The three things stopping me from switching back to Dish Network.

I'm not trying to argue with anyone, I'm just telling you my own experiences. The demo, no one changed playback device, source, or what was actually being played, just the cables and the difference was strikingly noticeable. Explain, please, how was it when he went back to the free HDMI, those little background sounds were gone, then back to the AQ and there they were again? That's not matrixing, that's something 20 people all witnessed, errrr, heard
AQ cables sure are pricey.
 
Their Diamond cable goes for over $1000.00

Yikes!
But it must give a better signal.

Digital is 1's and 0's. You either get the signal or you don't. I'm going to have to see/hear a difference myself to believe a $100 cable is better than a $5 one. I've used RG59 cable to carry uncompressed HD signals (for a short testing run). Guess what, the signal looked and sounded the same as a fully shielded RG6. Granted, if you look at the eye pattern, the 59 cable wouldn't be as clean, but there was enough there for the picture and audio to be displayed (and if you didn't have the scope, you'd never know there was a problem).

ETA: When you did your "test", did you know which cable was being used? When were you informed about the bell and the cook, and all the other "added" sounds? Were you told to listen for them first? Or were was the cheap cable used, then the guy doing the demo swapped the cable and said "listen for... "? Are you POSITIVE they didn't change the what clip was being played? Or make some other change? Was the guy a salesman?
 
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But it must give a better signal.

Digital is 1's and 0's. You either get the signal or you don't. I'm going to have to see/hear a difference myself to believe a $100 cable is better than a $5 one. I've used RG59 cable to carry uncompressed HD signals (for a short testing run). Guess what, the signal looked and sounded the same as a fully shielded RG6. Granted, if you look at the eye pattern, the 59 cable wouldn't be as clean, but there was enough there for the picture and audio to be displayed (and if you didn't have the scope, you'd never know there was a problem).

ETA: When you did your "test", did you know which cable was being used? When were you informed about the bell and the cook, and all the other "added" sounds? Were you told to listen for them first? Or were was the cheap cable used, then the guy doing the demo swapped the cable and said "listen for... "? Are you POSITIVE they didn't change the what clip was being played? Or make some other change? Was the guy a salesman?
Yes we knew which cable was being used but no, there was nothing said about what to listen for, just to listen and see what we heard and everyone there heard the difference, and no, no change in the clip being played and no, he wasn't a salesman
 
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Regarding the HDMI cable debate: I'll need to see the results of at least 3 seperate double blind tests. Enough, properly done, double blind tests have been perfromed regarding "Hi-Res audio" and higher sampling rates for audio recording for us to come to the truth, regardless of what are ears and brains THINK they hear.

I shall reserve judgment--and my wallet--until I can review at least 3, independant, properly done, unbiased (not conducted by a cable making company) double-blind tests. I haven't really searched for them, but I just wouldn't want to spend too much on cables anyway. I've found that using my same HDMI "inexpensive" cables, that each upgrade of the Dish box has resulted in better and better PQ having never changed the HDMI cable. The 722K had noticable better PQ; then the Hopper had noticably better PQ; then the HWS had noticably better PQ, just as an example I've experienced, but the difference was easy to notice and others who did not know the box was changed out said they thought I was getting better PQ for some reason, now that was interesting. This seems to suggest the "cheap" cable is doing all it can and the real culprit of PQ is the hardware and software of whatever connected device is ouputting the data, assuming the same display and no changes in the displays settings, as was the case in my upgrades over the years.

But, I still would like to see the 3 double blind tests.
I concur with you. There needs to be a certified double blind test. There has been several other post in the past about the different quality of HDMI cables. I think it is time for this to be officially tested by a credible source. I am sure there is better quality in material and workmanship in the cables but I would like to see the different companies/products ranked so we could make a decision on what to purchase.
 
They don’t typically sell retail except at Best Buy where they sell the six-foot pearl HDMI for $49. The one we Have is 8 foot. The thing about audio playlist is that it’s not something huge corporation like monster. They don’t turn out 100,000 cables the day. When you call there I human being answers the phone. Plus they have a five year warranty which they’ve said they will honor her after the five years. Another thing, I don’t understand how somebody can say that something that is constructed with other materials, Better engineering, and tries to emphasize better technology is going to be the same as One that uses cheaper materials, is mass produced and has the least amount of Technology. That’s like saying there is no difference between A board and a Chevy pick up truck. They both have four tires, and engine that runs on gasoline, will get for one place to the other and will carry stuff. Regardless, I think this topic Has run its course.
 
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Ok,
Here it is...
The DAC in the source component sends 'quality test samples' via the hdmi,
the source DAC analyses the 'quality test sample' return results and adjusts the signal data compression based on the quality of the cable. Just like when you stream via internet and the computer auto-adjusts stream compression based on data connection speed. This is why different cables yeild different results.

This is well known in the industry as...
The Carbonaro Effect.

It's also the name of a
hidden
camera
magic
Tv show.

;)
 
No laws on the consumer but there are regulations for the service provider. Lest we forget when Dish got in trouble for not verifying the validity of their DNS subscribers. The SHIVA, STELA, SHIVEARA to name a few.
 
I'm not trying to argue with anyone, I'm just telling you my own experiences. The demo, no one changed playback device, source, or what was actually being played, just the cables and the difference was strikingly noticeable. Explain, please, how was it when he went back to the free HDMI, those little background sounds were gone, then back to the AQ and there they were again? That's not matrixing, that's something 20 people all witnessed, errrr, heard

Consumer Reports has two seperate articles on HDMI cables and both say from their independent tests, do NOT waste you money on expesive HDMI cables. The cheap one work as good as the expensive ones. They are an independent organization that does not accept advertising. Link may not work, if you are not a subscriber:
Consumer Reports - Universal Search
 
If the cable is faulty or if there is some cataclysm causing data to be lost between the player and the receiver, the decoders are designed to mute instead of blasting out compromised data. There is no such thing as an audio version of "sparkles." Instead, you just get a total dropout of the audio.
I have to disagree with this somewhat. When I still had a Directv H25 set to native resolution (so that it would display the same resolution that each channel was actually broadcasting) the screen would flicker (as expected) when I changed channels and the resolution changed, and there would be a loud audio "pop" sound at the same time, while the data was temporarily lost when the receiver was adjusting the signal. Also, on ViP receivers, after the nightly reset (or any time I reset the receiver while the TV was still on) if I turned the TV on before turning on the receiver, there would be what I can only describe as a loud, constant "hissing" sound until I turned the receiver on and it acquired signal. I have not experienced this problem with any Hopper or Wally. All of this is using the exact same HDMI cable connected to the same input on the same TV. So, it is possible to have audio problems using HDMI, although in my case the problems are not related to the cable itself, but rather the equipment connected to it.
 
Consumer Reports has two seperate articles on HDMI cables and both say from their independent tests, do NOT waste you money on expesive HDMI cables. The cheap one work as good as the expensive ones. They are an independent organization that does not accept advertising. Link may not work, if you are not a subscriber:
Consumer Reports - Universal Search

Since no one asked, here is my $0.02. Yes, high-quality HDMI cables can produce better results. Whether the average human can tell the difference is debatable, but I find it unlikely. Here is the thing though, high-quality HDMI cables do not need to cost very much. A really nice 6 ft. cable should cost no more than $5.

That said, if it makes people feel better to think they can tell the difference between a Certified High-Speed cable from Monoprice and whatever special enthusiast brand they like, then great for them, and perhaps they even can. I, however, am unable to discern the difference in sound or video between the cheap HDMI cables that came with my Hopper, etc. and the high priced ones my home theatre installer swears by.
 
The HDMI cable passed the audio distortion caused by the satellite receiver. What I said was that the HDMI cable can not selectively filter out part of the audio.

It is also interesting to note that HDMI cables can be tested at authorized testing centers to qualify for their certification. These tests are equipment based and not individual subjective opinions. So if you buy a certified HDMI cable the company had their cables tested.

Of course even a company that sells certified cables can occasionally manufacture a defective cable. But when a cable fails to pass the higher data speeds associated with 4K data, visual sparkles, or complete visual loss occurs and intermittent audio can occur. This becomes more pronounced as the length of the cable increases.