Does the brand of HDMI cable matter?

[Donut417]

I use my Mac with my TV some times and the setup I have is janky. I have two HDMI cables connected together with a coupler. It was working fine for a while but I started having issues. It could be my USBC Hub or the cable. Im looking at USBC hubs but I figure Id at the very least find a less janky cabling solution. So when it comes to 6 to 10 ft cables, does the brand matter? 

 

I have been looking at Amazon Basics and Monoprice cables. Are they good enough? For the record Im hooking my Mac up to a 720p TV, however I might upgrade to a better one at some point, so Id likely get a cable that can do 4K. 

[TrigrH]

The brand pretty much never matters (provided the cable meets the spec), the longer the cable = the thicker it needs to be.

 

If you want a decent cable Club 3D has a good reputation:

https://www.club-3d.com/en/cat/cable/hdmi/1606/318/

 

Avoid thin or flat cables when you want distance. Unless you go fiber optic.

[BobVonBob]

If it works it works. In nearly all cases you'll see very noticeable effects or total failure if the cable isn't good enough. I'd say 10 feet is short enough to reasonably expect any brand besides a 50 cent eBay special to work.

[Andrewtst]

Spec matter. Quality matter. Length matter. 

 

Brand not so.

 

If only use up to 4K or normal 4K HDR10 normally all HDMI 2.1 cable in length 3 meter is good and no issue. 

 

If use up to 4K Dolby Vision (it needs more bandwidth than HDR10), you need to get a very great quality cable. 

[Donut417]

1 minute ago, Andrewtst said:

Spec matter. Quality matter.

Problem you cant go based on reviews because many reviews like on Amazon are fake. So I have no way of knowing if a cable is up to spec or quality. 

 

12 minutes ago, TrigrH said:

f you want a decent cable Club 3D has a good reputation:

Ill check them out. The last time I tried buying one of their cables from Amazon, Amazon labeled them wrong and kept sending me the wrong size. So Ill have to look at other retailers, because I cant trust that Amazon wont be incompetent. 

[Mayday793]

I think what was neglected above is that some brands just make lower quality cables. have a look at this video:

If you want a HDMI 2.1 cable you cant get that from amazon basics and Best buy's insignia brand. So in that case YES those brands are worse because you cant get the latest spec of HDMI ! 
So you should definitely be careful with your choice of hdmi cable.

Though i must add that the hdmi 2.0 cables can handle a 60hz 4k signal just fine, if thats all you're looking for. 

[Andrewtst]

42 minutes ago, Donut417 said:

Problem you cant go based on reviews because many reviews like on Amazon are fake. So I have no way of knowing if a cable is up to spec or quality. 

 

Ill check them out. The last time I tried buying one of their cables from Amazon, Amazon labeled them wrong and kept sending me the wrong size. So Ill have to look at other retailers, because I cant trust that Amazon wont be incompetent. 

Yup. I just simply get from computer shop or online and test. That the only way as branded not means good.

 

It is like gambling.

[xg32]

the linus vid pretty much covers it, amazon basics surprisingly good, avoid monolith