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jencris's avatar
jencris
Joining in
3 days ago

HDMI 2.1 cables fibre and ARC

A few questions regarding HDMI cables, I have a new ultra high def TV, and I want to get the best quality picture and sound out of it that I can..

I'm hoping to be able to have the 360 box a bit of a distance away from the TV and run an HDMI cable about 5 to 10m length, and I understand that a Fibre 2.1 HDMI is best for runs over about 3m..

I'm looking at 4k and 8k cables. Please bear with me as I know virtually nothing about HDMI cables

!. Does the 360 box support ARC  HDMI?
2. Does the 360 box support fibre HDMI?
3.if the 360 box supports both of the above, is a fibre ARC cable best for video and sound quality?
4. If I have to put the 360 box closer to the TV, would a shorter run of a HDMI cable, around 3m, would I actually need a more expensive fibre cable?

Any help on this would be appreciated, this is making my head spin.

Thanks.


11 Replies

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    • jencris's avatar
      jencris
      Joining in
      2 days ago

      Thanks, unfortunately there are appears to be many conflicting opinions on what length a 4K HDMI 2.1 cable can be.
      It seem to range from 3m to 15m.

      As the cables aint exactly cheap, I want to be sure before I buy one.

      I think I'll have to work on the basis of peoples experience with a 4k cable. 

      • roy247's avatar
        roy247
        Hero
        2 days ago

        Fibre cables aren't cheap have a look at True HQ cables I use 3 of their 8K ultra HD cables with no problems but they are only 2m.

        https://truehq.co.uk/

         

  • Roger_Gooner's avatar
    Roger_Gooner
    Alessandro Volta
    2 days ago

    A standard High Speed HDMI cable is suitable for VM's box which can output UHD, HDR10, HLG and Dolby Atmos. A fibre HDMI cable is rarely needed as it's for long runs.

    • jencris's avatar
      jencris
      Joining in
      2 days ago

      Thanks, I've just realised that the only 4k content that I'll be using and able to pick up (Netflix and I think iPlayer will be straight from the TV, so I suppose I wont need a 4K cable at the moment.
      Apart from Sky cinema  UHD (which I don't want), I don't think there are any other UHD channels on my Virgin box.

      This does though, still leave me with the problem of the maximum length standard high speed cable can be.
      whilst Googling, opinions vary greatly, so I'd like to get the opinions of anyone using a standard and/or a 4K cable.

      I'm looking at certified 2.1 cables to hopefully get the best quality, and as the aint cheap I want to get it right.

      • Roger_Gooner's avatar
        Roger_Gooner
        Alessandro Volta
        2 days ago

        The High Speed HDMI cable has pretty much replaced the old standard HDMI cable. The certification process is for the Premium High Speed and Ultra High Speed cables.

        Incidentally HDMI versions like 2.1 describe the connection standard and not the cables themselves, something which sadly nobody seems to understand. Cables are classified by capability, so High Speed HDMI cable is suitable as it supports UHD (with the caveat that it's of good quality). A good quality cable should be fine from 3-5 metres, anything more and the High Speed HDMI cable might struggle. If you are bothered about this, go for the Premium High Speed cable.