It's a cable, it's JUST a cable. It doesn't matter which one you get!

[BroSCFischer]

Just for the record, there is a difference between "dirt cheap" and "not name brand". You CAN get perfectly workable products that don't have the Original Device Co. Brand on it. You just don't want to be getting them at the Dollar Store.

I mean I'd rather pay $8-$15 dollars for a functional cable, than $25-$50 for "Top of the line" when the differences are negligible.

SC

[the_std]

Not everyone needs to spend $50 on an HDMI cable, but it's inherently false to say that all HDMI cables are the same. Like a previous poster said, there's a difference between dollar-store stuff and passable non-name-brand stuff.

The dollar-store stuff might be designed the same, but its construction is the major difference. Dollar store stuff will usually come apart really soon because any soldering or taping done inside of it is just enough to make it look like it's put together and that's about it.

[VComps]

Another thing you have to realize is that if home theatre stores sold nothing but TVs, they would simply go out of business. The margins on home theatre hardware are small enough at full price - when on sale they're often at or below cost.

So the options are either have expensive TVs and cheaper accessories, or cheap TVs and more expensive accessories.

Also, the more expensive cables DO have a significantly lower failure rate, and fewer issues of HDCP handshaking issues. Just sayin'.