PS3 hdmi cable

People sometimes ask why there is any need for some of these PS3 hdmi cable solutions. Their reasoning is that since the cable passes a digital signal, you won’t get degradation over distance (it’s just on or off, right?).

They go on to assume that they will be able to buy the absolute cheapest cable at any distance and will have no problems with their setup.

Well, that just doesn’t work all the time. It is certainly true that you will often get away with a slightly cheaper cable than the top of the range but that is often just because the manufacturer has to give you a certain tolerance, just to guarantee the figures they really are claiming.

The problem comes when you really are pushing the limits of the cable. At this point, some of those zeroes and ones just don’t make it to the other end intact. Sometimes they get flipped. There’s a certain amount of correction built in to cope with this, but beyond a particular percentage, this correction cannot help. Too many bits have been flipped to even guess where they started out.

Unfortunately, at this point, it is possible for the endpoints to just give up trying. You won’t just get a crappy signal, you’ll see none at all.

So, bear that in mind when you choose a cable. If you want to cover a tiny distance, you have a bigger choice and will “get away” with more. If you want a 15 foot cable – look much harder at the higher end. It may well be an investment worth making.