Are all HDMI cables made the same? (ie fiber optic)?

Question

Copper vs. Fiber

Answer 1

HDMI cables have regular copper conductors, not fiber optic. The difference in construction between cheap and expensive digital cables is longevity. Although an expensive HDMI cable may last longer than a cheap one, there will be no difference in sound or picture quality. Digital doesn't care. As long as the signal is reaching the other end of the cable it will be as good as it can be.

The only advantage to optical audio over coaxial or HDMI audio is that there is no chance for optical to accept RF interference.

Answer 2

Nope. There are two different types, even though most HDMI cables that you see in stores are copper.

Fiber optics is always better than copper, but it is significantly more expensive than copper too. For a 10ft fiber optic HDMI cable, it will cost you around $400. For a 10 ft copper HDMI cable, it cost me $15.

Unless you are going 25 plus feet, copper will just be fine. Remember, the shorter the better. If you can, try to keep the cable under 15 feet. There will be less of a chance of interference or signal degradation.

As for quality, just like any other cable, there are good cables and bad cables. A good rule of thumb is the thicker the cable, the better because it is most likely shielded more and less likely to break.

I bought all my HDMI cables from www.pchcables, which is very affordable and good quality. They may not be up to Monster's standards, but there not $100 either.

Answer 3

agb is correct that the problem is not cable dependent, but somehow the set-top box does not output DD out of the s/pdif when you connect HDMI. Perhaps there is an option on the set-top to decide if you want DD audio from either hDMI or s/pdif. Specify s/pdif.

Answer 4

The design is basically the same, but the build quality and conductor quality can be different. If you're looking for a good quality HDMI cable, the first feature to look for is gold plating on the connector. Then, how well is it protected (by design and dielectric covering material) from outside distortion interference.

Read about the complete design on Wikipedia.org (I have provided you with a direct link) which should answer all of your questions about this type of cable.

Anyone that knows me or have seen enough of my answers on here know that my choice for HDMI is DH Labs. They've specialized in moderately priced cable to effectively compete with high-priced high-end cable companies, and in many cases, outperformed them at a significantly lesser price. For about the same price as the well-known Monster Cable, you easily get better performance IMO.
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Answer 5

No, they're not all the same.

However, unless you need a lengthy cable (10 meters+) do yourself a favor and get the less expensive cable.

The only reason to get a fiber cable is to allow for lengthy connections w/o signal attenuation