HDMI cables are the unsung heroes of any modern setup. Whether to call your PC Gamer to the monitor, connecting the PlayStation 5 to the living room TV or setting up a Home Theater, they are there.
However, few pieces of hardware suffer as much from misinformation and aggressive marketing as these cables. It is common to see consumers spending small fortunes on models that promise “deeper blacks” or “crystal clear audio”, when a basic model would do exactly the same job.
To help you save money and focus on what really matters (like a new graphics card from NVIDIA or AMD), we’ve gathered and debunked the biggest myths about HDMI cables circulating on the internet and in retail stores.
1. Expensive cable improves image and sound quality
This is, perhaps, the most persistent and profitable myth for manufacturers. The idea that a R$500 cable will deliver a more vivid image or more detailed sound than a certified R$50 cable is false.
The HDMI standard transmits a digital signal. Unlike old analogue cables (RCA or Component Video), where the quality of the material could alter the signal intensity and change the colors, in digital the story is binary: either the signal arrives, or it doesn’t.
If the cable is working properly, the “zeros and ones” sent by your Xbox will reach the TV exactly as they did. If the cable is bad or defective, you will see obvious glitches like white sparkles, flickering screens, or simply no picture.
There is no middle ground where the image is “a little prettier” with a luxury cable
It is worth highlighting, however, that the The physical integrity of the cable influences the stability of the connection. Excessively long cables or cables with poor shielding can suffer signal attenuation, resulting in what we call the “digital cliff effect”.
Unlike the analogue, which would gradually lose visual quality, here the failure manifests itself in sudden audio and video cuts ou na iinability to maintain stable high resolutions.
Therefore, investing in a solidly built product serves to avoid these interruptions and ensure correct data transmission, not to apply non-existent graphical enhancement filters.
2. Gold-plated connectors increase performance
Have you ever seen packaging highlighting “24k gold plated connectors” as if that would boost your games? The truth is less glamorous.
Gold is used in connectors mainly because it is a corrosion/oxidation resistant metaland not because it conducts the signal better in a way that affects the speed of data transmission over short distances.
For the vast majority of home users, corrosion is not a serious enough problem to justify a high extra cost. A cwell cared for nickel connector it will last as long as the life of your console or TV.
The gold plating is a design and durability feature in very humid environments (such as beach houses), but it will not make your game run with more FPS nor will it make the HDR brighter.
3. There are “version 1.4”, “2.0” and “2.1” cables
Technically, There are no cables with version numbers. The organization responsible for the standard, the HDMI Forum, prohibits cables from being sold with numbers such as “HDMI Cable 2.1”.
Versions (1.4, 2.0, 2.1) refer to the device ports and features that the hardware supports. Cables, in turn, are classified by bandwidth that they can transport.
The correct nomenclatures you should look for are:
- High Speed: supports 1080p and 4K at 30Hz (generally associated with the old HDMI 1.4).
- Premium High Speed: supports 4K at 60Hz and HDR (what the market calls HDMI 2.0).
- Ultra High Speed: Suporta 4K a 120Hz, 8K a 60Hz e VRR (o tal “HDMI 2.1”).
Although the market uses the numbers to make it easier, knowing the correct certification name prevents you from buying a “generic 2.1” cable that has not passed real bandwidth tests.
4. Cable length does not affect the signal
Contrary to the myth that “digital signal is perfect”, physics still applies. If you try to pass a very high bandwidth signal (such as 4K 120Hz from the PS5 or an RTX 4090 through a very long passive copper cable, the signal will degrade. The electrical resistance of the wire can cause data to be lost along the way.
For ropes Ultra High Speed (48 Gbps), it is recommended not to exceed 3 to 5 meters with passive copper cables.
If you need to connect your PC to a Smart TV in another room, you will need a active optical HDMI cable (AOC), which uses optical fiber to transport the signal over long distances without loss.
5. Ethernet over HDMI is a useful feature
If you look at the specifications of many cables, you will see “HDMI with Ethernet” (HEC). The idea was brilliant: your console or Blu-Ray could receive internet directly from the TV via the HDMI cable, saving you a network cable. In practice? Almost no device has implemented this.
TV and console manufacturers simply ignored the feature in favor of Wi-Fi and dedicated Ethernet ports.
Therefore, paying more for a cable just because it advertises “Ethernet Channel” is throwing money away, as it is likely that none of your devices will use this data path.
6. “Gamer” cables offer advantages in online games
With the growth of e-Sport, HDMI cables with “Gamer” branding emerged, promising lower latency (input lag) or more fluidity. This is pure marketing. The cable is a passive data tube. It does not process the image, does not increase the frame rate and does not reduce your internet ping.
What a gamer really needs is a cable that supports the bandwidth needed for the monitor’s resolution and frequency (like 144Hz or 240Hz).
One cable Ultra High Speed certified, without the word “Gamer” on the box and costing half the price, it will deliver exactly the same technical performance.
What really matters?
When buying, ignore the gold packaging and promises of “upscaling via cable”. Search for HDMI Certification Seal (a holographic QR Code on the packaging). Download the official HDMI app on your smartphone and scan the code.
If the app confirms that it is an authentic cable Premium or Ultra High Speedyou can buy without fear. It’s the only technical guarantee you need.
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Source: https://www.adrenaline.com.br/hardware/mitos-cabos-hdmi-desmentidos/
