Account deleted by request

As above,

When buying my new tv yesterday the manager in Currys was trying to sell me the talk about how rubbish the standard sky cable is. I wasn't falling for that as it was the same story about scart leads 10 years ago, he didn't like it when I told him that

Just to check though as technology has moved on, is the standard one sky supply ok or do I need to get a decent one? If so which one?

Ta,

Chop

DJ_Jon

iTrader: (7)

Std sky cable is ok. Don't wast your money on a better one.

vallumlj

I would buy a cable in the middle not dirt cheap but not expensive. I have bought from this company a lot and normally pay about £10 a lead and I have some still going strong after 5 years.

http://ukhdmi.com/

I bought some from Amazon budget range and have had nothing but problems.

every1sgottablue1

They done a review on this on the gadget show. There was no difference in quality of picture, or none that you would notice. Save your money mate!

birchy2010

iTrader: (12)

Indeed, save your money mate, HD is digital so either works or not unlike previous analogue signal

Fleetster

Totally agree save your cash for beer

grovesy

Only if your box is over 100 meters from you TV.

what would scooby do

No, as long as the 1's and 0's enter one end and come out of the other then a £1 cable will be fine.

jonc

Does the different versions make any difference, I think there are versions 1.01.3, 1.3b, 1.4, 1.4a etc.

Coffin Dodger

To reiterate, it's a digital interconnect, so long as the 1's and 0's get from one end of the cable to the other it will be fine. Basically so long as every pin on the plug has a good connection it will work.

As for the HDMI versions they've pretty much dropped them now. To ensure compatibility with everything buy a cable that is marked as "High Speed with Ethernet". I have these http://www.tvcables.co.uk/cgi-bin/tv...1.4-cable.html for my 3D set up at home and they do it all including the return channel audio from the TV. Less than £5.

ChefDude

that's all very well, but i would at least get one that's shielded - mine are 20-30 quid and the 1s and 0s are getting through okay

Coffin Dodger

Agree about shielding especially for longer lengths but the sub £5 one I linked to is shielded.

TelBoy

Yes the cable DOES make a difference. Stated it before, will state it again. And again.

Saying that it either works or doesn't is like saying there is only one quality of digital. There isn't.


Amazon are doing an excellent deal on HDMI cables at the moment, reduced from £55 to just over a tenner. You don't need to go better than this in my opinion, but you'll see an improvement over a standard cable if your signal is good

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...&pf_rd_i=typ01

JPL

I have the cheap HDMI cables that came free with some stuff, and I also have a couple of £85 cables, I use a £1K Onkyo amp to switch signal from Cable/Blu Ray/PS3 etc.

Cables are 2M or less.

I notice one difference, and only one. The amp seems to switch the signal quicker (slightly) on the more expensive cable, other than that, nothing.

TelBoy

JPL, what you're effectively saying then, is that it makes *a* difference, but by the time it's reached your telly picture it's indiscernible. That's not the cable's fault.

what would scooby do

I polished the mains plug of my toaster and it makes my toast taste better and stay warmer for longer.

JPL

I'm saying that for some reason the signal/video switching happens slightly faster if I use a more expensive cable, but I cannot tell any difference in audio or visual.

If I ever have the need to buy another one I'll get the cheapest.

Oh, the more expensive ones look nicer too :-)

TelBoy

Shut up WWSD


Funnily, (well it isn't but anyway), i was talking to an electrical engineer a while back who was talking about mains conditioning. He reckoned that it is possible to show that a kettle boils faster with a conditioned mains supply. Only a second or two, but still, when you're thirsty and all that...

what would scooby do

Just put less water in kettle to make it boil quicker

Oh and

the hamster

iTrader: (7)

digital cables are the biggest con on the market. As PROVEN, theres no difference in a £1 or a £100 cable, its just an exploitation of people who think that the more things cost the better they are.

The biggest joke is the "gold plated" Hdmi cable, FFS! Do you have a gold plated TV and gold plated Blu Ray to plug it into?

I met a customer recently who bought a £25 DVD player in currys for the tv in the conservatory, then was sold a £45 scart lead to connect it with!

Miniman

iTrader: (2)

That argument is taking place over in the Android vs Apple thread.

Jamz3k

This is the only significant difference, I have also noticed with HDMI. I use QED HDMI-P cables and I struggle to justify anything more expensive. Having torn apart a QED cable before, the cables are individually very well shielded to internal and external interference and considering all the goodies and gadgets i have behind my TV, I'm thankful for it.

With the whole "its only 1 and 0's" argument, have you ever tested optical cables? they can be very very hit or miss.

Best advice is to buy a low end QED cable for your Sky Box and with the rest of the money you were going to spend on a HDMI lead, buy a Tacima Mains Conditioner.

Scooby Soon!

What are all these problems you are having with Amazon cables?

Do you buy high quality USB cables for your PC to make sure your photos are good quality when you download them.....

I love it when people fall for marketing with out realising

Leslie

I reckon it is just another con, I doubt that there would be a significant difference, not worth all the extra cash anyway.

Les

grovesy

I forget the exact length but it makes no differnce unless you go over 150 meters ish...

Gold end's polished ends etc etc etc

what would scooby do

I have 4 plasmas connected via 20 to 40 metres each run. Works perfect using cheapo hdmi cable off a reel..

IWatkins

Had this when we went to look at a 55inch Samsung SmartTV the other day in Comet (http://www.comet.co.uk/p/LED-TVs/buy...-LED-TV/763489). Guy tried to sell us a "Monster" cable pack that included a mains extension strip, a HDMI cable, some optical cleaner etc. Plus he would throw is a few extra HDMI cables. Would be a nice handy pack to have if I had no cables at all. He insisted if I bought that TV, that I would really need this cable pack to get the most from the TV and the Sky, PS3, Blu-ray and receiver I would be hooking it all up to. Cable pack (ignoring addition HDMI cables) was £160. F**k that.

Told him I wouldn't be buying that cable pack as "I believe Sir you are talking crap".

Anyway, he went on to push the wife to buy the 5 years ExtraCare Plan at around £430, so i told him where he could stick his TV

Got it from John Lewis in the end (Pete )

the hamster

iTrader: (7)

Love it! You and me certainly think alike mate

Hysteria1983

It's pretty much a proven fact that unless your box is more than 100m from your TV it will make no difference at all.

A standard one from ASDA will do the same job at the same distance as one costing three times the price.