10-21-2007, 02:02 PM
In general, you're right, most digital cables are way overpriced.
However, there actually is such a thing as a "better" digital cable. Depending on what application you're looking at, the various protocols running over those cables have to perform some level of error checking to make sure that the data that gets to the end of the cable is the same as what was sent. A really low quality cable will have lots more bit errors than a decent quality cable. If you're sending data that needs to be exact (like most traffic over a network) the cheap cable results in lots of retries. Some protocols have no error checking at all. For instance, the checking on a TOSlink (optical connection from CD player to receiver, for example) has little or no error correction. So, a cheap cable can result in lower signal to noise in your music (how much this matters is an entirely different discussion).
So, charging more for a good cable can make a difference. But $100 for a 6-foot DVI is just stupid if it were 20 feet it might make sense (the longer the cable, the harder it is to maintain signal integrity all the way to the end).
However, there actually is such a thing as a "better" digital cable. Depending on what application you're looking at, the various protocols running over those cables have to perform some level of error checking to make sure that the data that gets to the end of the cable is the same as what was sent. A really low quality cable will have lots more bit errors than a decent quality cable. If you're sending data that needs to be exact (like most traffic over a network) the cheap cable results in lots of retries. Some protocols have no error checking at all. For instance, the checking on a TOSlink (optical connection from CD player to receiver, for example) has little or no error correction. So, a cheap cable can result in lower signal to noise in your music (how much this matters is an entirely different discussion).
So, charging more for a good cable can make a difference. But $100 for a 6-foot DVI is just stupid if it were 20 feet it might make sense (the longer the cable, the harder it is to maintain signal integrity all the way to the end).
<span style="color:red">Terenas (PvE)
Xarhud: Lvl 80 Undead Priest
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Xarhud: Lvl 80 Undead Priest
Meltok: Lvl 70 Undead Mage
Ishila: Lvl 31 Tauren Druid
Tynaria: Lvl 66 Blood Elf Rogue