About HDMI Cables 1
At my day job, I’ve been doing some Android development. Due to the nature of the application, we’d like to connect the device to larger screens both directly using HDMI and by streaming through a DLNA client/server connection.
Anyway, I ordered a 10 foot HDMI cable off Amazon last week and it arrived today. After connecting the Android tablet to the TV and pressing “play”, I was happy to see the same thing displayed on the tablet show up on the 37 inch HDTV here. Pretty sweet …. until ….
Major White Flickering
About every 30 seconds, a flash of white flickered on the bottom of the screen. It took about 10% of the screen. Then about 10 seconds later, another flash of white happened taking up 20% of the screen – 10 more seconds, 40% of the screen. At first, I thought it was an artifact of the selected video. Changed to a different video – same issue.
Hummm. TV issue? Tablet Issue? It can’t be the HDMI cable; after all, it is just a digital signal.
Step One – Phone a Friend
I call a friend with extensive video signaling background. He suggests taking the tablet and cable to another HDMI viewing device.
Step Two – Connect to a Computer Monitor with HDMI
Plugged in and the same thing is happening. On a different note, sound came out of the monitor – as in audio. Huh? I’ve owned this monitor for a few years and remember looking for an audio input for the speakers, but because it was really cheap, I figured they’d just mis-labeled the box. The home-office has a THX-certified 5.1 speaker system already, so this isn’t a big deal. Still, hearing the audio come from the monitor when none was expected was a little unexpected.
Step Three – Swap the HDMI Cable
I stole a cable from a seldom used DVD player and swapped it back in the computer room. Pressed play and watched. No flickering seen. None. This older cable was about 2x thicker and only 6 feet long. At least I figured out that the issue was with a $1 HDMI cable, not a $400 tablet or TV.
As a bonus, I uncovered that the right-hand computer monitor in my home office has speakers too!
So, do I return the HDMI cable? I think it was $0.38 + $7 shipping. Most of the reviews were good – 351/460 rated it a 5-star product. Only 34 rated it 1-star. Many of the negative reviews didn’t get any signal from their cables. I guess I’m lucky to have gotten mostly signal.
What have we learned? Not all HDMI cables are created equal. Perhaps I should have spent more than $8 total for the cable? I’m not suggesting that spending $30 is necessary for a cable either, but there’s a point where spending too little may not yield the results we are seeking.
The concern with HDMI cables is whether or not it’s certified. If it’s not, nothing is guaranteed. Even if it is, though, you’ll occasionally get a bad cable.