Mediabridge Ultra Series - High Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet - Category 2 Certified - Supports 3D & Audio Return Channel - (10 Feet) Review

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(More customer reviews)OK, not much you can say about a cable, unless you get one that is bad or "flakey" from a problem with the shield, as we read from a previous posting.
I recently upgraded my HDTV system and now have a HDTV, Blue-ray, and Receiver that supports the HDMI 1.3 spec. This spec enables new high bandwidth features previously not supported in older HDMI cables and equipment. Both the Blue-ray and the HDTV, and my Roku-Netflix box are firmware upgradeable, so this cable should support their enhancements for at least a couple of years.
Being the quintessential anal-retentive Electrical Engineer, I tend to over analyze everything (even if not required). When buying cables (typically, the weak link in most systems), you have to determine if the product is manufactured from a reputable vendor, or built by a couple of guys in their garage, with no quality control. Mediabridge Products is a subsidiary of Broadband Products, Inc. Broadband Products has HDMI certification (see hdmi.org for why this is important).
There are two types of HDMI cable, Standard (Category 1) and High Speed (Category 2), and they have different performance metrics. A Standard cable can transmit a 1080i signal for 15 meters (49 feet) or more, while a High Speed HDMI cable can transmit a 1080p signal for at least 7.5 meters (25 feet). For the most part, running cables less than 5 meters, either will work, but I want to make sure and this cable is Category 2.
Why did I buy this specific cable from this vendor: The vendor has an almost perfect feedback record, the product is low cost for the specs, fulfilled by Amazon, and importantly free shipping, and a return policy that pays the shipping for returns/exchanges of defects.
ADK


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Accell) B041C-025B-43 CL3 UltraAV HDMI/HDMI Cable (25 Feet/7.5 Meters) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a great HDMI cord, however it is not perfect (no cord is perfect, but this comes as close to it as you can), let me explain. To achieve a great setup you need two things, one is a great cord that is capable of delivering the signal throughout its length and a transmitter (cable box) that produces a signal strong enough to reach the full length run of cord. There are many 50' cords that claim they can deliver the true signal throughout their length, not alone a 65' cord like this one, but 99% are lying or using such a strong signal it would be impractical to replicate in a residential setting. This cord is thick and made of high quality materials and is not easy to bend at first but it'll come around after a little unrolling and unraveling. I, like many people didn't want to spend a lot of money on a chord because a cheap ($3.00) 6' cord will work just as well as an expensive ($50.00) 6' cord. I have many cheap short cords myself. Anyway so you say to yourself isn't it the same for a 50' cord, no and let me explain why. The longer the cord is the more the cord has to resist degrading over the run so the cord has to start out with a better signal in the beginning. This is accomplished by making the cord of higher quality materials (example: better copper, thicker copper 24 gauge, better shielding, etc.) so when it reaches the other end this signal has degraded so minimally that it is unnoticeable (this would be unrealistic in normal inexpensive cords of over 40'). In this cords case the signal starts off at HDMI 1.3 and exits at HDMI 1.2 (which is excellent for anything over 40' in length, not alone 65'). Now that we have a cable that can deliver the signal, the second part of the equation is the signal transmitter (example: cable box, ps3, xbox360, computer, etc.). I have dish network and the signal from our cable box is strong enough but it is newer and only 18 months old so an older box may not be able to do it, but you are not out of luck because there are small AC adapters that can be attached at the transmitting end which will almost guarantee the signal will work, the reason I am saying this is because I know the PS3 does not start with the signal strength needed to get through 65' but with a $20 signal booster adapter it works fine. This company Accell does make even a better cord with a signal booster built in but that cord is about $35 more and it might not be necessary. If a booster is needed you can get one for $20 (online) instead so it's a win-win. With this cord you know one part of the equation is solved and all you have to do is work on the second part which will most likely need nothing but to plugged in! There's nothing more frustrating than trying to figure out why you can't get a picture but its nice to know that if it doesn't work you know its not the HDMI cord. The reason I said it wasn't prefect in the beginning was because it won't transmit the weaker PS3 or Xbox360 signal 65' without an AC signal booster (if it did it would be prefect but no cord this long can do it). Oh and one more thing, this cord is rated by UL (Underwriters Laboratory) that's what really sold me because if you know who they are you will know that if they put their stamp of approval on it, it's a no brainer that it will work:) Hope this helped.

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UltraAV HDMI Cable 7 meter Boxed

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Mitsubish WD73C10 73" 1080p 3D upgradeable DLP TV Review

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(More customer reviews)First I purchased this TV from another MAJOR PC MANUFACTURE. Most importantly I am not a picky person looking at critiquing every feature. I mainly use this as a gaming set for a Xbox 360/Netflix and PS3 Blu Rays. I've done a little bit of tinkering with the settings and everything looks great.
All of my friends(10+) that I have show cased this to were like WOW WTF. I got on Live with COD: Black Ops and all were amazed how great it looked. Then I threw in Avatar and Kingdom of Heaven Blu Rays and sofar the only negative i've gotten was from a friend that has a 55" LED (None 3D) about it not being as bright as his. But he did say for the price and size he would have rather this TV and a stand for it. The wall thing is nice, but for 3D, size, and $$ for this he wouldn't have mind one bit. His wife on the other hand was just pissed how much more they payed and to her this looked better. I did tell all that the only downside would be having to replace the bulb for about $100 every 2-3 years and they were like so.
It does take about 30 secs I would say for the TV to warm up when you just turn it on and to show all the colors in their full glory. Also, when you switch to a different input it takes about 3-4 secs to switch over. My 32" Sony XBR behaves the same also.
when I take it off after gaming for a hot minute, the fan from what I can tell usually stays on for about a minute or two maybe to cool it down. I've had this set running from about 2pm-4am with friends gaming on Black Ops and never once did the TV shut down, shutter, colors go wack, etc. On average this set is on about 10 hrs a day str8.
I've yet to get my Free 3D glasses and Kit but once I do, I will make sure to update my review with those results. Already got 2 3D Blu Rays standing by.
**Got the 3D glasses in few days before Xmas! I first tried it out with COD Black Ops on the Xbox 360. Total time out the box and working was about 10 minutes. The glasses fortunately for me wasn't a problem after getting used to them for about an hour or so while gaming. The gaming experience was something like WOW! Aiming by actually looking down the sites on the various guns took some real getting used to, but once I did, I was back to my soso gaming.
3D movies I tried it out with Cloudy...Meatballs and Disney Christmas Carol. It was GREAT! I watched them with my grade school daughter who did not complain once about wearing the 3D Glasses. Now can I justify buying more 3D movies, nope. Only when they are on some good sales maybe then. But, I can most def. see this whole 3D tv thing more for gamers. Now if only they get some 3D games for the Kinect, Holy atomic pile, BATMAN!!!
All in all for the "everyday" user this TV is AWESUM!
4 Stars until I can review for the extra Star! Jus earned the 5th Star!


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Mediabridge Ultra Series - High Speed HDMI Cable With Ethernet - Category 2 Certified - Supports 3D & Audio Return Channel - (15 Feet) Review

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(More customer reviews)So far I have bought a total of four HDMI cables, in lengths ranging from 3' to 15'. I bought the 3' cable first. It was made by Philips and sold by the most gigantic of all gigantic discount Marts. It worked fine, and it would have been long enough except it was so stiff I could never straighten it out completely. I returned it.
I did some research on Amazon and found these Mediabridge cables with astounding user ratings and amazingly reasonable prices. Not the sub-dollar junk you can also find here, but less than one third the big-box price of the Philips cables in equivalent lengths. I bought two of the 6' cables to connect my two 1080p upconverting DVD players (a Sony 5-disc changer and a Philips region-free single-disc for playing foreign DVDs) to my wonderful (and cheap) AOC HDTV.
I was a little reluctant to buy 6' cables because I only really needed 3', and I know cable length can be tricky with very high-speed signals, but since the Philips 3' wasn't actually usable to that length, and I didn't want to have to return these, I ordered 6'. They work like a dream. They're as flexible as cooked spaghetti and transmit the signals without a single glitch.
Then I bought a new HP laptop with an HDMI output, but to work comfortably the cable had to be longer than 6'. I figured I'd go all the way and order the 15', since it's only marginally more expensive and would allow me to use the HDTV easily for watching streaming movies from Netflix. This cable also works like a dream.
My TV only has two HDMI inputs, so I do a fair amount of plugging and unplugging, with no signs of reliability problems so far. I highly recommend these Mediabridge HDMI cables--in any length--to anybody needing one.
I'm also very impressed with Mediabridge itself. Each cable comes very nicely packaged individually in a sturdy corrugated box, which is put into a larger box for shipping, and they ship quickly directly to the customer. What a relief not to have to saw through a hard plastic shell to get the product out! It's an impressive company. PLUS, they're an American company, and although I don't know if they manufacture the cables domestically, they're unafraid to print their New Jersey street address right on the box.

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HDMI Cable - 2 Male Connectors - 2 Meters Review

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(More customer reviews)I am very pleased at the improvement in both video and audio quality switching from component to HDMI using my Xbox 360 and the length is just plain perfect. Add the price of near nothing compared to the other retailers and this becomes a deal you can't pass up.

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Cisco-Linksys Dual-Band Wireless-N Gaming Adapter Review

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(More customer reviews)I have this product connected to my directv hd receiver to download VOD content. If the installation software is not able to detect the device during the installation process, then follow these steps (I had to perform these steps when I called Linksys for assistance. I wish they had just documented the steps instead):
1. Quit out of the installation software (keep the adapter connected to your pc)
2. Assign a static IP to your pc (if you do not know how to do this, then call Linksys or google it). The static ip settings should be:
ip: 192.168.1.50
subnet: 255.255.255.0
gateway: 192.168.1.1
leave dns settings as is
3. Open up your browser and type http://192.168.1.250 in the address bar. You will now see a log in page
4. Log in with admin/admin
5. Now assign a static IP to the adapter
ip: 192.168.1.250
subnet: 255.255.255.0
gateway: 192.168.1.1
6. Now go to the wireless settings tab and enter in your SSID and WEP/WPA Key. Make sure you select the correct authentication type
7. You will now need to reboot the adapter (it will ask you to do so)
8. Once the device is back up, go back to the http://192.168.1.250 page and log back in. Double-check to make sure your settings were entered in correctly. The wireless light should light up on your adapter.
Tip: Before you connect it to your console/receiver, you can test to make sure the adapter can connect to the internet. Switch off your wireless connection on your pc/laptop and connect the adapter to your pc via the ethernet port. Try accessing the internet and if you can, then the adapter is all set.
Good luck.
p.s. the main reason I detailed out the steps for the "advanced setup" is so that people know that it is still a straight-forward process, so no need to be afraid if you won't have the plug-and-play experience.
another tip. if you are still having issues, then try changing the channel on your router (although you should not have to if all your other wireless devices are working well on that channel).

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Philips SRU5107/27 7 Device Universal Remote Control Review

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(More customer reviews)Before I begin my review I'd like to list my devices that this remote control operates.
1. Insignia 50" plasma tv
2. Insignia Blu-Ray player (NS-WBRDVD)
3. Sony STR-DN1000 A/V reciever
4. Xbox 360 ( remote code is "1611")
5. HP laptop(very basic controls)
After purchasing the 2 Insignia products I was in remote control hell! Nothing seemed to be compatible with their devices. I was literally fumbling between 3 controllers, a game controller, and sometimes a mouse I before I found this little gem.
I contacted Insignia about a remote they recommend to control their devices I was told that I would have to buy a logitech harmony..........Kinda defeated the purpose of buying a cheaper brand to begin with right? I succumbed to the idea of buying an expensive remote decided I'd swing by wally-world since they carried a $40 logitech remote. Right next to the harmony I saw this Philips. Out of curiosity I compared the buttons between this one and the logitech and everything was identical. The only difference was that the harmony could control 4 devices and the philips could control 7. Obviously logitech has an extraordinary device library to program their remotes but after examining the package I quickly learned that this was a programmable remote. I abandoned my reservations and decided to try this out.
Lucky me!TV, Xbox, and receiver were all programed successfully on the first attempt! The only thing that I had to program into the remote was the blu-ray player. I programed all the blu-ray buttons, and a few of the buttons from my sony receiver that were missing, in under 5 minutes. I also established the home theater receiver as the primary audio source within that time frame. The manual was easy to read and programing the controls into the remote was the easiest thing.
I bought this thing for about $17 with tax and it did everything a hundred dollar remote promises that only IT can do. BTW after looking through the device list, this Philips remote can also control digital picture frames and household switches! SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!!!!
I don't have a cable box or satellite but the list of brands it controls was extensive.
My only complaints are that the back light only lights up a few of the buttons and the direction/enter buttons make "click" noises.
I have to tip my hat to the folks at philips. You guys made a beautiful remote that packs knock out punching power and costs less than the replacement battery for a high end remote!

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Cmple HD-10WH 10ft Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable, Category 2, 1080p Review

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(More customer reviews)Great cable...at 1/20th the cost of retail store prices. Works like a charm. Thinner than most HDMI cables, but still high quality.
Works for more than just Macs...Works on my DVD player.

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Aurum Cables High Speed HDMI Cable, 1080p (Full HD) Supports 3D - Audio Return Channel HDMI to HDMI (6ft Gold With Stylish Black Finish Cable) Review

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(More customer reviews)Another person wrote on the same cable (different length) that the housing was made of plastic...that it wasn't a brass housing as shown in the picture. He was wrong as far as the metal v. plastic statement was concerned. It is definitely metal...shiny metal (no biggie for me). It appears to be a well made housing. The cable itself is also well made. It is not too stiff and can twist (although it doesn't twist a ton since it is flat). The sheathing is also of great quality which will help protect the cable whenever I'm fiddling with things.
I highly recommend this cable.

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Premium Optical Toslink Audio Cable for Xbox 360, PS3, Tivo, HDTV, A/V Receiver, Cablebox, etc. 3 Feet (1Meter) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have tried two optical cables to fit into the Xbox 360 and neither have worked. It just doesn't snap into the port. I have taped it on and it has worked fine until i move the Xbox.
I don't have any regrets getting this cable(it was the cheapest cost) because I feel no cable outside of the official Xbox cable that would be any better.

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Logitech Harmony 520 Advanced Universal Remote - universal remote control ( 966191-0403 ) Review

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(More customer reviews)I picked up this remote today at Wal-Mart, which is currently the only retailer carrying it.
Since a number of my friends have 600-series Harmony remotes, I decided to give it a go. I don't need program listings on my remote, nor a color screen. This remote does one thing, and does it well: Simplifies your life. I was previously juggling 5 remotes- not cool.
The unit comes with a USB to Mini-USB cable and a driver/application CD for Windows and (Mac) OS X. I can't comment on the Windows software, but the OS X software worked quite well. Uses some of the opensource Mozilla web technologies, too. That gets them a Gold Star, in my book.
The USB cable is used for programming the remote, based on programming data delivered from the website. The remote itself has a mini USB port on top, and an IR receiver on the bottom, for the off chance that you've found an unsupported device. With my setup, I had no need for it at all.
I can't comment on the Windows software, but the OS X software worked quite well.
Once I'd registered, and followed the extraordinarily simple "wizards" on their site, I was controlling my DirecTV TiVo PVR, Sony AV receiver, Phillips DVD player, and my XM Satellite Radio receiver. All in all, its now set up for 7 devices, all of which it controls flawlessly. No learning IR codes or punching in long digits.
My only (minor) gripe is that the DVR layout isn't the same as the TiVo remote- it has VCR-style Pause/Play/FF/RW controls. No biggie, actually.
The real test for me was giving it to my wife. She is in no way a technophobe, but she has a "thing" for things that "just work." If she has to fiddle with something, she won't use it. She picked up this remote, and a few clicks later, she "got it." I asked her to try to switch it to the DVD player, and she had no problem at all.
Outstanding remote. Very stylish, too.

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Cmple - 6ft Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable, Version 1.3, Category 2, 1080p, Black Review

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(More customer reviews)These cables are an excellent deal and meet all of the relevant specifications that will allow you to get maximum throughput from 1080p equipment.
According to the HDMI website, Category 2 cables are required not only to guarantee 1080P FullHD but also for high refresh rates and deep color.

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Cmple - 10ft Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable, Version 1.3, Category 2, Support 3D, 1080p, Black Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)There are such a range of prices to be found for these types of cables out there that I think most users can get easily confused. The retail world does not help the situation much. Whats worse, the old logic from the speaker wires and other component connections are being translated into the HDMI cable world - incorrectly!
The bottom line is that any time you get a digital signal coming across a wire, as long as the signal gets where it is going, you are going to get a great quality picture. In the old days of cables having to carry an analog signal, the argument could be made that high quality, gold plated cables would make things "Better".
The folks at a major retailer are not likely to give you the real skinny here. They may not really be aware of the real deal. Now, in this case, I chose to put my money where my mouth is. I purchased two cables from my local electronics store (think blue shirts) and bought one $99 HDMI cable and one $49 HDMI cable. I was assured by the retailer that I could return these cables if the did not pass muster. I also bought this cable from Amazon for a bargain price.
I rotated all the cables through duty over the course of a few weeks. Each got a turn being the method of connection between my Samsung 8500 55" LCD HD and the following devices:
- DirecTV HD with DVR
- Sony Playstation 3 serving as game system, Netflix Player and Blu-Ray player
In several cases, I would even watch a portion of a movie, swap out the cables and continue on. I was not able to see any difference in the quality of what was presented.
If you have a bad HDMI cable, it is not going to be like it was back in the good old days. There will not be a partial picture with static, etc. With digital, you get a picture, or you don't. Quality may play into it with you getting strange big blocky artifacts on your screen with a really stinky cable, but even that argument has been dismissed by folks who really know what is going on with a digital signal.
So the bottom line is that you do not need to blow all your happy time money on some overpriced HDMI cable. So order up these less expensive beauties, enjoy the picture and sound and then take the family out for a high priced dinner... cuz after buying 3 of these cables for your system, you have probably just saved yourself about $170 bucks in cable costs with no loss in quality!

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Mediabridge Ultra Series - High Speed HDMI Cable - Category 2 Certified - Supports 3D & Audio Return Channel - (15 Feet) Review

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(More customer reviews)I was originally just looking for a cheapo HDMI cable to tide me over until I could figure out which hideously expensive cable(s) to buy for my new Master BR PDP/Blu-ray combo. Based on reviews I read here on Amazon, I started with the 6' (w/o outer nylon braid) and was so impressed, I bought another 6-footer and the 15-footer shown here (both with the outer nylon braided jacket) for my new HT rig in the living room. The 15' cable is perfect for my install: PDP mounted over the fireplace and the Blu-ray located about 6' to the side (in order to clear the fireplace and the two adjacent flanking windows). I'm not sure I needed the "extra" protection of the outer cable jacket, but for an extra buck or two, I thought it looked cool, LOL! I was impressed that they're not only made here in NJ (Cherry Hill), but are of excellent quality. Each comes professionally packaged in an individual heavy-guage cardboard box, with the cable carefully coiled with ties and sealed in a plastic bag. Each connector has it's delicate gold-plated pins protected by hard plastic caps....a nice touch on a "cheapo" cable.
Bottom Line: An absolute steal in a HDMI v.1.3 (12-bit deep color support)cable! Picture quality is outstanding and no issues with video/audio "lip sync". FWIW, I'm using Mediabridge between a Pioneer BDP-51FD BonusView Blu-ray Player and Panasonic Viera TH-42PX80U 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV in the Master BR, and another Pioneer BDP-51FD and Pioneer PDP-5020FD 50-Inch 1080p KURO Plasma HDTV in the living room. The Pioneer Kuro, coupled with the companion BD player, are ruthlessly revealing of inferior video quality. The Mediabridge cable aquits itself admirably with this combo, with no visible loss of PQ with the 15' length (as compared with the 6' version). The cables even look nice, especially the braided ones. Save your money....Noel Lee at Monster Cable has enough mansions and yachts, LOL! Use the money you saved by not supporting AudioQuest, Monster, etc. on Blu-ray discs or whatever else that turns you on. All this from an admitted high-end cable junkie...I have lots of Monster, AQ, MIT, etc. cable for my hi-fi and (past) home theatre rigs.

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Onkyo HT-S5100 7.1 Channel Home Entertainment System (Set of Nine, Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)Yeah, it's a 7.1 system in the sense if you have a decoded 8 channel analog output you can get a full 7.1 surround as it was intended.
But, for any other source, there's no real 7.1, end of story. Optical and coax inputs can only handle encoded formats with more than 2 channels. So any Dolby True HD or DTS HD Master 7.1 sources you may have will not work over optical or coax. Sure, you can get 5.1 through them and setup the Onkyo to "fill in" the missing speakers, even though you actually have the data for them on your source. That's not what you want, though.
The reason is the HDMI Pass Through, which, ironically is touted as a feature. The only way to get 7.1 digital audio is over HDMI, and this Onkyo receiver cannot process HDMI audio of any format. It simply passes it through to the TV, acting like an HDMI switch. Your TV ultimately demuxes the audio: displaying the video, and sending the audio back to the Onkyo through an optical or coaxial audio cable.
So, unless you have a standalone Blu Ray player with 7.1 analog outputs or a PC with a 7.1 surround sound card and are going to use the analog outputs (over 4 mini stereo to RCA cables), keep on looking for a receiver that decodes HDMI audio rather than passes it through. You simply cannot get 7.1 audio from this over a PS3 or a cable box. Blu Ray movies would need a standalone BD Player, and not a cheap one that only decodes to 5.1.
On the other hand, if you were looking for a 5.1 system, this is a pretty good 5.1 system. The speakers are pretty nice, and the subwoofer is more than capable. It has no problems playing 5.1 through optical and coax sources, and has 2 of each, which is plenty for most people. And you get a free HDMI switch with it, if your TV is short 1 HDMI input, that's a good $150 savings over a seperate HDMI switch.

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15 FOOT HDMI TO HDMI CABLE - AUDIO/VIDEO Digital for HDTV, Cable Box, DVD, PS3 Review

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(More customer reviews)Read the reviews and then pick this cable. The high dollar cables are defiantly not worth the extra $80. Plus this company had great customer service. I originally ordered a six foot cable and when I came to my senses I was able to change the order easily. Shipping was fairly quick as well. I only had to wait about five days.

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Cables Unlimited PCM-2292-02M UltraFlat HDMI 1.3 Home Theatre Cable (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)Purchased this for my son's PS3, works wonderfully and had a great price. No issues at all with it.

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Cables Unlimited UltraFlat HDMI Cables provide superb flexibility without the loss of performance and reliability. These high quality HDMI cables deliver the optimum video and multiple channel audio signals required for connecting today's high-end DVD players, cable boxes, A/V receivers and HDTV's. These cables are fully HDCP compliant to provide the highest level of signal quality and compatibility.

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