- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
Should I replace HDMI Cable?
Posted on 4/27/21 at 9:16 am
Posted on 4/27/21 at 9:16 am
Bought a new 70" Samsung UHD Tv from Best Buy over the weekend. Great quality and picture so far. I am using the same HDMI cable I've used/had for over the last 6-7 years with my last tv. Is there any reason or purpose to upgrade to a newer cable? Not a gamer, mainly just watch sports and movies. Thanks for any input.
4
Posted on 4/27/21 at 9:28 am to LBro337
Maybe.
UHD can be a little squishy, but I'll assume it's a 4k TV. Do you know what the refresh rate is? Generally given in Hz (60Hz, 120Hz, etc).
Also, what do you have it plugged into that's giving it the signal to begin with?
And finally, if you look at your HDMI cable, does it have a version number on it? Somewhere between 1.1 and 2.1, generally, sometimes with a letter at the end.
UHD can be a little squishy, but I'll assume it's a 4k TV. Do you know what the refresh rate is? Generally given in Hz (60Hz, 120Hz, etc).
Also, what do you have it plugged into that's giving it the signal to begin with?
And finally, if you look at your HDMI cable, does it have a version number on it? Somewhere between 1.1 and 2.1, generally, sometimes with a letter at the end.
This post was edited on 4/27/21 at 9:30 am
Posted on 4/27/21 at 9:47 am to Joshjrn
It is a 4k w/ a 60Hz refresh rate. I have Direct Tv so its ran from their port to the TVs. Id have to look at actual HDMI cable for model/version when I am home. Not sure if it matters but it is a solid 6-7 years old. Id imagine its on the older end
Posted on 4/27/21 at 9:52 am to LBro337
Posted on 4/27/21 at 9:56 am to LBro337
quote:
It is a 4k w/ a 60Hz refresh rate. I have Direct Tv so its ran from their port to the TVs. Id have to look at actual HDMI cable for model/version when I am home. Not sure if it matters but it is a solid 6-7 years old. Id imagine its on the older end
So 4k 60Hz is right on the edge. If you bought an absolutely cutting edge version 2.0 cable when they came out, you would be ok at 60Hz. If you bought a still perfectly viable (back then) 1.4 cable, you can't push 4k 60Hz with it.
Being you aren't home to confirm what you have, feel free to scroll through this at your leisure, just to kind of see what I'm talking about: LINK
And if you're the impatient type, you can always just buy a $10 HDMI 2.1 cable on Amazon while you're at work, just in case
Posted on 4/27/21 at 10:00 am to SG_Geaux
Ha! Imma have to pass on a 650$ HDMI cable but thanks for the input! 
Posted on 4/27/21 at 10:43 am to LBro337
Pretty sure if the cable works then a new one will do nothing.
Posted on 4/27/21 at 11:38 am to LBro337
quote:
I have Direct Tv so its ran from their port to the TVs. Id have to look at actual HDMI cable for model/version when I am home. Not sure if it matters but it is a solid 6-7 years old. Id imagine its on the older end
Do you have a DirecTv receiver that is 4K? See if channels 104, 105, and 106 work for you. Some people see issues if it's 4K HDR with crappy cables. Keep in mind not everything 4K has HDR though (unless it's UHD blu ray). Alot of TVs will have a "notification" when you start watching something in HDR.
You can get one of these hdmi certified cables which are cheap and guaranteed to work with 4K @ 60Hz with HDR:
https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-115428-Certified-Premium-18Gbps/dp/B01GCGKI3O
Posted on 4/27/21 at 11:42 am to LEASTBAY
quote:
Pretty sure if the cable works then a new one will do nothing.
That's not accurate. While there is no need to spend money on "good" cables, a cable that old is possibly an older spec that simply can't carry the bandwidth needed for a 4k 60hz+ signal.
Put another way, all HDMI 2.1 cables are basically the same damned thing, but an HDMI 1.3 cable is absolutely not the same thing as an HDMI 2.1 cable. And depending on the TV, it may or may not alert you to the fact that the signal is being compressed/reduced/slowed down.
Posted on 4/27/21 at 2:53 pm to Joshjrn
Not sure but when I play the bee Xbox at 120hz my old cables constantly go in out out of picture. I then got 2 new cheapies and it did the same thing with the flickering. I got a $15 pair of 8k or something designed for better speeds and Xbox never has messed up or flickered black since I’ve used those.
Posted on 4/27/21 at 7:37 pm to gobuxgo5
quote:
Xbox at 120hz my old cables
If you go to settings in the series x, it’ll tell you. I’m using 2.0 cables right now and it tells me my display is 4K at 60hz and currently can’t get to 120hz with that setup. FYI, my current cables max out at 4K at 60hz, so I knew I couldn’t hit max settings going into it. I will have to go buy upgraded 2.1 cables that are capable of 120hz.
My games still look amazing and I am not flickering like you were, so you must have had some really old or bad cables.
But HDMI cables definitely matter if you are a gamer on the new consoles and want to see 120hz. This post was edited on 4/27/21 at 7:42 pm
Posted on 4/27/21 at 9:56 pm to gobuxgo5
quote:
Not sure but when I play the bee Xbox at 120hz my old cables constantly go in out out of picture. I then got 2 new cheapies and it did the same thing with the flickering. I got a $15 pair of 8k or something designed for better speeds and Xbox never has messed up or flickered black since I’ve used those.
You might have run into the exception to all same spec cables being the same: if you go ultra cheap *and* have high interference, you can cause issues with a cable that basically has no shielding.
But that issue is fairly rare, as you almost have to try to find the cheapest possible cable online. I doubt you could even find something like that in a store.
Posted on 4/27/21 at 10:29 pm to Joshjrn
I dunno the ones that flickered were from Walmart I think brands of RCA and Monster rated at 4K under $10. The ones that worked were from Amazon and labeled 8k around $15. Problem solved.
Posted on 4/28/21 at 11:54 pm to LBro337
You ever check your cable?
Posted on 4/29/21 at 10:29 am to Joshjrn
I totally forgot until just now haha. I got the lady of the house to look and she's saying all it says is HDMI, no other wording or numbering on the cord
Posted on 4/29/21 at 3:19 pm to LBro337
Then it's probably an older spec cable. Had you bought an HDMI 2.0 cable within a year or so of the spec being released, it likely would have been stamped all over it.
Posted on 4/30/21 at 10:38 am to Joshjrn
I'll go ahead and order one from Amazon then. Thanks for all the info and input!
Posted on 4/30/21 at 10:49 am to LBro337
All good. And like we've said, don't spend a bunch of money on it. Don't buy the cheapest one available, because it's probably not shielded for shite, but a nice, well reviewed $10-$20 cable (depending on the length you need) is all you need. Just make sure it specifically states that it's spec 2.1. Don't let them trick you with other, soft marketing language.
Posted on 4/30/21 at 11:38 am to Joshjrn
Any particular brand you recommend? It's amazon and there are 500000 different ones. Just want something reliable and that serves its purpose.
Posted on 4/30/21 at 11:48 am to LBro337
How long do you need?
Page 1 of 2
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News