Solving the HDMI cable problem

June 22, 11:34 AMLA Home Technology ExaminerMarshal Rosenthal

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There’s a hidden killer in your home theater and it’s name is HDMI. You know, the HDMI cable that is supposed to make things simpler and easier by replacing all those wires that are needed for moving video and audio from a DVD player or to a HDTV. But while this “one cable to rule them all” (to paraphrase Lord of the Rings) works as advertised to provide a single path for
up-to-1080p HD video and up to 7.1 multichannel sound, it has a very serious problem waiting to wreak havoc on pretty much everyone’s home theater setup.

The problem is that there’s no guarantee that the HDMI cable will stay in the device it’s been attached to. That’s because it relies on friction, not a locking connection. Yep, unlike a lowly RCA composite or S-Video or Component video connector, once the HDMI cable gets pushed into a  slot, you’re praying that it stays there. Adding to the problem is the fact that the cable itself tends to be heavy - so if it’s not perfectly horizontal to where it’s plugged in, there’s a fair chance it will pull away from the device it’s been attached to. Do you want to have to pull out a wall mounted flat panel or deal with getting behind the table holding your HDTV because the HDMI cable came out? I know I don’t. And besides the chance of popping out, it also increases the risk of damaging the HDMI input or output on the device it’s attached to as well.  

So what I want are answers, not just to be able to point out that something’s wrong. And fortunately there are not one, but two solutions to this problem which many don’t even know exists. The first is to use one of Tributaries right angle HDMI connectors - either the one with the female slot or the male plug at the top - to eliminate the strain of the HDMI cable that’s been inserted into the disc player or amplifier or HDTV, etc. As Tributaries president Joe Perfito points out, one of the difficulties with HDMI comes from its connector not having a positive locking mechanism, and having to rely on a snug fit to hold the 19 pins in consistent contact with the receptacle. “As a result, any movement of the HDMI cable by more than about a half inch can cause a contact to disconnect, thereby losing the video,” he says. He also notes that many of the HDMI slots on the backs of HDTVs are mounted in such a way that it is necessary to bend the cable 90 degrees in order to connect, creating a potential disconnecting problem. But by using the right angle HDMI connector, a straight path for the cable can provided.

So I got one to try out with my Playstation 3 which sits on the floor of the bedroom, plugged into a switching box connected to the HDTV (because I frequently take it out to the living room to use for playing movies). Because the HDMI cable has to snake down and be twisted in order to attach to the game console’s back port, there’s always the chance of it pulling the switching box off the shelf or even damaging the back port. Using the right angle connector not only removes all the strain but also makes it easier to plug the HDMI in to the PS3.  

Now that’s all well and good, but what the solution for the lack of a “locking” mechanism for the HDMI cable? Why to build a cable that can lock, of course. For that, I’ll turn to one of PPC Innovation's Locking HDMI cables as it's designed, as the name implies, with a special technology that holds the cable in position with a “clamping” strength. “The Locking Cable was designed to the specifications of engineers, professional installers and extreme gamers and will truly withstand the wear-and-tear of everyday life,” says PPC’s Marketing Comm manager Matt Read. But better than that is the fact that it locks into any standard HDMI port without any modifications - just insert it and that’s it, problem solved. Ryan Guerdon, an installer says that it provides the support you really need for a solid HDMI connection and having tried it myself, I have to agree that it does exactly what it says. And with no loss or difference in the quality of the video or audio signal being transmitted.

This is something that I can really get behind. The back of my HDTV is littered with wiring, with only inches to spare (and frankly it’s a huge pain to move it). Living in Earthquake Country (i.e., Southern California), there’s been plenty of quakes that have shook the TV, not to mention cement trucks shaking my building daily because of the two Condos being built down the block. I’ve had the HDMI cable on the back of the HDTV pop out more than once, but now that I’m using the PPC, that ain’t happening no more.

Of course there is a downside to all this in that you have to buy a number of right angle connectors and PPC Lockable Cables in order to fix everything up. But you can’t put a price on solving a major problem that otherwise will find just the most inopportune time to thwart your enjoyment. Murphy’s law, humbug!