Customer Reviews

AmazonBasics High-Speed HDMI Braided Cable (6.5 Feet/2.0 Meters)

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This item gets 2 stars for Amazon's full backing - easy returns, warranty - but can't earn the rest because it offers very little additional value, even when compared to other AmazonBasics products - in other words, I am not aware of any advantages of braided cables or extra-shielded cables in a home settings at lengths of 6 feet. I also have an issue with the 'Ultra High Speed' designation. While the HDMI consortium does define 'High Speed' and 'Category 2', the 'Ultra' addition seems to be the product of over-zealous marketing from some vendors too eager to differentiate their product and to justify higher prices.

Just to clear any doubt, this cable works as well as any other 6 ft. HDMI wire, including the premium ones and it's no better than those that sell at Amazon for one penny (I actually have one in use right now). The one advantage of this semi-premium-priced wire over the 'regular' ones is some extra shielding which, in the event of an airburst (EMP) above one's residence would ensure that the TV continues to get a clear picture.

AmazonBasics vs. Other Discount Brands
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It's not an easy call between an AmazonBasics-branded wire and someone else's that sells for less (plus shipping :) ) but, here's why I went with Amazon this time.

If you look carefully, you will find the probably hundreds of HDMI 'brands' offered at Amazon (exclude the 'premium') fall in about 3 'types' as far as pricing:

a - in the single-digits plus shipping
b - in the mid to high single digits that qualify for Super Savers free shipping
c - listed for as low as pennies plus shipping

This product may compete with 'a' on price but not with categories 'b' and 'c'. Category 'c' saves you a few dollars - and I did order a couple of these myself as well as one of the less expensive Amazon cables: AmazonBasics High Speed HDMI Cable (6.5 Feet / 2.0 Meters) [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging].

Amazon has a few extra advantages worth considering if you don't mind paying a little extra.

- EASY RETURN - I know because I had to return quite a few items for various reasons. Amazon makes it very easy and, if you are returning the item because it came defective or damaged Amazon pays for shipping.

- WARRANTY - these wires come with a 1-year warranty (talking about future-proofing). If an HDMI cable performs for one year, the ods that it would stop working after that are pretty close to zero. It's possible that the other vendors back their inexpensive cables too (I never checked) but I am highly confident that Amazon will be around to honor its warranty and I'm not so sure about vendors I know less.

- QUALITY ASSURANCE - I've never had any problems with 'cheap' HDMI cables but it may be reassuring to have Amazon's name on a wire. My assumption is that Amazon did insist on some quality checks before they stamped their logo on the product.


HDMI Background and the FUD of Premium Cables
---------------------------------------------

Let's face it, HDMI 1.3x cables have become a commodity these days. There are 'premium' brands, for sure and some look prettier than others (for something that goes to the back of your equipment and no one else will probably see) but the fact is that nearly all of today's makes and models qualify for 'high-speed' or 'Category 2' (see HDMI 1.3 specs below). Just to eliminate the confusion, it's worth stating that:


- Practically all HDMI 1.3x certified cables are HIGH-SPEED or CATEGORY 2. Only the Category 2 (high-speed) cables support 1080p resolutions.

- The HDMI official site advises that even HDMI cables under 15 ft. (5m) that were made BEFORE the HDMI 1.3 specification can work as Category 2 cables. The FUD claim that signal attenuation is less over a more expensive cable may be true, nut that's irrelevant on a 6 ft. length.

- The 'ultra high-speed' claim that some premium brands make means very little or 'nothing'. As far as I know, there is NO official HDMI specification for 'ultra high-speed' and, every time I checked the specs of cables labelled as 'ultra', all I saw was the familiar HDMI 1.3 specifications and nothing more.

- The 'premium', very expensive HDMI cables are NOT 'future proof'. The HDMI 1.4 specs that add an Ethernet channel, an audio return channel, support for 3-D and 4K by 2K resolution use a physically different connector - in other words, the highly-expensive and the ultra-expensive 'premium' cables do NOT work with HDMI 1.4.

- At this length - 6 ft., you will get as good a service from a no-brand or Amazon-labeled cable as you would from a super-expensive rip-off. Any HDMI 1.3 cable should be able to carry, error free, all the signal your electronic equipment may put out.



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Here are the HDMI 1.3 specs supported by this cable the premium brands and the less expensive alternatives:

Maximum signal bandwidth (MHz) 340
Maximum TMDS bandwidth (Gbit/s) 10.2
Maximum video bandwidth (Gbit/s) 8.16
Maximum audio bandwidth (Mbit/s) 36.86
Maximum Color Depth (bit/px) 48

Maximum resolution over single link at 24-bit/px 2560×1600p75
Maximum resolution over single link at 30-bit/px 2560×1600p60
Maximum resolution over single link at 36-bit/px 1920x1200p75
Maximum resolution over single link at 48-bit/px 1920×1200p60

sRGB
YCbCr
8 channel LPCM/192 kHz/24-bit audio capability
Blu-ray Disc video and audio at full resolution
Consumer Electronic Control (CEC)
DVD-Audio support
Super Audio CD (DSD) support
Deep Color
xvYCC
Auto lip-sync
Dolby TrueHD bitstream capable
DTS-HD Master Audio bitstream capable
Updated list of CEC commands (only on HDMI 1.3a,b,c)
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Length:: 0:24 Mins

When it comes to HDMI cables, your cable either works or it doesn't. Since HDMI is digital, you don't have cables of varying signal qualities like older analog cables, which means that when considering which cable to buy, you'd be throwing your money away to choose the $80 gold plated super duper HDMI cables over a cheaper cable like this. Google "HDMI ripoff" and you'll see what I mean in more detail.

As for this cable, it works! That's mostly what you'd want to know. It also has a nice-looking nylon braid around the cable itself, the only drawback being that it smells weird. It probably won't be a big problem when it's hooked up to your TV, but plug your nose when you open the box for the first time.

Other than that, the best feature about this cable is Amazon's "frustration free" packaging, which is simply a recyclable cardboard box with a white label holding the side flap closed, then not much else. Open the box and there's no twist ties to unwind, no plastic to cut through. No wasteful eye-catching packaging, just the cable and a small paper note about the warranty! I like the idea of it! It's better for the environment and my sanity!

I wonder what makes HDMI cables so costly. Spending over fifty dollars seems ridiculous to me, so I've been waiting for a reasonably priced, high quality, flexible cable and I found exactly what I needed with the AmazonBasics Braided Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable at 6.5 feet! Costing substantially less than comparable cables I've researched and held in my hands, this stands heads and shoulders above the others and I'm thrilled to now have my new HDTV hooked up to Cox Cable via this HDMI cable rather than the standard cables provided by the company. Without an HDMI cable, I was not receiving the full options available but don't regret waiting to get this brand and model from Amazon; I would have spent far much more money to purchase another brand and it likely would not be as flexible and substantial as this. My television is providing much more entertainment today than it was yesterday and the HD channels are overwhelmingly wonderful now! Wish I'd utilized the HDMI capability sooner, but I'm happy to have this particular cable now and more money in the wallet for popcorn and beverages.

The images provided by Amazon cover just about everything included with the exception of a little black twisty tie. Nothing is wasted in this packaging, it can be reused or recycled and you do not need tools to access the cable from the packaging. There is no chemical scent and you'll receive no cuts on the fingers from hard plastic packaging.

If you're in the market for a longer braided cable, AmazonBasics also offers a 9.8 Feet model.

I have to admit when I heard Amazon was working on their own brand of products, I had visions of the old white generic boxes from 20 years ago. Especially when I read it was going to come in their own plain packaging. My first thought was uh-oh. This is gonna be cheap, so they can slap their name on it.

While I'm no technical wizard, and I don't have gadgets, meters, and all that to hook up every cable to say "This cable performs best because my meter says...". Meh - I'm just a guy who likes to hook up stuff and have it work.

To that, I (like most people) am interested in a decent quality cable for their electronics. Not interested in paying out the backside needlessly for it (Monster), or going too cheap either (some of the one penny cables you see on Amazon). I've tried the dirt cheap route before here on Amazon (not on HDMI, but with other stuff), and have been burnt. So I decided to look and see what was out there, and happened upon the Amazon Basics line.

I was in need of an HDMI cable, as I recently got a second HDTV, and will be hooking an HD TiVo up to it, so I ordered this. It arrived today. In the interim, I read all the reviews, and are pretty much universally positive. When it actually arrived today, I got it out of the box, and was immediately surprised at how solid it felt. The other HDMI cables I have for other things aren't nearly as "solid" as this feels. So, as a test, I stuck it on my Xbox 360 in place of the component cables I had there. This looked way clearer than the component cables, so I decided to leave it there, and ordered a second one tonight for the TiVo I originally ordered the first one for.

I have to say again I was quite surprised at how sturdy this feels. The only real negative I could say would be I wish they had a three foot option instead of just six and nine. I do have a bunch of extra cable back there with the six foot, where a three foot would have done just as well. Oh well, that's a minor quibble. I'll definitely look at Amazon Basics again for future cabling needs.

One word of warning about the "Frustration Free" packaging. One of the reviews I read said that it was easy enough to open with your finger, without any kind of scissors. So I tried that. I advise against that, because I gave myself a cardboard cut. Had to go slap a band-aid on there. Yeah, it's my own fault, it could have easily been opened with a pair of plain (even kids) scissors, but I tried the macho route, and used my finger. That was stupid. The frustration free packaging (outside of my own dumb move) really was easy to open, and the fact I can toss it in the recycle bin is nice. It's also well enough put together that you can take all the stickers off and re-use the box. It's very sturdy.

UPDATE: When I bought this cable on October 16th, the price was just $17.51. Lately Amazon has been selling it for over $30. What's with that? Did I catch it during some intro price period or something?

I currently own higher-end Panasonic HDMI cables, and these Amazon HDMI cables perform just as well. The high-definition video quality is great and I couldn't see a difference between the two, the thickness of the Amazon HDMI cable matches the higher-end cable, and the build-quality is strong and durable. The cable does have a stiff end so this cable does not bend as easily and is not as flexible as other cables are (in case you have your tv up against the wall, so you would need to have your tv about 6 inches away from the wall if it is on a tv stand. It may not be a problem for most TV's that will be wall-mounted, but it depends on the position and placement of the HDMI ports on the back of your TV.

The packaging that these cables came in was great and easy. It was in a small cardboard box in another box, well protected. Very easy to open, and safe inside. No damage at all.

I recommend these Amazon HDMI cables. 5 out of 5.

So I'm not an engineer with a mini-laboratory in my house where I can send electromagnetic pulses to test my electronics and I'm not insanely wealthy either. I'm just a regular guy who wants decent cables for his electronics and these cables are excellent quality at a nice price.

First off these cables just look and feel thicker and sturdier than the cheap cables that are also sold on this site. Secondly you get much less cable clutter using this over the huge RGB cables your cable/satellite company will likely give you (but check first to make sure they support HDMI output). Third, you just open a box and grab your cable rather than deal with those horrible clamshell plastic cases. Fourth, and most importantly you get Amazon's warranty for a year if you ever run into a problem with it. So the next time someone tries to guilt you into buying a $100 pair of Monster cables with your electronics purchase you'll know what to do.

This is a great cable, I love it.

The cable is very high quality, I've been buying those (10-12 dollar) hdmi cables online for a while, and I keep forgetting the nice feel of a high end cable.

The moment I unpacked this cable, I realized I was in for a special treat.

The cable performs flawlessly, without any objections.

The cable is nice, thick, cable with a great texture and feel.

I dont if it's just me, but when I used this cable on my ps3 my movies started looking much better. The softness was lessened (in my eyes)

I've used this cable about 100 hours by now, watching blu-ray playing games, hooking it up to my computer, my camera, my xbox, my ps3, and everything performs greatly.

Thanks to amazon's amazingly low price, we can finally get a high end high quality cable, at a very reasonable and competitive price.

Thanks amazon! Time to buy another one!

Frankly, I am price conscience when it comes to HDMI cables - I have a very hard time justifying a $60 (or more) for an HDMI cable. This cable simply works and comes at an attractive price.

Good looking braided cable that feels expensive and will serve your HDMI cable needs. It arrives in Amazon's "frustration free" packaging which means that it is shipped in a simple brown, recyclable cardboard box (with a little paper outlining the warranty). No plastic to cut, no twist ties to unravel, no added packaging/marketing. Simply open the box, remove the cable, and install it. Easy.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: [...]

I received this 2-meter AmazonBasics HDMI cable for review, from Vine, and I am confident in saying that i am immediately very impressed with it, after only a couple of hours of use. I used the cable to replace the HDMI that connects my DirecTV HD-box to my Mitsubishi projector in my screening room, and there was no decline in quality of my live-tv feed. Compared to the cable that i replaced, i'd also like to hilight two (2) impressive features of the AmazonBasics cable: 1) the cable braiding is VERY thick, making this a very durable cable (it's a far thicker sheath than the one on my old HDMI cable) and 2) the 2 male ends are also appear to very solid - they look like molded casings that hold/surround the connectors at each end (my old cable had a 2-piece bracket over the connectors, and one of them actually fell apart while i was swapping out the old cable for testing, so the sturdiness of the Amazon cable definitely got my attention). Combine all these features with a VERY reasonable price (under $20 for a 2-meter cable) and i have to say that not only is this cable a very good deal, but i'd be interested in seeing what other 'Basics" products that Amazon can come up with (A/V or otherwise) - no frills packaging, but a quality product, at a terrific price.

The Amazon branded HDMI cable is great! It's cloth wrapped and very sturdy. I was not expecting such a high quality cable. The quality is on par with the Monster brand cables, but without the monster price.

I believe this cable will last a long time and it definitely beats the flimsy generic cables that are readily available. The image quality using this cable was also nice, although to my untrained eyes, I couldn't see much of a difference between this and my older, cheaper cable. On the other hand, I just like the feel of this cord over a regular plastic cable and I recommend it for anyone looking for a high quality HDMI cable.