Cables To Go Velocity Series 40315 HDMI Cable (Blue, 2 meters)
by Cables To Go
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List Price: Our Price: $6.69 You Save: $21.30 (76%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Cables To Go Velocity Series 40315 HDMI Cable (Blue, 2 meters)
Customer Review: Velocity Superior in HDTV Test Comparison to DVI Gear HDMI Cable
Summary: 4 Stars
Because HDMI cables are digital you either get the 0 and 1 feed or not, so there should not be much difference between cables. Yet there is a lot of anecdotal evidence that some cables are better than others.
I was curious: Are there differences that the home user can detect? I bought an inexpensive DVI Gear cable (well, many sellers do add hefty shipping and handling charges), and a slightly more expensive Cables To Go - 40315 Velocity HDMI cable directly from Amazon. I set up a test that I invite others to replicate and expand.
BACKGROUND
Both cables are made in China. The DVI Gear cable is thinner than the Velocity. Its connectors' gold plating is noticeably thinner than the 24 Karat gold plating on the Velocity (some folks contend that thicker and higher quality plating will maintain a cable's performance over time). The Velocity is advertised as having "100% aluminum foil and braided OFC shield" which "protects against noise and interference." No similar claim for the DVI Gear cable. The Velocity is lifetime warranted; according to a vendor, the DVI Gear has a one-year warranty.
SET UP
Riders of Rohan scene from LOTR, vol. 2 upconverted to 1080p using a Sony DVP NS77H connected to a Toshiba 40XF550U 40" LCD with 120 Hz frame rate in "natural" picture mode. All gear in a cabinet with numerous cables and electrical cords bunched together. Potential for electrical interference high.
TEST
The same scene was run several times using the DVI Gear cable and the Velocity cable. Cables were switched to two different ports on the television to ensure that one port wasn't skewing the test. Two people subjectively judged picture quality, one person (not me) got the test "blind" (not knowing which cable was connected). Audio was not tested.
RESULTS
We were in agreement that the DVI Gear cable appeared to produce a slightly less sharp picture, possibly with slightly less color saturation than the Velocity. No artifacts detected, though.
A BETTER TEST
A better test would be to have exactly the same set-up with two TVs side-by-side, running different kinds of scenes or calibration disks. But our pocketbook ain't that deep!
CONCLUSION
The Velocity might cost roughly twice as much as the DVI Gear, but offers better performance (hence value) - at least on our gear.
Customer Review: Does not provide a tight connection!
Summary: 1 Stars
I used these cables for more than a couple of months, and they seemed to work well. I've read that a digital signal either gets there, or it does not. I purchased 3 of these "cables to go."
Well, every once in a while, I would have the video blink out and then quickly blink back on in a DVD movie. I was not able to reproduce the error, as it was completely random, and never in the same place of the movie. Normally, it was once per movie or every other movie. I thought maybe it was my player malfunctioning.
With component and composite cables, I would check to make sure they were tight, so why not with HDMI. I just ever so slightly wiggled the HDMI connection right where it attached to my Sony HDTV.
What do you know, the video blinked out and quickly back on from the slight wiggling, just like I experienced in the movies. Ok I thought, maybe it was my HDMI port on my Sony?
So, I tried the wiggle test on another port, AND on ANOTHER HDTV, and using ALL 3 of these cables I purchased on both my Sony and my Panasonic HDTV's. Guess what? The video blinked off and on again with the wiggle test, no matter where it was connected. An extremely loose connection to be sure. It wasn't just 1 of these cables, but all 3 I had.
I replaced all my "cables to go" cables with a different brand, and they all withstand the "wiggle test." Approximately 1 month and 12 or so movies later, no more random video drop outs.
Conclusion:
Even on 2 different HDTV's and different HDMI ports, these 3 different "cables to go" cables had an extremely loose connection.
Apparently an HDMI signal that doesn't fit tightly can lose connection and cause dropouts.
Don't buy these "cables to go." The actual cable might be fine, but the HDMI male connectors are not so good.
Customer Review: Wanna CUT YOUR HAND OPEN? Then this is the product for you!
Summary: 1 Stars
There is LITERALLY blood on my keyboard as I type this.
Based on the title and first sentence of this review, you probably know where I am going with this. I have HAD IT with clamshell packaging, and these Cables To Go from Impact Acoustics are the WORST example I've ever seen. The packaging is sealed so tightly, and made of such a hard plastic that scissors just wouldn't work; I eventually had to resort to sawing the package open with a steak knife. In the course of doing this, I've sliced the dickens out of my hand - not with the knife, but with the exposed mangled plastic of the packaging itself!
Look, I'm aware that this review isn't very helpful with the performance of the product itself. Honestly, I haven't hooked it up yet because I've been too busy trying to STAUNCH THE FLOW OF BLOOD. (And no, I'm not exxagerating.)
You have a choice in who you buy these cables from - dozens of companies make them. I am begging you to exercise that choice. PLEASE don't give Impact Acoustics the money or the satisfaction - it's a minor thing to them, but they are WOUNDING PAYING CUSTOMERS.
Please buy your cables from another company. Amazon has just launched an amazing "Frustration-Free Packaging" initiative. They're aware of the problem. Please support this initiative and buy in frustration-free packaging. That way, maybe these guys will get the message and stop distributing these asinine clamshells.
Customer Review: If you spend $10 expect weak performance
Summary: 1 Stars
If you haven't tried using a Monster HDMI, then you don't know what you're missing out on by buying these cheap cables. Monster is not the most expensive (there are $1000 3-ft HDMIs out there). They're the best. How do I know? I used middle of the road HDMI and cheap ones like these. Then I got fed up with color bleeding, improper saturation, aliasing and pixelation.
Cheap-o cables cause cheap-o performance, so gauge carefully the quality of video you want to get; did you buy a cheap TV (Polaroid, Magnavox, Vizio, etc)? If you did, you won't see the benefit of high-quality cabling. Just like how people can't hear the difference in HD-audio (like DTS-Master Audio on all FOX BD-movies) because their home-theater-in-a-box was a grand total of $500.
I switched to all-Monster from these types of low-quality cables and got a GIGANTIC performance increase. As I mentioned, no pixelation, color bleeding, aliasing, anything. Mosquito noise vanished and I got uncompromising picture quality.
Summary: If you're hooking up a computer to do internet and spreadsheets, then by all means, buy a cheap one.
If you want a home theater using Blu-ray video at full-1080p (or higher in the future), spend more and get more. Don't expect to find Pagani Zonda performance in a Daihatsu or a Kia - it's not going to happen!
~Sources~ worked on and installed home theater equipment.
Customer Review: LET THE BUYER BEWARE
Summary: 1 Stars
Purchased this cable for my new Samsung 52 inch LCD that I bought from Amazon. Couldn't beat the price. The HDMI cable was OK, and definately worth 10 bucks, but the problem was that the bill I received from the invoice was $18. The vendor was P.C.Universe via Amazon. Contacted P.C.Universe by e-mail with a very NICE inquiry as to the price and was ignored. Nothing-zip-nada from them.
I have purchased a great deal of products through Amazon, and this is the first time this has happened.
Have always heard horror stories about internet purchases, but have always been lucky. Amazon has always been great to deal with and I certainly will continue to use their service, but "let the buyer beware". Eight bucks is no big deal, but what if it was $500 on the price of a new plasma tv. Hope P>C> Universe got coffee and donuts for their staff, because they won't ever get any more of my business. Eight bucks is no big deal, but when a retailer ignores an inquiry by a customer that is one big fat red flag. But then they do have my eight dollars don't they?
Cables To Go - 40315 - 2M (6.5ft) Velocity HDMI Digital Video Cable (Blue)