HDMI cables

[RizzoTheRat]

Without getting in to £500 unobtanium plated cables, is there much difference between cheap HDMI cables and thier more expensive brethren over short distances?

Every so often when watching TV from our cable box it drops out for a second and then comes back. I had assumed it was a fault in the cable box but the other night watched something on the box via the Amazon Prime app and when it did it the Prime app popped up a message saying there was a problem with the HDMI cable. Then I watched something on my laptop connected to the TV via the same cable and it also glitched a few times. Tried a different but identical cable (Amazon Basics ones I think) and the same thing happened. The TV has 2 HDMI ports and the same thing happens with both, but the Chromecast works fine in either port.

Is a higher quality cable likely to solve the problem?

[stevoknevo]

There are different types of HDMI cables and you need one that's capable of what you're trying to transmit between devices - this should explain fully.

https://www.hdmi.org/resource/cables

I've had a similar issue between my son's Xbox One X/4K TV where it was getting glitches with 4K/60 HDR content, changed it for the supplied cable (I got them mixed up when installing...) and been rock solid ever since, so if you're trying to feed 4K between devices with an older cable it's likely that and you need a couple of new cables - not a recommendation but something like this will be more than up to the job if that is indeed the issue - www.amazon.co.uk/UGREEN-Support-7860x4320P-Compati...

[Robbidoo]

As above, but OP I think you're asking whether you should be paying more for a "better" / "higher quality" cable, and the answer is no. Just pick something that is fit for purpose per the above answer.

[Dave.]

I tend to use the AmazonBasics cables, never had a problem with them, just make sure you get the correct version for your needs (or buy the better ones for future proofing).

[JEA1K]

The only item that is likely to fail on a HDMI cable is the head ... and that's usually due to careless insertion and removal. Some cables have a modular head which can come apart if you're not careful, so the moulded head types are less prone to failing.

[VEX]

It als has an effect depending on its route between the devices. Signals can be suseptable to interference and if you are already close to failure then this can push you over the edge.

The issue is you have no way of knowing how close you are the edge untilnyou fall off it with very expencive test equipment.