HDMI Cable for Sale: How to Choose Yours

Sifting through ‘HDMI cable for sale’ pages in hopes of finding the perfect one can be daunting, especially if you don’t know where to start. Yet, the process should be easy. That’s why we’ve put together a quick guide to help you find the cable best suited to the job.

1. HDMI Cable Speed

Standard
The slowest, most basic cable is the Standard HDMI. Its bandwidth of 4.95Gbps is enough to run Full HD video and send a 1080p signal. Cables that are more than five years old or unmarked HDMI cables for sale are often Standard cables.

High Speed

Thanks to a bandwidth of at least 10.2Gbps, High Speed HDMI cables process data at twice the speed of a Standard cable. These cables can send a 4K signal without a hitch, but streaming and gaming that require a 4K60 (4K signal at 30 to 40 frames per second) won’t run smoothly.

Premium High Speed

Premium High Speed HDMI cables run on a bandwidth of up to 18Gbps. These cables support 4K60 and higher resolutions like 8K as well as high-spec video games. Their capacity for 4:4:4 chroma sampling and BT.2020 colour space further ensures a seamless feed.

Ultra High Speed

At the top of the tier is the Ultra High Speed HDMI cable that has a bandwidth of up to 48GBps. These cables exceed the average current technological need, but they are a good investment for when future streaming consists of 10K uncompressed video.

Tip: Some companies don’t distinguish between HDMI cables with the “High Speed” nonminer. So, to ensure you pick a Premium High Speed cable, keep an eye out for the Premium High Speed QR code or examine the packaging’s bandwidth and video resolution.

2. Cable Length and Width

Signal deteriorates over long distances, and digital is no different. As a rule, it’s best to buy a thick long HDMI cable that can send more data over an extended distance or active components that amplify or repeat the signal at every 15m. With this in mind, opt for thick cable when it’s 10m or longer.

On the other hand, compact setups of 5m or less can stick to the new generation Ultra Slim cables. These cables are over 70% thinner than their traditional counterpart, which makes them lightweight, flexible, and easy to store in a laptop bag.

3. HDMI Versions

Some HDMI specs can cause unnecessary confusion. In most cases, considering the speed and length is enough to find the best HDMI cable for sale. However, if you need to transfer data over Ethernet or play high-frame per second video games, you’ll also want to explore other HDMI specifications as listed by the HDMI Licencing Administrator.

HDMI 1.0 to 1.3

Version 1.0 refers to the original HDMI technology that was released in 2002. It could run 4.9Gbps, but only two-channel audio. The subsequent versions saw the inclusion of multichannel audio support, connector support, command sets for remote control functions, the ‘Deep Colour’ standard, x.v.Colour, automatic lip-sync and an increased bitrate of 10.2Gbps.

HDMI 1.4

With the addition of Ethernet capability, 2009’s HDMI cable makes it possible to connect a home network to other HDMI 1.4 compatible devices. This version also comes with ARC (Audio Return Channel) and the ability to send audio from the TV tuner to the home theatre receiver, which foregoes the need for a separate audio cable.

HDMI 2.0 to 2.1

HDMI 2.0, released in 2013, comes with dynamic auto lip-sync and supports 32 audio channels and HDR video display. Version 2.1 had a significant upgrade consisting of an increased bandwidth of 48Gbps, broad support for frame refresh rates and higher video resolutions, like 8K/60. The latter is a feature of the latest Ultra High Speed HDMI cables.