Home > Consumer Reviews > Monster MC 1000HD-2M Ultra-High Speed HDTV HDMI Cable (2 meters)
Monster MC 1000HD-2M Ultra-High Speed HDTV HDMI Cable (2 meters)
See it at Amazon.com for $20.99Average Customer Rating
(3.0 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First | + Share798 of 823 people found the following review helpful:
Just a terrible example of ripping off customers.
(1 out of 5) by Dustin F on Nov 29, 2007Very recently, I purchased a television at Best Buy. They don't sell the $5 and $10 HDMI cables you find at Fry's or on Amazon, so I went ahead and bought this cable.
I thought I wouldn't mind, after all I spent thousands on the TV, but it kept nagging me. So I bought a $2 HDMI cable from Amazon (search for HDMI and you'll see a few brands). My TV has twin HDMI inputs, so I hooked up this cable and the Monster cable, put on Casino Royale, and flipped between the cables to see what the difference was.
There was absolutely no difference. None at all. I figured the picture would be slightly sharper or the colors cleaner, but you could put a gun to my head and I wouldn't be able to tell you which was which.
And I googled HDMI and learned that if your video and audio signals work at all, then the signal is being carried correctly. There is no middle ground with HDMI. Better cables do not incrementally improve picture quality! Why? Because the HDMI is digital, and it's very difficult to distort a 1 into a 0. In fact, it's technically impossible without total signal distortion or failure. Failure in signal is caused by processors or cables that are too long. Or more likely, misconfigured systems. With digital signals, the cables have a much easier job. Imagine if you had to read a book from 100 yards away? That's analog. Imagine reading morse code from a flashlight at 100yards away (and you know morse cose)? That's digital.
So by buying this cable, you are insuring yourself that if your cable length is at the extreme, or if your house gets hit by an EMP, that this monster cable will shield that digital signal quite a bit better than the cheap cable. Why not pay $2 and see if that kind of insurance is necessary? After all, if the $2 cable works, it's not going to get better.
It's repulsive that Best Buy only sells extremely expensive cables. I'm glad Amazon gives me the choice. Don't be naive! Give the cheap cable a try! One word of caution: if you require HDMI 1.3a, get a compatible cable. For $15 bucks, you're still saving a lot of money. You can check your manuals to see if your audio quality is so high that you need the 1.3a cables. Either way, there's no reason to get this horribly overpriced cable.
The money you save can go into systems that transcode digital signals better. That's where the real improvement in picture and audio is to be found!
I thought I wouldn't mind, after all I spent thousands on the TV, but it kept nagging me. So I bought a $2 HDMI cable from Amazon (search for HDMI and you'll see a few brands). My TV has twin HDMI inputs, so I hooked up this cable and the Monster cable, put on Casino Royale, and flipped between the cables to see what the difference was.
There was absolutely no difference. None at all. I figured the picture would be slightly sharper or the colors cleaner, but you could put a gun to my head and I wouldn't be able to tell you which was which.
And I googled HDMI and learned that if your video and audio signals work at all, then the signal is being carried correctly. There is no middle ground with HDMI. Better cables do not incrementally improve picture quality! Why? Because the HDMI is digital, and it's very difficult to distort a 1 into a 0. In fact, it's technically impossible without total signal distortion or failure. Failure in signal is caused by processors or cables that are too long. Or more likely, misconfigured systems. With digital signals, the cables have a much easier job. Imagine if you had to read a book from 100 yards away? That's analog. Imagine reading morse code from a flashlight at 100yards away (and you know morse cose)? That's digital.
So by buying this cable, you are insuring yourself that if your cable length is at the extreme, or if your house gets hit by an EMP, that this monster cable will shield that digital signal quite a bit better than the cheap cable. Why not pay $2 and see if that kind of insurance is necessary? After all, if the $2 cable works, it's not going to get better.
It's repulsive that Best Buy only sells extremely expensive cables. I'm glad Amazon gives me the choice. Don't be naive! Give the cheap cable a try! One word of caution: if you require HDMI 1.3a, get a compatible cable. For $15 bucks, you're still saving a lot of money. You can check your manuals to see if your audio quality is so high that you need the 1.3a cables. Either way, there's no reason to get this horribly overpriced cable.
The money you save can go into systems that transcode digital signals better. That's where the real improvement in picture and audio is to be found!
276 of 281 people found the following review helpful:
Horrific Ripoff
(1 out of 5) by Christopher Strong on Mar 31, 2008 (Salt Lake City, UT USA)I am an electrical engineer with many years of experience networking digital data and with large video installations. This is a total ripoff. You don't need a mega-expensive HDMI cable. HDMI is an encrypted digital signal (basically an encrypted version of the digital DVI signal from a computer monitor), and as a digital signal, it either works or it does not. Buy an inexpensive HDMI cable. If your HDMI cable does not work properly, you'll have significant video problems and you will know it right away. There will be no subtle difference with a $100 cable over a $10 cable. Save $90.
If you think you need the highly durable cable, then buy three of the inexpensive cables. You'll still be money ahead and if you break this one, you'll have two spares.
Some people feel that they "see the difference". This is an "emperor's new clothes" argument when it comes to digital signals. As long as the data arrives at the far end, it does not matter if the 1 has been carried in hand-wound Norwegian copper wire surrounded by argon gas. As long as the circuits can tell that 1 from a 0, it won't make any difference at all. None.
If you think you need the highly durable cable, then buy three of the inexpensive cables. You'll still be money ahead and if you break this one, you'll have two spares.
Some people feel that they "see the difference". This is an "emperor's new clothes" argument when it comes to digital signals. As long as the data arrives at the far end, it does not matter if the 1 has been carried in hand-wound Norwegian copper wire surrounded by argon gas. As long as the circuits can tell that 1 from a 0, it won't make any difference at all. None.
179 of 182 people found the following review helpful:
After extended research, it is true - a *RIP OFF*
(1 out of 5) by Kos on Mar 25, 2008If it was an analog device, cable helps the quality of picture/sound you get. Not so much on digital world, like your brand new LCD/Plasma TV! Here's a quick comparison that hopefully will help put things in perspective between analog and digital signals.
Let's use radio. You get analog signal when you listen to radio in your 1995 model car. You get digital signal when you listen to radio steam on internet. Now, when the signal is bad, what happen?
In your car, you will hear cracking noises, interference, sound gets softer, etc. It is safe to say that you get lesser audio quality, don't you agree?
On internet, the audio pauses, buffering, or skipping here and there. Notice one important difference between your car's radio and internet radio? You won't hear those cracking noises, softer sound, or any lesser quality audio!! This is the nature of digital signal - 1 and 0, "all or nothing." If you get an audio from digital signal, the audio quality will not be any lesser than the source!
*Signal* degradation does exist in digital world. For example, let's talk HD TV. If signal degrades and cause bit sequence (1&0 sequence) to be unreadable by the TV, the pixel will just flicker on or off. Most of the time you won't even notice it. But if the cable is bad enough, you won't see TV pixels flicker - most TV will not handshake (connect) with the device if inteference is that high... which means you will get nothing. Hence the term "all or nothing."
Signal degradation comes to play if you have *HIIIGGHHH* interference (i.e. living right next to Nuclear Plant) or if your cable length is long (~30 feet). Anything less than 30 feet, if the cable works, you'll see the same exact audio/video quality with 10 bucks cable as 200 bucks Monster cable. More than 30 feet, if your cable doesn't work, get another brand who makes better quality cable for good price (translate: still not Monster).
And don't buy into Monster's "bandwidth" bandwagon advertisement. A 1.3 standard HDMI cable is capable of handling 10.2 Gbps. You have 120Hz LCD TV? Guess what, 1.3 standard cables have enough bandwidth to handle that already! After going through 10 minutes of watching Monster's video on their website, I can conclude one thing: Monster tells you a lot of facts, that much I admit... but they use *selected* facts to make you buy their products. They do not tell you the whole story. They do not tell you what you REALLY NEED TO KNOW, like 1.3 standard, what type of "other cables" they were using to do the Eye Pattern test. For all I know, the other cables they used to test could as well be a 1.0 standard cable that supports up to only 4.9 Gbps.
One last thing I want to mention. Monster always claim that they're building their cables ahead for the future, so that you will not have to change your HDMI cable when new technology with higher bandwidth requirement comes out. But let's be realistic here, you have 2 choices:
a. Buy a Monster cable for 200 bucks so you can use it for 3 years.
or
b. Buy a working-perfectly cable [...]. Year and a half later, you spend another 10 bucks on new standard (1.4?) HDMI cable for the new device.
200 bucks versus 20 bucks in 3 years? Pick your choice. I picked mine.
It is just like what other true experts said; you can get longer, same-quality cable for 90% cheaper.
Hope this helps.
Let's use radio. You get analog signal when you listen to radio in your 1995 model car. You get digital signal when you listen to radio steam on internet. Now, when the signal is bad, what happen?
In your car, you will hear cracking noises, interference, sound gets softer, etc. It is safe to say that you get lesser audio quality, don't you agree?
On internet, the audio pauses, buffering, or skipping here and there. Notice one important difference between your car's radio and internet radio? You won't hear those cracking noises, softer sound, or any lesser quality audio!! This is the nature of digital signal - 1 and 0, "all or nothing." If you get an audio from digital signal, the audio quality will not be any lesser than the source!
*Signal* degradation does exist in digital world. For example, let's talk HD TV. If signal degrades and cause bit sequence (1&0 sequence) to be unreadable by the TV, the pixel will just flicker on or off. Most of the time you won't even notice it. But if the cable is bad enough, you won't see TV pixels flicker - most TV will not handshake (connect) with the device if inteference is that high... which means you will get nothing. Hence the term "all or nothing."
Signal degradation comes to play if you have *HIIIGGHHH* interference (i.e. living right next to Nuclear Plant) or if your cable length is long (~30 feet). Anything less than 30 feet, if the cable works, you'll see the same exact audio/video quality with 10 bucks cable as 200 bucks Monster cable. More than 30 feet, if your cable doesn't work, get another brand who makes better quality cable for good price (translate: still not Monster).
And don't buy into Monster's "bandwidth" bandwagon advertisement. A 1.3 standard HDMI cable is capable of handling 10.2 Gbps. You have 120Hz LCD TV? Guess what, 1.3 standard cables have enough bandwidth to handle that already! After going through 10 minutes of watching Monster's video on their website, I can conclude one thing: Monster tells you a lot of facts, that much I admit... but they use *selected* facts to make you buy their products. They do not tell you the whole story. They do not tell you what you REALLY NEED TO KNOW, like 1.3 standard, what type of "other cables" they were using to do the Eye Pattern test. For all I know, the other cables they used to test could as well be a 1.0 standard cable that supports up to only 4.9 Gbps.
One last thing I want to mention. Monster always claim that they're building their cables ahead for the future, so that you will not have to change your HDMI cable when new technology with higher bandwidth requirement comes out. But let's be realistic here, you have 2 choices:
a. Buy a Monster cable for 200 bucks so you can use it for 3 years.
or
b. Buy a working-perfectly cable [...]. Year and a half later, you spend another 10 bucks on new standard (1.4?) HDMI cable for the new device.
200 bucks versus 20 bucks in 3 years? Pick your choice. I picked mine.
It is just like what other true experts said; you can get longer, same-quality cable for 90% cheaper.
Hope this helps.
184 of 197 people found the following review helpful:
Don't pay for this!
(1 out of 5) by Andrew Lynn on Jan 8, 2008 (Upstate)I went to MIT where I took classes in electrical engineering, so I'm writing from a knowledgeable background here.
An expensive HDMI cable - or an expensive cable for any digital signal, when a working inexpensive version is available - is a waste of money. This is one of the great things about digital - it either works or does not work. This is not like analog audio/video cables, where the quality of the cable influences the output. An HDMI cable can only do one of two things: work or fail.
Since Amazon sells a number of cables that will work and are far less expensive, save your money and spend it on discs or games for whatever you're hooking up.
An expensive HDMI cable - or an expensive cable for any digital signal, when a working inexpensive version is available - is a waste of money. This is one of the great things about digital - it either works or does not work. This is not like analog audio/video cables, where the quality of the cable influences the output. An HDMI cable can only do one of two things: work or fail.
Since Amazon sells a number of cables that will work and are far less expensive, save your money and spend it on discs or games for whatever you're hooking up.
49 of 50 people found the following review helpful:
For those that are throwing money away... throw some my direction.
(1 out of 5) by T. Pavey on Aug 16, 2008 (Minneapolis, MN)Following my review here is the HDMI spec currently which supports the full color depth..notice the bandwidth. Therefore... any cable that you buy that says HDMI 1.3 Category 2 can do *gasp* 10.2 Gbit/s (340MHz) bandwidth. Amazon here has plenty for less than 1 tenth of this and a quick search at my favorite place to buy cables would let me buy $30 for the price of one of these.
Also, money does not equal quality when it comes to cables. I got some high quality Monster cables in a set a number of years ago (big time clearance and it was all the store carried and I wanted it that day). The first time I went to move three of the RCA ends on 2 different style cable stayed inside my amp when I pulled them straight back. I have used probably 100 different RCA, digital coax, and component video cables and Monster brand are the only ones I've ever had break.
So again, if you like paying $100 for something the company makes for $5, I'd rather you just send me the $95 if you really don't need it that bad. I have 6 HDMI cables hooked up right now... so at a savings of $95 per cable that is $570...which payed for my PS3 and an extra game. When it comes to digital... it just plain does not matter.
HDMI 1.3
Released June 22, 2006.[12][13][76]
* Increases single-link bandwidth to 340 MHz (10.2 Gbit/s)
* Optionally supports Deep Color with 30-bit, 36-bit, and 48-bit xvYCC, sRGB, or YCbCr compared to 24-bit sRGB or YCbCr in previous HDMI versions.
* Incorporates automatic audio syncing (Audio video sync) capability.
* Optionally supports output of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio streams for external decoding by AV receivers.[77] TrueHD and DTS-HD are lossless audio codec formats used on Blu-ray Discs and HD DVDs. If the disc player can decode these streams into uncompressed audio, then HDMI 1.3 is not necessary, as all versions of HDMI can transport uncompressed audio.
* Cable Categories 1 and 2 defined. Category 1 cable is tested up to 74.25 MHz while Category 2 cable is tested up to 340 MHz.
* Availability of a new Type C mini-connector for portable devices.[39][78]
Also, money does not equal quality when it comes to cables. I got some high quality Monster cables in a set a number of years ago (big time clearance and it was all the store carried and I wanted it that day). The first time I went to move three of the RCA ends on 2 different style cable stayed inside my amp when I pulled them straight back. I have used probably 100 different RCA, digital coax, and component video cables and Monster brand are the only ones I've ever had break.
So again, if you like paying $100 for something the company makes for $5, I'd rather you just send me the $95 if you really don't need it that bad. I have 6 HDMI cables hooked up right now... so at a savings of $95 per cable that is $570...which payed for my PS3 and an extra game. When it comes to digital... it just plain does not matter.
HDMI 1.3
Released June 22, 2006.[12][13][76]
* Increases single-link bandwidth to 340 MHz (10.2 Gbit/s)
* Optionally supports Deep Color with 30-bit, 36-bit, and 48-bit xvYCC, sRGB, or YCbCr compared to 24-bit sRGB or YCbCr in previous HDMI versions.
* Incorporates automatic audio syncing (Audio video sync) capability.
* Optionally supports output of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio streams for external decoding by AV receivers.[77] TrueHD and DTS-HD are lossless audio codec formats used on Blu-ray Discs and HD DVDs. If the disc player can decode these streams into uncompressed audio, then HDMI 1.3 is not necessary, as all versions of HDMI can transport uncompressed audio.
* Cable Categories 1 and 2 defined. Category 1 cable is tested up to 74.25 MHz while Category 2 cable is tested up to 340 MHz.
* Availability of a new Type C mini-connector for portable devices.[39][78]