A "HDMI" Cable is A "HDMI" Cable

For a gadget freak and electronics fiend, I am relatively behind in the world of video gaming. My last purchase was a Wii which was acquired back in December 07, prior to that, was a Game Cube sometimes in 2003. The machine I had prior is a SNES back in 1995.

Because of my recent acquisition of a 1080P LCD television, I decided to get a PS3 for its gaming as well as Blu-Ray capabilities. With the recent price drop ($399) and larger hard drive (80GB), I thought it was finally a good time to jump in. Too bad Sony took away the PS2 backwards compatibility...

The biggest complaint I have with the PS3 is Sony not including either Component or HDMI cable. For a device capable of HD 1080P output, not including a HDMI cable is just bad taste. While at GameStop, I noticed my option for a HDMI cable is packaged with some other cords like USB or Optical Audio, which would cost atleast $70. I finally found a Monster Cable HDMI on clearance for $49 at Toy's R Us (MSRP $99, Amazon has it for $82). Figuring the PS3 must have a proprietary connector on the back, I didn't hesitate paying for this Monster Cable labeled "for Playstation3".

When I got home to install the newly purchased cable, I noticed both ends of the cable looked the same. A little more research online revealed that PS3 accepts any standard HDMI cable; therefore, I could have just purchased some generic HDMI cable ranging from $10-$25. Further more, this article verifies that there is no difference in quality between a cheap vs. expensive HDMI cable, since the signal is digital, the cable construction itself doesn't make any difference especially in short distance where shielding is of concern.

For years, I have avoided expensive cables (I used standard AV to subsitute for Component, and gotten free Optical cables from a audio friend of mine). I would not have bought this cable if I didn't assume that PS3 had a proprietary jack design. Next time, I'll know, this Belkin HDMI looks pretty good at $12.

[For a complete timeline and revision information on everything you ever need to know about HDMI, take a look at this site.]