Miracle of Miracles: PPC’s Latching HDMI Connectors Won’t Fall Out

Now THAT is a great idea!

I don’t think that is great deal….although it is a great idea.  A 1m HDMI cable should cost only about $10-$20 tops.  Add $5 for the locking mechanism and you can see it is overpriced.

I still don’t understand why this was not made part of the original design…it is a no-brainer.  Even cell phones and mp3 players have locking mechanism.  This need should have been obvious within 10 minutes of the first prototype being made.

Yes, it’s too bad it wasn’t there from the start.  Displayport does have this feature.  Gefen does have those thumbscrews for HDMI connectors.  Hopefully this will become more standard.  I can’t see how a monitor with vertically inserted (from below) HDMI connectors can keep the connectors in over time.

Now Monoprice needs to put out those kinds of connectors and really be the hero!

I think it’s a good deal AND it’s a great idea if it’s a quality cable and passes certifications.  You’re all a bunch of cheap f’s   I bet you guys that think it’s worth 15 bucks would think differently if it were your product or you actually had to deal with hdmi on a daily basis.

Chris, ah yes…but now you are stating that you would pay much more for the cable if it had the latch…and it may, in fact, be worth it to you.  I am looking at it from the extra manufacturing cost point of view.  It may be worth $50 to you but the extra manufacturing cost is still only a small amount.  And there is no reason for a 1m high quality cable (minus this latch) to cost more than about $20. I am sure manufacturers think that consumers equate high definition with high cost.  That may be true for some devices, but certainly not for digital cables.  Excluding mechanical quality issues, it either works or does not work.

The worst part in this is the ‘patent pending’ for something that should have been in the spec from the first place.

I hope none of the people complaining about the price of HDMI cables are dealers. If you are, you need to do some real research and stop believing that “digital is digital”.

And if any dealer has ever re-sold or installed anything from Monoprice, you should be shot.

I have used all types of cables and the cables from monoprice are great.  I have used probably 500-600 of them and never had the first problem with them.

Good job supporting the manufacturers that support our industry Jamey!

I’m assuming you’re using almost entirely 1-3m cables and probably just for cable boxes and satellite receivers. If you were using them in longer lengths with HDMI 1.3 or any hi-res audio or 1080p/60 video, you’d see the problems pretty quickly. Either way, you’re not doing anyone any favors.

Please note that I restricted my comments to 1m (or 3ft) cables; although this probably also holds for cables up to 6-12ft too.  I work in high frequency electronics and I fully realize that better quality cables will make a major difference for longer runs; cheap cables may not work at all. 3ft HDMI cables are easy to make and should not cost more than about $20. And I stand by my comment that digital is digital….as long as the eye-diagram is good, the image quality will not suffer. 
Again, this ignores mechanical issues. A better made cable may maintain a good looking eye-diagram even after some abuse whereas a cheap cable may not.  Just stay away from Monster cables…it’s a ripoff!

Monster Cables are not a rip-off!  They are the ONLY Cables I use in my home’s 4 Audio / Video Systems because they JUST WORK.  I have never had even one tiny problem, ever, with any Monster cable.  They are well worth the money, for that RELIABILITY alone.  Not to mention their EXCELLENT CONSTRUCTION and GREAT ENGINEERING DESIGN.  The only thing they missed was this Locking HDMI need.  But, I am sure they will match it real soon, or make a deal with PPC to use their patent.  After using 4 different CEDIA CERTIFIED INSTALLERS at 4 different homes, over the last 25 years, I have had MANY CABLE FAILURES, only to find out that the failed cables were the ones made by the Installers, on-site, to save them money and time.  Or, they were the cheap cables that the Installer bought, or were provided in the box with the component.  I have never had a Monster Cable failure, ever!  This is why I use ONLY MONSTER CABLES and I am ALWAYS LEERY of CEDIA CERTIFIED INSTALLERS because their so-called CERTIFICATION has nothing to do with their WORK ETHIC, NEATNESS, JUDGEMENT and QUALITY of WORK.  PPC has a GREAT IDEA here and I will try-out their Locking HDMI Cable to see if it can stand-up to the Monster Reliability & Engineering standards that I have grown to TRUST over the last few decades.  Keep up the Great Ideas Work, PPC!