Cable specialist Monster has announced a range of HDMI cables - plus a new grading system which demonstrates the data speed capabilities of each. The cables are clearly marked as
Standard Speed (2.23Gbps)
High Speed (4.95Gbps)
Advanced High Speed (6.68Gbps)
Ultra-High Speed (10.2Gbps)
An Ultimate High Speed (14.9Gbps) is also promised for next year. No sign of a 'Slow' or 'Pedestrian' speed then. The higher speeds are designed to handle the ever-increasing data demands of hi-res media and will be priced according to what you're likely to need. For instance, Monster claims that the Standard speed cable will be fine for 720p HD images such as Sky HD, but that you'd be better off with the High Speed version for 1080p and hi-res gaming. The higher speed cables are designed to be better at handling Deep Color, 100Hz frame rates and lossless audio formats.
The Ultra-High Speed version also comes with a guarantee - if the technology is superseded by some as-yet unknown generation of HDMI, Monster will apparently supply a free upgrade.
At a press demonstration in London, head Monster Noel Lee used some impressive-looking measuring technology to illustrate the differences in data throughput between different cables, including some cheap, brandless examples and of course, some examples of Monster's new range. The differences on the computer readouts from the tests seemed very clear, but the real-world differences when viewing examples on identical HD screens, all connected to PS3s, seemed either too obvious (snow effects when using the 'cheap' cable - not something you'd be likely to tolerate with any HDMI cable) or no obvious difference at all.
The cables will initially be sold through Comet, prices tba, and AVR should be trying some out soon.