Amazon Basics Flexible Micro HDMI to HDMI Cable, 1.8 m, Black

Product Information

Colour can also be affected, as Category 1 and Category 2 cables haven’t got the bandwidth to convey the enhanced 10-bit colour depths, or Deep Colour, output by 4K Blu-ray players and 4K HDR consoles, let alone the 12-bit colour depth used by some Dolby Vision screens and 4K Blu-ray players.

HDMI 1.4: Most TVs now have HDMI 1.4 connectors as standard. These ports can support broadcast HD TV, as well as 3D Blu-rays played through a 3D TV. While you can use a HDMI 1.3 lead with these ports, the picture quality won't be as good as a HDMI 1.4 lead. Cable shall conform to the Premium High Speed HDMI Cable specification established by the HDMI organization These specs tie into the HDMI connection standards, which is why you might see some Category 3 cables listed as HDMI 2.0 cables and some Category 3 (8K) cables listed as HDMI 2.1. Basically, if you have a 4K console with an HDMI 2.0 output and a 4K HDR TV with an HDMI 2.0 input, then you’re going to need a Category 3 cable running between them, or you run the risk of only getting 4K at 30Hz. Because of this, we strongly recommend that if you have Dolby Vision or HDR10+ AV equipment, you only buy high-speed HDMI cables that are guaranteed to deliver the full 18Gbps and that you test them thoroughly with Dolby Vision or HDR10+ content before installing them more permanently.HDMI cable speed is measured in gigabits per second (Gbps); don't worry, you don't need to memorize a bunch of numbers. To keep things simple, HDMI.org — the group that maintains the specifications for both HDMI devices and HDMI cables — sorts HDMI cable speed into four main categories: HDMI cables can deteriorate over time. If you're plugging and unplugging the cable consistently, it will wear down faster, and HDMI cables made of better materials last longer. Eventually, though, HDMI cables will become faulty. The original Standard or Category 1 cables were certified to handle 1080i or 720p video. The later High Speed or Category 2 cables took the bandwidth up from 4.95Gbit/sec to 10.2Gbit/sec, which meant they could transport 1080p video at 60 frames per second or 60Hz, or 4K video at 30fps or 30Hz. Category 3 or HDMI Premium cable reaches 18Gbits/sec and supports 4K video at 60Hz, while the highest spec Category 3 (8K) or Ultra cable can do 4K at 120Hz or 8K at 60Hz. That said, there is a relationship between the version of HDMI your devices use and the kind of HDMI cable you should buy. HDMI 2.0: With the advent of 4K ultra-high-definition (UHD) TV, a new HDMI 2.0 standard was agreed. HDMI 2.0 brought various improvements, including support for 4K UHD resolution at 60 frames per second (measured in Hz) and the Rec. 2020 colour space. This as vital now that 4K UHD is more widely distributed to televisions.

In the past, most experts would have said that either an HDMI cable works or it doesn’t. Unlike analog cables, where the signal quality can degrade from excellent to poor and have a corresponding effect on video or audio, HDMI is a digital cable — and ones and zeroes don’t have quality. They either make it from the source device (like a Blu-ray player) to the destination device (a TV), or they do not. Occasionally, if there is a problem with the signal path (usually caused by a cable run that’s too long), you’ll see “sparkles” on the TV screen. This means that some of the ones and zeroes aren’t making it across the gap. The solution is almost always to replace your HDMI cable with a shorter one. MHL cables: Many modern TVs allow you to connect your smartphone or tablet using an MHL (Mobile High Definition Link) cable plugged in the phone and then connected via the TV's HDMI. This allows you to share content such as videos or photos on the larger screen, and it charges your device at the same time. GoPro cameras, digital cameras, video cameras, and even some tablets and smartphones can be connected from their Micro HDMI ports to send 4K data at 60Hz at up to 18Gbps speeds to TVs, computer monitors, and projectors. And while it's not 8K capable, you're probably not going to need that quite yet, unless you have 8K content ready to be viewed on your 8K TV.

HDMI Ultra/1.5

For instance, the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 all come with a HDMI 2.1 cable in the box, because that's the route to the best picture you can get (providing your TV supports HDMI 2.1, that is), as the new 2.1 standard is needed to achieve 4K gameplay at 120fps, or 8K gameplay at 60fps. The Xbox Series S ships with an HDMI 2.0 cable instead, though it has an HDMI 2.1 port. HDMI CEC: Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) is a neat but often underused HDMI feature that enables you to control multiple different CEC-enabled devices, such as a TV, DVD player and set top box, that are connect via HDMI from the same remote control. Welcome to the top of the HDMI tower. Ultra High Speed HDMI is for people who want the ultimate in future-proofing. Representing the bleeding-edge of HDMI tech, ultra-certified cables are guaranteed to provide the full 48Gbps that enables all of the advanced features in the HDMI 2.1 specification, including 8K/60Hz, 4K/240Hz, and 4K/120Hz video, eARC, all versions of HDR, and the many varieties of variable refresh rate (VRR) technologies. Speed is the single biggest consideration when choosing an HDMI cable because if your cable isn't fast enough for your specific equipment, HDMI version, and media sources, it won't be reliable.

Provide interconnection for the transmission of HDMI digital video and audio signals over a copper cable assembly. Although we’ve talked about the standards, it’s worth knowing the version numbers actually apply to devices – TVs and video sources – and not the cables themselves. What really matters is the cable’s speed capacity – look out for anything rated for 18Gbps to keep up with 4K HDR, which should be just about any cable sold as ‘high speed’. If you don't own a 4K UHD TV and you don't plan on buying one any time soon, a standard HDMI cable is probably all you need. It supports HD video in both 720p and 1080i resolutions. We've seen 1080p work with standard HDMI cables, but it's not guaranteed. You can use these regular HDMI cables with DVD players, Blu-ray players, game consoles, streaming media players, and even AV receivers and soundbars. Just keep in mind, if you ever decide to venture beyond the realm of HD, you may need something faster.HDMI ARC: Available on most TVs these days, HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) can be a great way to connect up a home cinema system, AV receiver or sound bar with less fuss. Basically, it allows you to just use one HDMI lead to send audio from your TV to your sound receiver. However, not all TVs support multi-channel audio via HDMI, and that means they won't support 5.1 surround sound, for example.