Internet for some time to the effect that the DVI and HDMI specs give a maximum distance of 15 feet. This isn't actually true. The HDMI spec, in fact, gives no length limit explicitly at all, but the requirements of the spec implicitly give rise to some length limitations for "compliant" cables. A cable isn't permitted to degrade the signal past a certain point--that point is a bit hard to put one's finger on, because a cable is deemed spec compliant if it meets either of two tests: an "eye-pattern" test which measures the overall shape of the HDMI waveform at the cable output, or a set of parametric tests which measure the attenuation and other losses in the signal.

from http://www.bluejeanscable.com/articles/how-long-can-hdmi-run.htm

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    Unfortunately, the signal does degrade, especially on cheaper cables. Thanks for pointing the article out, though. +1
    – alex
    Feb 4, 2010 at 9:42
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The cable will be rated for your distance and bandwidth. Then price doesn't matter.

Any HDMI cable of any length will be rated either Standard (2.25 Gbps) or High-Speed (5 Gbps).

If you need Full HD (1080p60+) you require a High-Speed cable, if you only need 720p60/1080i60 a Standard cable is enough. In reality, the Standard rating is almost useless today and I see some answers here indicating someone tried a Standard cable for Full HD, which will usually fail.

Passive cables of up to 10 meters are common and cheap for High-Speed and at 15-20 meters the active cables are also common and relatively cheap. Brand doesn't really matter.

Be aware that active cables only works in one direction and the markings might be confusing and instructions might not even mention this, so if unsure - try reversing the long cable.

I've seen many HDMI installations where a long cable is only rated standard and I get no image unless I manually turn down the resolution or refresh rate to fit the maximum bitrate (or connect a device that only runs at a lower resolution).

And of course, some shorter runs of Standard rated cables can actually managed High-Speed throughput, based on luck and so fourth. But I recommend against it.

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