Why are HDMI cables so expensive in the store?

I have seen HDMI cables for as low as $30 at Target. I've also seen the $100+ Monster cables at Best Buy. The reason the MSRP is so high is because people who buy home theater stuff at Best Buy just want the best audio and video they can get. With fancy packaging and creative marketing some people are convinced of a correlation between quality and price. You and I know better. The fact of the matter is electronic signals don't pay any attention to marketing gimmicks. Monoprice and others know they can make more money selling 100 cables at a $4 markup than they can selling a handful of $4 cables at an $80 markup.

If you need a longer cable then quality starts to matter, but the specifications for that length do remain the same regardless of who makes it. But the quality of materials will make a difference with longer lengths, which is why the cost goes up dramatically for them. Go for the quality for over 25ft or the receiver may not last as long - the internal components work harder cleaning up the signal. You want one cable that handles the length - not anything else. Connecting two 25 ft HDMIs is a big mistake, for example. That would result in a poor signal quality and/or other problems. Whether you need Monster vs some other comparable brand is debatable.

You should never pay more than $10 for a standard six-foot HDMI cable. There's no meaningful difference between the $10 cable and the $115 cable. Unless you see something obvious, such as dropouts or a flashing screen, the digital information transmitted by both cables is exactly the same--no cable can make the picture any better or any worse. you always buy a cheap $10 cable that can handle more data.

Think clearly before buying HDMI cables.

My partner and I had no idea about these and when we bought a 50" plasma from Harvey Norman (Australia), we were told that we should get the best cable available on the market. The brand is Monster. The RRP for them were AUD$320 and we ended up bargaining it down to AUD$250. Many stores tend to encourage customers to buy these (in a package with other products) since thats how they make the majority of their commissions. The margin on these products is crazy!

After talking to all our friends about it, we were told that all HDMI cables are essentialy the same. The only difference is that the more expensive ones tend to have lifetime guarantees and insures you for approximately AUD$75,000 to AUD$300,000 if something goes wrong. Same thing goes for surge protectors. They are also extremely overpriced.

But I think in the end, its up to you what you want to buy. Most people just go with the cheap HDMI cables and surge protectors. Since we've already paid for our overpriced items (and can't get refund) we stuck with our choice. Plus we feel more secure the fact that we have a guarantee in place. But in the end, its up to you. The price difference is all in the brand name and guarantee they provide.

The old saying "you get what you pay for" can sometimes be true, but not always in this case. Some stores work on a 75% mark up. a good rule of thumb is to find the cable in a store then check the price on line. The best ones i have found are Monster cables and then Belkin puve Av. Thye quality of your cable can make a huge difference to your picture, so a top quality cable can be worth the investment sometimes.

Generally the price is a reflection of the quality of the cable. If you are unsure ask in a store if they have a demo with different qualities of cables attached. Most stores do now.

That being so still check price differences on line.

Stores are marketing overpriced cables to customers who don't know better. Unless your cable is more than 15' long, almost any will do. Here are two sources for cables at reasonable prices:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.as...

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/hdmi-cables/in...

The second source offers a better quality cable, but for short runs you can go with monoprice.

bah HDMI cables are like $30 only.