• HDMI standards compliance
• HDMI Cable Categories
• Cable length
• Cable quality
• Active cables
• HDMI devices
• Price

HDMI Standards Compliance

Each HDMI cable is rated to comply with a specific revision of the HDMI standards. A cable rated for HDMI 1.2a should meet the requirements of HDMI 1.0, 1.1, and 1.2 — but is not guaranteed to meet the standards for HDMI 1.3.

HDMI Cable Categories

The HDMI standards define two categories of cables. Category 1 HDMI cables are designed to support HDTV resolutions and frame rates. Category 2 cables are required for higher resolutions or higher frame rates.

Cable Length

The HDMI specification does not define a maximum cable length. HDMI cables are commonly available in 3′ to 50′ lengths.

Purchasing a cable longer than necessary will cost you more money, but it will also increase signal loss due to attenuation.

Cable Quality

All other factors being equal, a cable which is built to higher tolerances using better materials will outperform a cable which is built merely to meet a standards specification. In addition, these premium cables will often provide longer service lives.

An HDMI cable can be made using 28 AWG wire, but the use of 24 AWG wire will create a sturdier cable which is more resistant to attenuation.

As with traditional analog stereo cables, premium HDMI cables are often furnished with gold plated connectors to ensure the best possible signal quality.

Active Cables

For specialized high-end applications, some manufacturers are selling active HDMI cables. These cables use a variety of technologies which involve boosting the transmission distance or quality through the addition of electrical power to the cable connection.

Some of these active cables run over fiber optics or Cat-5 cable.

HDMI Devices

Another approach to supporting extremely long cable runs is to chain multiple HDMI cables together with amplifiers, repeaters, or equalizers.

Price

An HDMI cable only has to be good enough to support the equipment which it connects. It is useless to pay for a premium gold-plated HDMI cable for a low-end television set.