Long HDMI Cable – What You Should Know | ArticleSimple.net

Long HDMI Cable – What You Should Know | ArticleSimple.net

High definition television is the new standard. Few people still have the old tube TVs, and if you head to the store you’ll likely be hard pressed to find anything aside from LCD or Plasma style HD options. But while buying those sets is the first step towards images on the screen that will blow your mind, you still need the right connectors. For some people, a basic HDMI cable won’t do – they need a long HDMI cable to span greater distances. This is especially true for bars, restaurants, hotels, and even those with large homes. But you need to know a few things about spanning those long distances.
Regardless of whether it’s a short or long HDMI cable, they’re made essentially the same. Four twisted pairs of wire are coated in shielding and run alongside one another beneath that rubber exterior. But since they first arrived, two types of these cables have emerged on the market place. The standard option is the Category 1, while Category 2 is also known as ‘high speed’. While the Category 2 option is normally used for the clearest, most high-def image as well as for things like 3D or deep colour display, it’s also the option you need for spanning longer distances.
When you’re looking for a long HDMI cable, anything over about ten metres should be considered ‘long’. Those shorter than that will do fine as a Category 1, but anything ten metres and up that isn’t Category 2 will likely start to show serious signs of degradation in the picture. That’s because the further that the images has to travel the more signal interference will become a factor and start to reduce the quality of the image your display receives. The extra money a Category 2 cable costs will be well worth it when you turn on the TV.
When you select a long HDMI cable, be sure that you pay attention to the overall length and to the Category that it is. For extremely long runs you may need to use signal boosters, which are basically connectors that increase the signal strength after a set length. This helps avoid major loss of signal quality but will still result in a slightly less crisp image. As long as you keep these basic points in mind you should have no trouble picking out your item when you’re shopping for the right HDMI cables.