The cable, in this case, is no different than the speed limit on the road. With a digital signal, the cable used to send the signal is limited by the speed rating of the cable. A lower-grade HDMI cable rated at 10.2Gbps OFC (Oxygen-free copper) has a transmission speed of 5.94GHz, while the rating of an OFC HDMI cable is 10.2Gbps. The signal transmission speed is 10.2Gbps. The length of an HDMI cable is dictated by the transmission speed, so an HDMI cable of one length is not necessarily identical to another cable length because the rated transmission speed of each cable is different.Ĭonsider an HDMI signal of 1080p/60Hz/4.5Gbps/2.25Gbps. However, the HDMI cable is considered an “unexpensive commodity”, and in many cases, the best cable choice is not the most expensive one. The other way is to boost up the HDMI signal using a repeater. One way is to use different-rated cabling materials. Use Cat6 Cable to lengthen an HDMI SignalĪlthough the maximum length of an HDMI signal is about 25 feet, there are ways to extend the run. For example, if you use a lower speed Ethernet or Cat 5e or Cat 6, you will be able to use HDMI cables with smaller length. Amount of data the cable is required to carry: The more data to be carried, the longer the HDMI cable needs to be. If you are playing video inputs of lower resolution, for example 1080p, you can get away with using HDMI cables of shorter length. Some higher resolution formats, such as 2160p requires longer Ethernet cables for video signals to facilitate clean and clear signals. Resolution and format of input video signal: Some higher resolution formats, such as 2160p requires longer Ethernet cables for video signals to facilitate clean and clear signals. There are several factors that affect the minimum length of an HDMI cable. It is quite important to make sure you have the proper length of HDMI cables for your application, as unlike other cables, longer HDMI cables can cause signal loss and degradation. The answer to this question depends on your application and the quality of the HDMI cable that you are using.
Does the Length of HDMI Cable Affect Quality? So, how long can an HDMI cable run? What’s the maximum cable length? Although there's no single answer to this question, the HDMI association has published a guideline based on its own certification tests that may help you decide how long you can use a cable at the maximum resolution. Finally, there's also the issue of connectors breaking over time.Īlthough the problem of broken connectors may not affect you at least for short cable runs, you do need to consider the signal degradation issue or the problems may arise when you're trying to pass high-resolution content through your long HDMI cables. In addition, there's also the potential for signal degradation when you use a cable past its rated distance.
HDMI CABLE LENGTH LIMIT 4K 1080P
For example, you can’t expect your 1080p cable to easily pass a 4K signal. In practical terms, you may run into an issue when you’re trying to use an HDMI cable over its rated length.
The current HDMI standard (version 1.4) was released in 2009 and the HDMI association has published a chart with the maximum length of an active HDMI cable to work as specified. “What’s the difference?” you may be wondering now. The two basic types of HDMI you’re likely to find are HDMI cables with Ethernet and HDMI cables without Ethernet. In this post, we’ll take a closer look at the different types of HDMI cable and how long they can run. From laptops to Blu-Ray players, video game consoles, and home theater audio/visual equipment, you are likely to find HDMI cables in all these devices.īecause it is so versatile, there is a lot of variation out there when it comes to what’s standard in HDMI cables. HDMI is one of the most widely used connection types that people use these days in their home theaters and to hook up their TVs. Do Expensive HDMI Cables Make a Difference?.Is There an Adapter to Extend 2 HDMI Cables?.Does Cable Length Affect Sound Quality?.Use Cat6 Cable to lengthen an HDMI Signal.
Does the Length of HDMI Cable Affect Quality?.