# Max length for HDMI?



## spyd4r

Whats the safest max distance for HDMI cables? I have noticed on some sites 50-100 foot HDMI cables.. will these suffer and signal drop outs or any sort of issues due to their length.


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## AV Doogie

I wouldn't want to guess at anything further than about 30-35'. The longer the cable, the more likely you are to have issues with the signal. I use DVI and HDMI to about 25' with no discernible problems. Buy a cable (make sure you can return it) and try it out if distance is a question.


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## danieloneil01




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *spyd4r* /forum/post/0
> 
> 
> Whats the safest max distance for HDMI cables? I have noticed on some sites 50-100 foot HDMI cables.. will these suffer and signal drop outs or any sort of issues due to their length.




I use a 50ft run of a single HDMI cable with no signal loss..


Cable length


The HDMI specification does not define a maximum cable length. As with all cables, signal attenuation becomes too high at a certain length. Instead, HDMI specifies a minimum performance standard. Any cable meeting that specification is compliant. Different construction quality and materials will enable cables of different lengths. In addition, higher performance requirements must be met to support video formats with higher resolutions and/or frame rates than the standard HDTV formats.


The signal attenuation and intersymbol interference caused by the cables can be compensated by using Adaptive Equalization.


HDMI 1.3 defined two categories of cables: Category 1 (standard or HDTV) and Category 2 (high-speed or greater than HDTV) to reduce the confusion about which cables support which video formats. Using 28 AWG, a cable of about 5 meters (~16 feet) can be manufactured easily and inexpensively to Category 1 specifications. Higher-quality construction (24 AWG, tighter construction tolerances, etc.) can reach lengths of 12 to 15 meters. In addition, active cables (fiber optic or dual Cat-5 cables instead of standard copper) can be used to extend HDMI to 100 meters or more. Some companies also offer amplifiers, equalizers and repeaters that can string several standard (non-active) HDMI cables together.


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## gonediesel

I am also planning a long HDMI cable run at about 50 ft and would like to see some more responses from those who have long HDMI runs. GD


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## trs23

I've got dual 50' HDMI monoprice cables from my plasma to my wiring closet.


I notice some sparklies at 1080i but since my plasma is only 720p I just run it in that resolution. I'm not sure if its the cables, eletrical interference or my HR20 that is causing the problems. The HR20 directv receiver is much better on HDMI than the old Directivo HR10-250 -- I used to get a ton of dropouts with that thing.



Cable I purchased

http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...ormat=2&style= 


I wouldn't go over 50' and in fact keep it to more like 35' if you want to avoid any issues.


I imagine if i complained to monoprice they would give me another cable, but since its already in the walls I'm not going to go rip it out -- fishing it through was a B*TCH!


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## racer21

I've been using a 50 ft run. If I have connected to my HD-DVD player it works fine. However when I tried it with my standard DVD player, I noticed sparklies.


Since I wanted to extend the run a bit, I connected the 50 ft cable to a 10ft foot cable, using an "HDMI repeater ampilfier".


Using that combination, the DVD player worked fine, no "sparklies".


So I'm thinking your success may be somewhat dependent on how strong of a signal the source device is sending.


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## will_blueprint




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *racer21* /forum/post/0
> 
> 
> I've been using a 50 ft run. If I have connected to my HD-DVD player it works fine. However when I tried it with my standard DVD player, I noticed sparklies.
> 
> 
> Since I wanted to extend the run a bit, I connected the 50 ft cable to a 10ft foot cable, using an "HDMI repeater ampilfier".
> 
> 
> Using that combination, the DVD player worked fine, no "sparklies".
> 
> 
> So I'm thinking your success may be somewhat dependent on how strong of a signal the source device is sending.



what brand repeater are you using


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## Ray906

I'm using a 66' cable to bring the Comcast HD signal to my projector. No problems at all with the signal.


Ray


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## Neville

I am using monoprice 50ft hdmi cables and works great. You do want to make sure though that you stay clear of any lighting, electric cables etc (just to be safe)

to avoid any interference.


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## manjucil

100 feet is ok if the connectors are gold plated


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## Colm




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *manjucil* /forum/post/18793839
> 
> 
> 100 feet is ok if the connectors are gold plated



Now that is one of the dumbest things I have ever seen posted about HDMI...


OP, nobody can predict with certainty whether you will be successful at a particular distance. And other folks' success doesn't necessarily mean that you will be successful at the same distance. Performance depends on the characteristics of the equipment at both ends, the HDMI cable itself, anything else in the signal path, and the resolution, frame rate, and color depth you are running.


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## dj_james




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *colm* /forum/post/18795803
> 
> 
> now that is one of the dumbest things i have ever seen posted about hdmi...




:d


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## crod1

not trying to start a bunch of crap about cables. BUT i have noticed differances in cables. "cheap" ones from monoprice etc. are not good for long runs. if you notice the cables from better cables etc. use an inline "amp" and they work fine, at long distances. im personally using a 45ft. or close to that from better cables with no problems..... jmho


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## Colm

Just goes to show...


Some people do 50' with a monoprice cable and some people need an active cable for the same distance. As I stated above, distance is only part of the equation.


I would be willing to bet a cup of coffee that a BJC Series 1 cable would have worked for you. It is arguable the best passive cable on the market.


But the point is that at this kind of distance, it is a crap shoot. You won't know if it will work until you try it.


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## ChrisWiggles

This also varies hugely on the HDMI circuitry of the devices connected.


But yes there definitely are differences in cable quality, and at long distances it becomes very important particularly with finicky equipment.


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## jpjibberjabber

Depends on who makes it. Solder, shielding, conductor size all matter. The manner in which the wires are terminated to the end connector is also critical. When ordering long lengths, make sure there is a liberal guarantee involved.


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## bitty

Sorry for the repeat question, newb here. Is it possible to string two high speed HDMI cables together? I need to get a 30ft length HDMI wire, but I can't find a high speed wire that long.


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## Colm

Two 15' high speed HDMI cables in series does not equal a 30' high speed HDMI cables. Longest certified high speed passive HDMI cable is about 25'. That said a 30' cable of the same construction should work just fine for most folks because most of use aren't pushing the limits of HDMI bandwidth. If you do need a 30' high speed cable, you can get an active cable.


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## egnlsn

I've been running 50' for a few years with no issues.


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## Neurorad

A 30 foot standard speed would prob work, but test it before installing it in a wall or ceiling.


BJC Belden Series-1 from Blue Jeans might be a consideration.

http://bluejeanscable.com/store/hdmi...hdmi-cable.htm


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## video321




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *manjucil* /forum/post/18793839
> 
> 
> 100 feet is ok if the connectors are gold plated



I guess nobody noticed how this thread was resurrected from 3.5 yrs. ago by someone with 4 posts and this reply!


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## Colm

Guess you didn't read post #17...


The guy asked a valid, on-topic question and we replied. What is wrong with that?


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## video321

Quote:

Originally Posted by *Colm* 
Guess you didn't read post #17...
Nope...missed that







sorry, bitty, glad you're getting some help!


I was stuck on the gold plating post coming 3.5 yrs. after the thread died that I didn't notice another date jump by bitty


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## DaveJClark

Yeah.. I run a 50' hdmi in my house. It works great for me. I bought it at monoprice.com.. Awesome cable place. The hdmi cable I got is super thick and high quality. About a half inch in thickness..


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## alk3997




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *DaveJClark*  /t/783852/max-length-for-hdmi#post_23654532
> 
> 
> Yeah.. I run a 50' hdmi in my house. It works great for me. I bought it at monoprice.com.. Awesome cable place. The hdmi cable I got is super thick and high quality. About a half inch in thickness..




Absolutely, but remember just if you are running 1080p/24 then you are using about half the bandwidth that HDMI could run with. So, that same cable when pushed beyond 1080p/60 (such as UHD/4K) may not work anymore. With any HDMI cable, the higher the bandwidth, the shorter you can go with no bit errors.


That's why your 50' cable works. It's a really good Standard Speed cable that works beyond 720p/1080i but how far beyond we don't know. A High Speed cable is guaranteed to work for anything planned for HDMI (at least until HDMI 2 comes out some year) but of course is not available at 50' as a passive cable.


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## fcwilt

You guys are two years or so late to the party. Where you been????


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## alk3997

Just answering our new poster before he gets a surprise later on.


We see this a lot where people use Google to find something and then don't bother to see that the thread is x years old.


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## Xperplay

Hello, I need a 75ft hdmi cable which will be going in a wall. I want it to be ready for 4K. Is there a cable that has an 18gbit rating at this length? BJC Series-1 states cat2 speed only up to 25ft.


I was looking at cables with boosters but the booster part seems quite large, the cable has to be fished trough 25mm piping.


What`s my best option?


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## alk3997

Might want to look over at the HDMI Section of the AVSForum. Check under the HDMI 2.0 thread that was started this morning.

http://www.avsforum.com/t/1489079/hdmi-2-0-officially-announced 


If HDMI 2.0 is really your requirement then your best bet is to wait. If not then I'd go with Cat 6 cable. I just can't guarantee that any HDMI to Cat 6 converter will work with HDMI 2.0.


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## Xperplay

Yes I want it to be ready for hdmi2.0, I cannot wait too long. Apartment is under construction and the piping is still accessible at this point but wont be for long. It will make easier fishing as I can separate the piping and see where the cable is stuck if I have problems.


It seems that existing cables will be compatible with 2.0, so the issue is to maintain a good speed over such a long distance (75ft).


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## alk3997

Which you can't do since the maximum High Speed distance for a passive HDMI cable is just over 25 feet.


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## Colm

I doubt 75' will be doable. But we need to wait to see how the speed increase was achieved. If they just upped the clock rate, the maximum distance for 18Mbps will be considerably less than for 10Mbps today. If they changed the encoding scheme, it could be as long or longer.


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## alk3997

I've been wondering about that too. Since it's backwards compatible, I assume they didn't "repurpose" any of the lines, although that could be worked around.


Clock increase would be easiest since the clock would be increased freq if 2.0 was detected and remain as-is if not. Encoding scheme would be interesting and today's chipset should support it. Until HDMI 2 is detected stay with current linear encoding and once HDMI 2 is detected go to a lossless compression (for instance). I suspect that might increase handshaking time though.


Either way I'm wondering if any of the cat 6 converters will work. I suspect the answer is no and would be detected as HDMI 1.x anyway. I don't have enough information to guess about Redmere.


Well, I've certainly used up my weekly allowance of speculation with those paragraphs.


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## Xperplay

I see, what`s the best option at the moment tough? I need to install something within next week. Would it make sense to use a booster at the end point of the cable outside the wall? Perhaps one on each end? or one on the input end?


I guess I could settle for 10gbit if that`s the best I can achieve at 75ft, how do you go on testing actual speed?


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## Colm

You are not going to get 10Gbps at 75' with a passive HDMI cable, 25' is about the limit for a certified high speed HDMI cable. For 75' I would go with Cat 6 cable and an HDBaseT-based extender.


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## alk3997

Agreed. Cat 6 with HDBaseT. Then replace the HDBaseT devices when HDMI 2 HDBase-T becomes available in about 3 years or so, if you still even care about UHDTV at that time.


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## Xperplay

Cat6 seems good for in wall. Seems future proof and I can cut it to size unlike hdmi. I have to read up on hdbase as it's all new to me. Thanks for your help, any product recommendations?


Do I need equipment on every end of the cat6?


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## alk3997

Try here (and append there if you have HDBaseT questions)...

http://www.avsforum.com/t/1384980/the-unoffical-source-for-everything-hdbaset


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## jautor

Two cat6 and a flex conduit is probably the only sure thing answer at this point. We should know more after CEDIA how HDBaseT and Redmere will pay with HDMI v2.0... But some cat6 and a conduit would be my choice regardless.


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