Learn HDMI

So what really matters between a $10 HDMI cable and $100 (or more) cable? A lot of people will tell you there is absolutely no difference - while strictly speaking there do seem to be some differences, the majority of the markup seems to go to marketing and profit.

HDMI is a digital format - unlike analog, where some amount of noise, or static, is constantly present. A digital signal is basically “all-or-nothing” - you either receive the image in its entirety or not at all.

Differences

Connectors - A more expensive cable typically has more heavy-duty connectors. This is important because if a cable’s connectors are extremely poorly made they may break after just a few insertions. The most likely problem you will have with poor connectors is that they will be DOA (dead-on-arrival, or won’t work at all out of the box). If this is the case you will know right away.

Certified - A really cheap cable may not be officially HDMI Certified. The certification, however, really only applies to a particular manufacturer - not to each cable that they design and manufacture. So a manufacturer just has to create one certified cable and they can then designate all of their HDMI cables as “HDMI certified” without external testing.

Gauge - Part of the certification requires a minimum gauge, so if you are using a certified cable you should be OK here. While marketers tend to exaggerate the importance of the gauge it is important to at least take practical considerations into account - if a cable could easily be cut through or chewed through by a rodent this introduces a problem.

Length - You should consider a higher-quality cable if you are running the cable over 25 feet. A poorly constructed cable’s signal degradation is amplified over distance, while high-quality cables often have active boosters which can effectively extend the distance much further - sometimes as far as hundreds of feet. If you are considering a long cable run you should consider converting the signal to fiber or cat5e (using a balun on each end).

Myths

Poor cables threaten your HDTV equipment
This is one of the lines often repeated by retailers (who have a lot to gain from you purchasing an over-priced cable). The basic line is that by saving $50 on a cable you are somehow putting your several-thousand dollar home theater equipment at risk. Remember, retailers are trying to make up for their low margins on the HDTV equipment you buy.

Oxygen-free gives a better signal
I won’t get into all the theories about why oxygen-free cables produce better images than regular cables, but even if it were true that a machine in a lab could detect a difference, almost no home user would benefit and certainly not at the price retailers want to charge for these type of cables - one ridiculous example is a $23k speaker cable that got some attention back in 2001 (solely because of the price of the cable).

Our picks:

Sewell Direct: Certified HDMI Cable (available in various lengths, good connectors)
NewEgg: Rosewill HDMI Cable (good connectors)
TigerDirect: Cables-to-Go HDMI Cable (more expensive, but nice retail packaging)