{"id":229,"date":"2018-09-02T05:42:03","date_gmt":"2018-09-02T09:42:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/langa.com\/?p=229"},"modified":"2018-08-27T14:45:28","modified_gmt":"2018-08-27T18:45:28","slug":"a-reader-asks-how-long-can-an-hdmi-cable-be-before-trouble-happens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2018\/09\/02\/a-reader-asks-how-long-can-an-hdmi-cable-be-before-trouble-happens\/","title":{"rendered":"A reader asks: How long can an HDMI cable be before trouble happens?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Q: What is the maximum length for an HDMI cable before attenuation occurs?<\/strong> (via Quora)<\/p>\n

A: In reality, any length of cable will introduce some<\/em> attenuation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think you’re actually asking “how long can a cable be before attenuation becomes a problem?”<\/p>\n

But even there, there’s no absolute answer. A cable in an electromagnetically quiet location can be longer than one in a “noisy” location; a well-shielded cable can be much longer than an unshielded cable; etc.<\/p>\n

But in general: You want the cable as short as possible. The longer the cable run, the higher-quality the cable (especially its shielding) has to be.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Generic cables usually work fine for short runs of a few feet (a meter or so). Medium-priced cables can do OK up to a couple meters 6-7 feet, or maybe more if there a few active interference sources nearby.<\/p>\n

But be prepared to spend some serious money on the heavily-shielded cables that truly long runs require!<\/p>\n

\n

Permalink:\u00a0<\/em>https:\/\/wp.me\/paaiox-3H<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

(Want to ask Fred a question? Use the CONTACT link at the top of the page.)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Q: What is the maximum length for an HDMI cable before attenuation occurs? (via Quora) A: In reality, any length of cable will introduce some attenuation. I think you’re actually asking “how long can a cable be before attenuation becomes a problem?” But even there, there’s no absolute answer. A cable in an electromagnetically quiet…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-reader-asks","category-science-and-tech"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paaiox-3H","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3926,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/12\/11\/will-a-device-charge-at-the-same-rate-with-a-10-meter-cable-as-with-a-one-meter-cable\/","url_meta":{"origin":229,"position":0},"title":"“Will a device charge at the same rate with a 10 meter cable as with a one meter cable?”","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2019-12-11","format":false,"excerpt":"(Answer requested by Rosario Mezzatesta) If the cables are designed properly, yes. However, if either cable's internal conductors are too thin, energy will be lost as resistive heat along the way; this can make the charging time longer. And: The longer the wire, the greater the thin-wire-resistance effect. Very long\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/usb.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4667,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/04\/02\/if-a-cable-is-fast-charging-does-the-power-brick-have-to-be-fast-charging-as-well\/","url_meta":{"origin":229,"position":1},"title":"“If a cable is ‘fast charging,’ does the power brick have to be ‘fast charging’ as well?”","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2020-04-02","format":false,"excerpt":"(Answer requested by Chris Parson.) Absent proprietary weirdness (e.g. nonstandard plugs or connectors), no. Charging speed is driven primarily by the charger and device's battery. A \"fast-charging cable\" is simply one that's rated to safely carry the higher voltages and amperages that fast chargers employ. That usually means the \"fast\"\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/charging-cables-rf-e1585160710198.jpg?fit=200%2C200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4095,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/01\/21\/do-android-charger-cords-generally-lose-their-effectiveness-over-time\/","url_meta":{"origin":229,"position":2},"title":"“Do Android charger cords generally lose their effectiveness over time?”","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2020-01-21","format":false,"excerpt":"(Answer requested by Nima Jooyandeh) Android, Apple, it doesn't matter: Yes, any charger cord can wear out and lose effectiveness over time. Charger cords are technically cables --- an assemblage of seperate wires wound together into a bundle;4 and coated with a plastic insulator. (The separate wires in USB charger\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/broken-charger-wires-123.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/broken-charger-wires-123.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/broken-charger-wires-123.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/broken-charger-wires-123.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2757,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/05\/14\/real-life-measurements-show-ways-to-speed-smartphone-charging-times\/","url_meta":{"origin":229,"position":3},"title":"Real-life measurements show ways to speed smartphone charging times","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2019-05-14","format":false,"excerpt":"In response to \u201cIs there any way to charge a phone faster?,\u201d reader Peter Rothschild sent in the following interesting and very surprising post, based on his real-life measurements of smartphone charging times. Fascinating info about differences in USB charging cables! (Thanks, Peter!): \"I have done a bit of experimenting\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Hardware"","block_context":{"text":"Hardware","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/hardware\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2908,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/06\/06\/i-need-to-purchase-an-external-dvd-cd-drive-for-a-new-laptop-should-it-be-the-same-brand-as-the-laptop\/","url_meta":{"origin":229,"position":4},"title":"“I need to purchase an external DVD\/CD drive for a new laptop. Should it be the same brand as the laptop?”","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2019-06-06","format":false,"excerpt":"(Answer requested by Dawn Hassell) For most PCs, it doesn't matter. Most external drives for PCs use standard USB connections, and will work with any PC that also uses standard USB connections. USB cables are inexpensive: a 3' cable typically costs under $10. If the PC uses proprietary connectors \u2014\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3723,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/11\/07\/im-a-producer-on-my-way-to-college-how-can-i-secure-my-laptop-so-it-doesnt-get-stolen-without-screwing-holes-into-my-desk\/","url_meta":{"origin":229,"position":5},"title":"“I\u2019m a producer on my way to college. How can I secure my laptop so it doesn\u2019t get stolen, without screwing holes into my desk?”","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2019-11-07","format":false,"excerpt":"(Answer requested by Dennis Willis) You'll need a cable lock and either an adhesive anchor or a cable long enough to lasso itself after passing around or through an immovable object. A PC cable lock (examples) attaches to a security point built into most laptop bodies; the attachment point is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=229"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":231,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229\/revisions\/231"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=229"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}