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How Much Speed Do You Need?

Debate rages in the home theater community over whether it makes any sense to pay a lot for HDMI cables when you seem to get identical performance with lower cost cables. I found at a recent visit to Best Buy that there were no HDMI cables available for less than $80, and that was for a no-name brand. Monster is attempting to clarify things by introducing a new series of speed ratings for HDMI cables, and to offer a full range of cable choices to the consumer from unrated cables, starting at $39.99 to "Ultra-High Speed" rated cables for $99.99 (one meter length).

Monster maintains that more advanced cable design is required in order to support higher bandwidth signals, particularly over long cable runs. Although 1080p is the best you can currently buy in the consumer HDTV market, it is not the be-all, end-all of home theater resolution. Here at CEDIA this week, we're seeing ultra high resolution projectors and displays from companies such as JVC, who is showing off a prototype 4K projector (4096x2400 resolution!). It's only a matter of time before these higher resolutions make it into source components, video processors, and displays for the consumer market and when they do, the quality of HDMI cables will become even more important. Monster maintains that HDMI bandwidth requirements may go all the way up to 15 GBPS (Gigabits Per Second) or more as display resolutions, source resolutions and processing rates increase.


So Monster is introducing the following Speed Ratings to be displayed on their various cables:

• Standard Speed: >2.23 Gbps
• High Speed: >4.95 Gbps
• Advanced High Speed: >10.2 Gbps
• Ultra-High Speed: >14.9 Gbps

Prices start at $49.95 for a 1-meter length of MC-500HD cable (Standard Speed) and run up to $99.95 for a 1-meter length of MC 1000HD (Ultra-High Speed). Prices increase as length increases. For example, a 75-foot length of MC1000HD cable will set you back a cool $700.

But of course that particular cable is guaranteed for life in Monster's new "Performance for Life" guarantee. If it fails to meet its minimum bandwidth guarantee at any time, they'll replace the cable at no cost to the consumer.


Monster will also begin offering an unrated "basic" HDMI cable, which they maintain is at least as good if not better than other low cost HDMI cables. A 1-meter length of BASIC HDMI cable will sell for $39.99.

Monster also introduced a 3-input 1080p HDMI Switcher ($149.99) as well as a "Performance Maximizer" ($149.99), which can amplify and equalize an HDMI signal so that it can be usable up to 190 feet.

And for those who suffer from "cable clutter" with a rat's nest of wiring behind their equipment racks, Monster offers the new "Cable-It" system - a compact cable wrap and zipper that quickly and easily hides extraneous cables. Cable-It is available in small (3-5 cables), medium (5-8 cables) and large (8-12 cables). Pricing for the Cable-It system starts at $16.95 for an 8-foot length of the small size wrap.