What do the HDMI cables do for the consoles?

Are (Monster) >15.8 Gbps HDMI cables really necessary to connect BluRay player/amp/HD sat box to new LED TV?

• I was talking to a salesman at Best Buy the other day and he said that HDMI Monster Cables which are rated at >15.8Gbps are necessary for the best picture and sound. I haven't ever worked with any HDMI cables to connect equipment, so now suddenly I have to learn about I'm faced with all these new parameters to consider when it comes to something as simple as connecting cables. Best Buy carries 4 grades of their cables, the best being around $100 each +tax. If someone had to get 3 to connect a Blu-Ray player, satellite, and amp, that's $325 just for cables(!). These are the 4 grades they carry http://www.monstercable.com/hdmi/HDMI_Cable_Information.asp. Supposedly some are capable of carrying 8 or 10 bits of color while others are capable of carrying 12 or 16 bits of color(??) (if Blu-Ray and HDMI are so great then why don't they do 24 or 32 bits like my computer display?). Some will carry a 60 hz signal while the better ones will carry 120 or 240 hz (the TV in question here is a Samsung 46" Series 6000 LED TV which is 120 hz) The better Monster HDMI cables ones say they will carry a lossless Dolby DTS 5.1/7.1 surround sound signal while their cheaper ones apparently won't(??) I don't care if they're certified for in-wall use or anything like that, but they do have something called a "Cable For Life" program on the better models which is probably just a way of squeezing more money out of you, but ostensibly it's some warranty program where they say they'll replace it for free if a higher signal parameter comes out or something like that. Smells fishy to me but I haven't really read the details. They have something called the "Eye Pattern Test" on the back of the package which supposedly shows that Monster Cables are worth the money. But right below it in fine print is this: " Cable data rates measured under unequalized, worst case conditions. Test results available upon request" (well at least they're honest about that). Basically I guess the main thing is the speed rating and color bit depth. This is all new to me, so I don't know if it's really necessary to have >15.8Gbps cables or if 5 - 10 Gbps cables will do (No Wii/Playstation/games will be played on this, if that makes any difference). The ones he recommended to buy are the "Ultimate High Speed 1000 HDX >15.8Gbps": ( http://www.monstercable.com/productdisplay.asp?pin=3831 ). $325 is a lot of money just for 3 cables (in my opinion), but then again I don't want any signal loss just because of the cable. I really wonder though if the ones they have at Wal-Mart for $20-$30 are just as good. I really don't know who to believe. I would appreciate any answers and all opinions so if you have something to say about this, please say it. Long and/or technical answers are welcome. It's very hard for me to shop, spend time researching this, and talking to people about it... much less buying different types and testing them for myself, so I would like like to hear as much as possible about this. MANY THANKS IN ADVANCE!

• Answer:

  Monster cables are notoriously overpriced for what is relatively standard quality cable, if I may redirect you to one of my favorite companies: www.bluejeanscable.com They make much better HDMI/anything cables out of high quality materials for multiple purposes. There best feature, however, is the price. I have bought HDMI cables from them capable of running a signal lossless for 75' for my own home theater applications. There maximum specification is cable available from bluejeans is HDMI 1.3a which delivers 48bit color and lossless audio in Linear PCM, PCM, or Dolby/DTS lossless formats. The cables they want you to buy at bestbuy match the newest specification, HDMI 1.4. This is basically the same as 1.3a plus a few additional features that don't concern audio/video quality at the levels your concerned with. Unless both the TV and the bluray player and receiver, plus any other component concerned, is HDMI 1.4 compatible then your not going to enjoy the benefits of those pricey cables. You must have HDMI 1.4 compatible equipment to enjoy the additional features! These features are listed here: http://hometheater.about.com/od/hometheatervideobasics/qt/hdmifacts.htm The people at bestbuy generally have no idea what they're talking about. I'd be amazed if your tv and disk player supported the HDMI 1.4 spec. 1.3a should be suitable for any application that concerns you and therefore you can buy those much cheaper cables from the company I listed above, or from anyone else really, I just like them a lot. In summary don't buy the pricey cables unless your devices support the additional features offered by the HDMI 1.4 specification (it's very unlikely that they do). In all truth HDMI 1.3a is overkill for all but the most expensive equipment (not stuff you'll see at bestbuy) and it's available cheaply from bluejeans. Bluejeans cables will deliver lossless audio and video over just about any reasonable distance, for your applications you have nothing to worry about. If you don't want to order them online make sure that whatever cables you buy atleast support HDMI 1.3.