HDMI CABLE LENGTH IN WALL

[Bobbya82]

Hi

I need to run 2 hdmi cables in the wall for a TV to be put on a bracket.

What is the maximun length that is safe to avoid any loss of quality/drop outs?

I didnt want to build into the wall and then get problems later on.

Would something like this be ok?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/KabelDirek...er&qid=1591430244&sr=8-4&tag=googhydr-21&th=1

Many Thanks

 

[Sureitsoff?]

might be easier to put a conduit in the wall then swapping cables in the future, if required, is easier. FWIW i used bluerigger 15m hdmi cables with no problems

 

[Bobbya82]

Great thanks, yeah think 5 meter will be the longest, probably go for 4

 

[Lucid]

Cable

What is the maximun length that is safe to avoid any loss of quality/drop outs?

It depends what signals you plan to put through the cables. The bigger the demands of the source signal then the higher the bandwidth required of the cable to cope, and that limits the cable length.

For example, the older Sky HD boxes run at a maximum if 1080i 50Hz 8-bit colour. You'd be able to run that about 15m with most lower-cost reasonable quality copper HDMI cables. That's because the bandwidth requirements are low; less than 6Gbps in total.

Contrast that with say a UHD 4K Blu-ray player outputting its maximum resolution and making full use of Dolby Vision for high dynamic range (HDR) and wide colour gamut (WCG) at 24-30Hz refresh, the bandwidth jumps up to 12Gbps. The same low-cost copper cable might only work once you get down to 5m.

At the upper end of the spectrum, higher-frame-rate HDR content at 60Hz will need 18Gbps of bandwidth, so that same low-cost copper cable might not even work at two metres. You'd have to spec an Ultra HD certified cable to get guaranteed results at 5m.


What hardware are you connecting to the TV, and what signals are you likely to want to play through?




Gbps = Gigabits per second

 

[Bobbya82]

Sky q and maybe latest Xbox or PlayStation..

Thanks sgain

 

[Lucid]

In that case, get the UHD Premium Certified cables if you want to be sure.

Sky Q introduced HDR very recently, so that ups their game to 12Gbps. It has to be said though, this only applies to owners of the latest generation main Q box, and then only for those people who signed up for the premium Sky packages that carry the content.

Gaming is where the big Gbps numbers will live.

PS4 can do 60hz 4K with HDR. Immediately then that is a potential.of an 18Gbps signal.

The new PS5 has the potential to push the envelope even further. 120Hz 4K with HDR is theoretically possible. If fully implimented, the bandwidth required would be well in excess of what Premium Certified cables can do.

To make use of that performance though you would need the console, and a suitable game, and a TV that would accept 120Hz. At the moment, within the average consumer market, that is all largely vapour ware.

Conclusion: get the best cables you can now, but make sure there's some way of swapping them out in the future because the goalposts will definitely move.

 

[Bobbya82]

Thanks for the detailed response.

thinking of going to this, or is it worth going for a HDMI 2.1?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Syncwire-B...=1&ref_=ox_sc_act_image_1&smid=A3GXRRYJZM8ZLE

thanks

 

[Bobbya82]

Also should I run 2 or just 1 and if I ever do use 2 devices just get some of splitter Switch hub?

Thanks

 

[Lucid]

Thanks for the detailed response.

thinking of going to this, or is it worth going for a HDMI 2.1?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Syncwire-B...=1&ref_=ox_sc_act_image_1&smid=A3GXRRYJZM8ZLE

thanks

Personally, I wouldn't. Not unless you've got a source and TV or other display that can fully test the signal through the cable.

You see, buying at the bleeding edge of technology means paying through the nose. Hats okay if you have an application for it today. But if you don't,,then you'll be paying top prices for something you might not be able to test until you have all the hardware and a game, and that could be some time away. In the meantime,,you'll have forgotten who you got your cables from, or they might have ceased trading, so any guarantee will effectively become void.

You're much better off making sure you have some easy way to change the cable, and then swap to a 48Gbps lead when you've got a proper use for it.

 

[Munroast]

I had a 10m HDMI cable - it sort of over highlighted anything green, may be it was a cable fault? or may be it was something to do with lenghth

 

[Lucid]

Also should I run 2 or just 1 and if I ever do use 2 devices just get some of splitter Switch hub?

Thanks

Depends on the TV.

There are some TVs that have just one input enabled for HDMI 2.0. The other inputs are HDMI 1.4 which doesn't support WCG and HDR in a 4K UHD signal.

Other TVs have no such issues.

It won't be a splitter. That's something different and no use to you unless you want multiple displays. If you need socket sharing, then it's a switch.

Putting additional hardware in the signal path is intrinsically risky, especially where that hardware is from lesser-known manufacturers. If you can then, run two cables so long as the TV sockets are the right type. It will be as cheap and far less hassle.

 

[Bobbya82]

Ok thanks, will go for 2,

Is this cable anygood?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Syncwire-B...=1&ref_=ox_sc_act_image_1&smid=A3GXRRYJZM8ZLE

Thanks again

 

[Lucid]

I had a 10m HDMI cable - it sort of over highlighted anything green, may be it was a cable fault? or may be it was something to do with lenghth

Can't rule out a cable fault, but more often I've seen what I think you're describing when the source signal is set to Component but the display is expecting an RGB signal.

 

[Lucid]

Ok thanks, will go for 2,

Is this cable anygood?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Syncwire-B...=1&ref_=ox_sc_act_image_1&smid=A3GXRRYJZM8ZLE

Thanks again

I'm reluctant to give any specific recommendations on HDMI cables for a couple of reasons. There are lots on the market, and so many manufacturers/resellers make spurious claims. All I can suggest is you look at the end-user reviews. If they look positive, and the company seems to be responsive to any issues, then take a punt. Do thoroughly test before you commit to burying the cable in the wall.



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[Munroast]

Can't rule out a cable fault, but more often I've seen what I think you're describing when the source signal is set to Component but the display is expecting an RGB signal.

The 'green-ness' was not too bad, used it like that for may be a year, had always blamed it on the cheap benq monitor.. When moving it to another part of the house and fitting a 1.5m cable the green-ness vanished, 5 years on it is still a great picture. there was never anything wrong with the monitor!

I have since blamed the 10m cable length, but may be it was a cable fault?