This blog contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click on these links and make a purchase, We may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support the site and allows us to continue providing helpful content. Thank you for your support!
This blog contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click on these links and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support the site and allows us to continue providing helpful content. Thank you for your support!
If you’re getting a top of the range smart TV with 4K picture quality and Surround Sound capabilities, then you’ll want to make sure you’re getting the most out of your entertainment setup with the right HDMI cable to connect your streaming stick or gaming console. However, if you take a look online at buying any HDMI cable you’ll get swamped with options like “gold-“ or “silver-plated”, leaving you confused as to what’s actually the best one for you. Don’t fear, we here at Systems Insight will give you a handy little guide to understand what these cables do and what you should be looking for or trying to avoid when buying one.
What even is a HDMI cable?
HDMI cables are the modern way of transmitting video and audio signals from your device to your TV. These cables replaced the old SCART and RCA cables (if you’re old enough to remember them!) and made it so that you only needed one cable to transmit both audio and video between your TV and your device, reducing that mess of cables that you used to have behind your setup. If you’re plugging in a Sky or Virgin TV Box, a games console like a PS5 or a streaming stick like Amazon’s Fire Stick, you’re going to need an HDMI cable to connect it to your smart TV as this is now the industry standard.
It’s also worth noting if you’re looking at buying a HDMI cable that there are actually two different types available: either HDMI 2.0 or HDMI 2.1. As well as this you can also get many different lengths of cable, meaning you’ll want to measure the distance between what you want to connect and the HDMI slot on the back of your TV. Remember to do this so you don’t end up with a cable that’s either too short and you have to move your setup around to make it work, or one that’s too long and leaves a big dangling cable that’ll get tangled up with others. So, make sure to double check what HDMI type your smart TV uses as well as what length you’ll need before rushing out and buying one to save yourself the embarrassment of having to return the wrong cable!
Will a gold-plated HDMI really make a difference?
When looking at HDMI cables online, it can be hard to filter out all the extra features and descriptions to find a cable that’s just really reliable. One common feature you might see is “gold-plated” which sounds pretty fancy and is meant to give you some extra benefits over regular HDMI cables. What this means is that over the connectors on the ends of the cable is a small piece of gold, which is a highly conductive metal helping to transmit the given signals faster and better. Because it’s better at conducting electricity, these cables should then be faster at transmitting signals and reduce the amount of input lag you might feel when using your remote or games controller. It should also remove any potential noise which may interfere with the signal being sent, improving the quality of image on your screen. So, gold-plated HDMI cables should give you a better quality of image faster due to the premium components it’s made of that transmit the signals faster than a regular HDMI cable.
However, is it true that they should give you a better quality of image and latency? Well actually, the signals being transmitted across all HDMI signals are digital, meaning that there shouldn’t actually be any noise interfering with the signal. Interfering noise would’ve been an issue if you still used the old SCART cables, but thankfully HDMI cables don’t suffer from this issue. So, covering the cable in gold really won’t improve a HDMI cable’s quality and latency as digital signals won’t be affected by these issues.
Really, the true benefit of a gold-plated HDMI cable which might be useful to you is that they are more durable and last longer than regular cables. Gold is commonly used in electronics as it can last longer than other metals without corroding, which could be useful depending on the climate where you live. If you’re in an area with a humid climate, then you may want to pick up one of these gold-plated cables as the extra cost may be worth it if you don’t want to keep regularly replacing damaged cables.
So, don’t be fooled by all the marketing buzzwords when looking at buying HDMI cables into paying over the odds for one. There are so many options out there that you’ll be able to find one at a reasonable price that ticks all the boxes. First, double check if your smart TV uses either HDMI 2.0 or 2.1 slots and then look for the really important information in the product description like the speed of the connection and the quality of the output, which will be shown like 4K@60Hz for example. There’s really no need to splash extra cash on features like “gold-plated”, as you won’t see the supposed benefits it’ll provide unless you live in a humid area, as the durability will be the only extra benefit you would get. Instead, find one that’s right for you and your setup that is cheap enough and will give you a good enough picture to suit your needs. If you’re still unsure of searching on your own, we’ve added our own personal recommendations for affordable HDMI cables below. Hopefully this helps you build the perfect setup for your viewing and playing pleasure!