HDMI ARC: Available on most TVs these days, HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) can be a great way to connect up a home cinema system, AV receiver or sound bar with less fuss. Basically, it allows you to just use one HDMI lead to send audio from your TV to your sound receiver. However, not all TVs support multi-channel audio via HDMI, and that means they won't support 5.1 surround sound, for example. However, there are features such as variable refresh rate and eARC as well as 4K video at 120Hz which also require an HDMI 2.1 cable. The PS5, Xbox Series X and certain LG 4K OLED TVs support HDMI 2.1, but you’ll only benefit from getting a cable that supports the latest standard if you have both a console and TV that support those features. If you bought your TV or any other piece of AV equipment in the last three or four years, Premium High Speed is the way to go.

Cable shall conform to the Premium High Speed HDMI Cable specification established by the HDMI organization While the design and construction of the cable might not make any difference to your image or sound quality (as long as it works properly), it will make it more robust and reliable, or affect how easy it is to connect your screen and source devices. You'll have to consult our guide on what size TV to buy if you have enough space for this gigantic display, but once you confirm that you do, there's no reason not to go for the 75-inch Toshiba C350 Series 4K TV if you can afford it. With such a large screen, you'll feel like you're watching movies in the theater, especially with the sharp details and bright colors provided by 4K Ultra HD resolution and High Dynamic Range in the form of Dolby Vision and HDR 10. That said, there is a relationship between the version of HDMI your devices use and the kind of HDMI cable you should buy.This is the AV world's workhorse. High Speed HDMI cables can manage any device or content all the way up to video with 4K resolution at 30Hz. 3D video, deep color, and, of course, 1080p HD are all supported. Static HDR (like HDR10) will work, too, although we don't recommend this kind of cable if you want to experience Dolby Vision HDR. As a dynamic version of HDR, it uses a lot more data and thus benefits from a faster cable.

Certified or tested cables have been tested to make sure they work reliably, and that they’ll support the resolutions and gaming/AV features that they should based on their category. Otherwise, there are a few cables with different swivelling or 90-degree connectors that might make it easier to use them with a screen that’s in a constrained space or mounted on a wall. For instance, the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 all come with a HDMI 2.1 cable in the box, because that's the route to the best picture you can get (providing your TV supports HDMI 2.1, that is), as the new 2.1 standard is needed to achieve 4K gameplay at 120fps, or 8K gameplay at 60fps. The Xbox Series S ships with an HDMI 2.0 cable instead, though it has an HDMI 2.1 port. HDMI 1.4: Most TVs now have HDMI 1.4 connectors as standard. These ports can support broadcast HD TV, as well as 3D Blu-rays played through a 3D TV. While you can use a HDMI 1.3 lead with these ports, the picture quality won't be as good as a HDMI 1.4 lead. MHL cables: Many modern TVs allow you to connect your smartphone or tablet using an MHL (Mobile High Definition Link) cable plugged in the phone and then connected via the TV's HDMI. This allows you to share content such as videos or photos on the larger screen, and it charges your device at the same time.GoPro cameras, digital cameras, video cameras, and even some tablets and smartphones can be connected from their Micro HDMI ports to send 4K data at 60Hz at up to 18Gbps speeds to TVs, computer monitors, and projectors. And while it's not 8K capable, you're probably not going to need that quite yet, unless you have 8K content ready to be viewed on your 8K TV. An HDMI cable will have a trapezoid-shaped connector on either end of the wire. This connector will have 16 tiny pins that will be used to transmit the digital signal to your TV or monitor. HDMI cables will have the same connector on both ends of the wire. HDMI CEC: Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) is a neat but often underused HDMI feature that enables you to control multiple different CEC-enabled devices, such as a TV, DVD player and set top box, that are connect via HDMI from the same remote control.

Because of this, we strongly recommend that if you have Dolby Vision or HDR10+ AV equipment, you only buy high-speed HDMI cables that are guaranteed to deliver the full 18Gbps and that you test them thoroughly with Dolby Vision or HDR10+ content before installing them more permanently. HDMI cable speed is measured in gigabits per second (Gbps); don't worry, you don't need to memorize a bunch of numbers. To keep things simple, HDMI.org — the group that maintains the specifications for both HDMI devices and HDMI cables — sorts HDMI cable speed into four main categories: OLED, which is still considered the premier display technology today, is the calling card of LG as one of the best TV brands, so you know that you'll be getting a top-quality TV with the LG B2 OLED 4K TV. With a 65-inch screen featuring 4K Ultra HD resolution for sharp details and lifelike colors, and powered by LG's a7 Gen5 AI Processor 4K that adjusts picture and sound for the best possible viewing experience, the LG B2 OLED 4K TV will transform your living room into your personal cinema. The OLED TV also runs on LG's webOS 22, so you'll never run out of things to watch through all of the popular streaming services. Next to the trusty USB cable, HDMI cables are just about the most useful cable in home entertainment setups across the globe. They connect everything from TVs, Blu-ray players, and streaming devices to gaming consoles, AV receivers, and speakers. Despite efforts on the part of some manufacturers to label their cables as HDMI 2.0 or HDMI 2.1, what differentiates one HDMI cord from another isn't the HDMI version. That version number (1, 1.4, 2.0, 2.1, etc.) describes the capabilities of your hardware — from OLED TVs and soundbars to AV receivers, etc. — not your HDMI cables.HDMI 2.0: With the advent of 4K ultra-high-definition (UHD) TV, a new HDMI 2.0 standard was agreed. HDMI 2.0 brought various improvements, including support for 4K UHD resolution at 60 frames per second (measured in Hz) and the Rec. 2020 colour space. This as vital now that 4K UHD is more widely distributed to televisions. HDMI 2.1 cables support 48Gbps ‘ultra high speed’ which is intended to support 8K video (and up to 10K), but it’ll be a couple of years at least before there are widespread compatible devices. READ NEXT: The best 1080p, 1440p, 4K and ultrawide monitors Does the physical construction of the cable matter? High-definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) is a video and audio connection used between HD equipment, such as a Blu-ray player, PVR or a Sky HD box, and your television. Speed is the single biggest consideration when choosing an HDMI cable because if your cable isn't fast enough for your specific equipment, HDMI version, and media sources, it won't be reliable.

Although we’ve talked about the standards, it’s worth knowing the version numbers actually apply to devices – TVs and video sources – and not the cables themselves. What really matters is the cable’s speed capacity – look out for anything rated for 18Gbps to keep up with 4K HDR, which should be just about any cable sold as ‘high speed’. Provide interconnection for the transmission of HDMI digital video and audio signals over a copper cable assembly. In the past, most experts would have said that either an HDMI cable works or it doesn’t. Unlike analog cables, where the signal quality can degrade from excellent to poor and have a corresponding effect on video or audio, HDMI is a digital cable — and ones and zeroes don’t have quality. They either make it from the source device (like a Blu-ray player) to the destination device (a TV), or they do not. Occasionally, if there is a problem with the signal path (usually caused by a cable run that’s too long), you’ll see “sparkles” on the TV screen. This means that some of the ones and zeroes aren’t making it across the gap. The solution is almost always to replace your HDMI cable with a shorter one. What's the difference between a certified and a non-certified HDMI cable? Not much. If an HDMI cable is truly a high-speed cable, it will perform all of the needed duties like transmitting 4K at 60Hz, high dynamic range (HDR), and 4:4:4 deep-color video, plus uncompressed audio.Colour can also be affected, as Category 1 and Category 2 cables haven’t got the bandwidth to convey the enhanced 10-bit colour depths, or Deep Colour, output by 4K Blu-ray players and 4K HDR consoles, let alone the 12-bit colour depth used by some Dolby Vision screens and 4K Blu-ray players.