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Casey Royals

macrumors regular
Sep 25, 2016
124
42
Melbourne, Australia
yes it does, but not just for Apple TV, any 4k player needs these. If you’re running 4k you need a 4K-8K 18Gbps HDMI Cable. I use a Audioquest BlueBerry 4K-8K 18Gbps for the ATV to the TV and a Audioquest Pearl 48 8K-10K 48Gbps from the TV to my AV Receiver.
 
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waw74

macrumors 601
May 27, 2008
4,767
1,001
you don't need super premium cables. If the cable supports the spec, then it supports the spec.

as long as they're HDMI 2.1, you're good to go
mono price has them, or the Best Buy essentials, or tons on amazon, All for a tiny fraction of the price of the cables mentioned in the last post.
 

Kenny99

macrumors 6502
Jan 28, 2018
287
107
ST. Louis, Mo.
As "waw74" said its all in the specs'. Check the Spec's on ALL of the items in your "TV Chain". (Cable / Satellite - internet provider, Apple TV, sound bar, and TV. I would select cables that are one step above your needs for future needs and the $ is not that much more.
 
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Fuchal

macrumors 68030
Sep 30, 2003
2,613
1,136
I only buy AudioQuest Cherry Cola 48 cables. They're pretty inexpensive at only $900. Just kidding. Monoprice is fine.
 

Alameda

macrumors 65816
Jun 22, 2012
1,216
827
you don't need super premium cables. If the cable supports the spec, then it supports the spec.

as long as they're HDMI 2.1, you're good to go
mono price has them, or the Best Buy essentials, or tons on amazon, All for a tiny fraction of the price of the cables mentioned in the last post.
If it’s called an “HDMI 2.1 cable” it does not support the spec. HDMI does not allow the use of the Specification Version Number in its officially licensed, certified products.

The cables which support 1080p60 are called HDMI High Speed and High Speed with Ethernet
The cables which support up to 4K60 are called HDMI Premium High Speed and Premium High Speed with Ethernet
The cables which support up to 8K, and transport up to 48 Gpbs are called HDMI Ultra High Speed

The Premium and Ultra certified cables carry holographic labels with a QR code which can be used to identify them as certified compatible.
 

Audit13

macrumors 604
Apr 19, 2017
6,894
1,837
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I have always used the Amazon Basics cables and they've been fine for my 4k/60 requirements.

I use an AppleTV 4k 2nd gen, Zidoo z9x, LG 4k UHD disc player, and Anthem avm70 processor.
 

HDFan

Contributor
Jun 30, 2007
7,257
3,314
you don't need super premium cables. If the cable supports the spec, then it supports the spec.

The question is, without certification, how can you believe the manufacturer?

"In this day and age of marketing, it seems that every product out there can claim just about anything with little to no fact-checking".

"With so many cable possibilities and requirements, it places the consumer in an electronic jungle faced with scores of options and little refuge. Current Digital Video television has up to four different resolution standards (2K, 4K, 8K, and 10K), a host of color attributes, and several different audio functions all requiring certain Published minimums (Figure 1). With so many different features available to the consumer the selection process becomes more difficult"

Screenshot 2024-05-05 at 01.57.29.png

Paywall:



All my cables are Audioquest Carbon.
 
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steve123

macrumors 65816
Aug 26, 2007
1,151
716
Yes, there are differences in HDMI cables.

I do not recommend the Amazon Basics cables since they are only 18 Gbps cables. The Belkin cable mentioned earlier is a 48 Gbps cable and is certified. Do not waste your money on the AudioQuest cables.

Here is some opinion of the marketing hype of the AudioQuest claims:

And some discussion about their speaker cables:
 
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bozzykid

macrumors 68020
Aug 11, 2009
2,479
535
Yes, there are differences in HDMI cables.

I do not recommend the Amazon Basics cables since they are only 18 Gbps cables. The Belkin cable mentioned earlier is a 48 Gbps cable and is certified. Do not waste your money on the AudioQuest cables.
Nothing on the Apple TV 4K requires more than a 18 Gbps cable. Having a higher bandwidth cable isn't going to result in picture quality differences.
 

steve123

macrumors 65816
Aug 26, 2007
1,151
716
Nothing on the Apple TV 4K requires more than a 18 Gbps cable. Having a higher bandwidth cable isn't going to result in picture quality differences.
4K HDR at 4:4:4 colour depth requires more than 18 Gbps. It also helps to future proof for the next ATV version.
 
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steve123

macrumors 65816
Aug 26, 2007
1,151
716
4:4:4 10bit is not a part of the HDMI 2.0 standard and Apple TV doesn't actually support HDMI 2.1 fully so again you don't need a higher bandwidth cable.
Apple does support 4:4:4

The current ATV supports 2.1. If you like to buy cables every time you upgrade the ATV, buy the cheaper cable.
 
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bozzykid

macrumors 68020
Aug 11, 2009
2,479
535
Apple does support 4:4:4

The current ATV supports 2.1. If you like to buy cables every time you upgrade the ATV, buy the cheaper cable.
Yes, but not 10bit which is what would use more than 18Gbps. Again, more than 18Gbps cables aren't needed. You can use one just fine but it will not result in any bit of difference in quality.
 
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flofixer

macrumors 6502
Sep 13, 2016
313
532
California
Yes, but not 10bit which is what would use more than 18Gbps. Again, more than 18Gbps cables aren't needed. You can use one just fine but it will not result in any bit of difference in quality.
Thanks for clarifying. Lots of technical info and some posts with otherwise good intentions are misinformation.
 

HDFan

Contributor
Jun 30, 2007
7,257
3,314
Here is some opinion of the marketing hype of the AudioQuest claims:

Yes, opinions.

There are other sources which come to the opposite conclusion, such as:

I was skeptical but went from Pearl to Forest it was like my TV was calibrated


 
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steve123

macrumors 65816
Aug 26, 2007
1,151
716
Yes, opinions.

There are other sources which come to the opposite conclusion
Many of the contributors to the cited forum are engineers with decades of experience designing electronic devices. They point out there is a lack of evidence to back up many of the claims. Their opinions are very likely more informed than the average customer review.

I do not disagree with some of the customer reviews. The cables appear to be certified and very likely work well. I am drawing attention to the point there is no material performance benefit to the user to use one instead of the less expensive 48 Gbps Belkin cable cited earlier in this thread. Both cables are certified to meet the HDMI specification and therefore have the same performance when used for their intended purpose. There maybe qualitative reasons for someone having a preference for AudioQuest such as colour, look, feel. There could also be some differences that affect durability that are outside the HDMI specification. If you prefer these qualitative differences and they are worth the difference in price you pay that is ok as well.
 

steve123

macrumors 65816
Aug 26, 2007
1,151
716
Yes, but not 10bit which is what would use more than 18Gbps. Again, more than 18Gbps cables aren't needed. You can use one just fine but it will not result in any bit of difference in quality.
AppleTV definitely supports 10 bit video. Here is a copy of the supported video formats cited in my earlier post taken from Apple's web site. Dolby Vision, HDR10+/HDR10/HLG with HEVC (Main 10 Profile) all have 10 bit Codecs.

Code:
Video Formats
SDR video with AVC/HEVC (Main/Main 10 profile) up to 2160p, 60 fps
Dolby Vision (Profile 5) up to 2160p, 60 fps
HDR10+/HDR10/HLG with HEVC (Main 10 Profile) up to 2160p, 60 fps
H.264 Baseline Profile level 3.0 or lower with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov file formats
MPEG-4 video up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 fps, Simple profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov file formats
HDMI Quick Media Switching (QMS) for seamless format transitions
 

bozzykid

macrumors 68020
Aug 11, 2009
2,479
535
AppleTV definitely supports 10 bit video. Here is a copy of the supported video formats cited in my earlier post taken from Apple's web site. Dolby Vision, HDR10+/HDR10/HLG with HEVC (Main 10 Profile) all have 10 bit Codecs.

Code:
Video Formats
SDR video with AVC/HEVC (Main/Main 10 profile) up to 2160p, 60 fps
Dolby Vision (Profile 5) up to 2160p, 60 fps
HDR10+/HDR10/HLG with HEVC (Main 10 Profile) up to 2160p, 60 fps
H.264 Baseline Profile level 3.0 or lower with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov file formats
MPEG-4 video up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 fps, Simple profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov file formats
HDMI Quick Media Switching (QMS) for seamless format transitions
10bit support for 4k60 requires HDMI 2.1 which the Apple TV 4K doesn't support (other than earc) though they claim 2.1 support. It is unfortunate that companies are allowed to claim HDMI 2.1 support when they don't truly support it but it is allowed for some reason.
 

diamond.g

macrumors G4
Mar 20, 2007
11,405
2,638
OBX
10bit support for 4k60 requires HDMI 2.1 which the Apple TV 4K doesn't support (other than earc) though they claim 2.1 support. It is unfortunate that companies are allowed to claim HDMI 2.1 support when they don't truly support it but it is allowed for some reason.
Doesn't QMS require 2.1 support?
 
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