# Best way to test HDMI cable before in-wall installation ?



## ahmadka (Nov 27, 2010)

Hi guys ... I have a few long HDMI cables which I'd like to test thoroughly before I do an in-wall installation ... One is the BlueRigger 75ft HDMI cable, and the other is one of those 60ft long RedMere cables from Monoprice .... I need to install both.

Both cables will be used to connect AVR with the projectors.

So far I've tested the RedMere cable a little:

* Watched Thor: TDW in 3D
* Played NFS: Rivals on my PS4 for about 30 minutes
* Played Tomb Raider on my PS4 (its 1080p and 60 fps) for about 15 minutes.

So far its fine, but is there something else I can do to test the bandwidth limits of the cable ? I mean really push it to the limit ?? For example, any test video files with an extremely high bitrate or something ?

I want to be *absolutely sure* (to the extent possible, of course!) that the cable is 100% reliable before I do an in-wall install, because changing the cable later on will be virtually impossible for me.


----------



## Lumen (May 17, 2014)

You already have cable, but...

If you really want peace of mind, Blue Jeans Cable conducts their own rigorous testing on their cables. You get a nifty graph of the results, too. They're more expensive, but they're also for real.


----------



## ahmadka (Nov 27, 2010)

Yeah I thought about trying them out, but they only had one HDMI cable which was longer than 70 feet, and that was about $240ish if I remember ... too expensive for me unfortunately :/


----------



## Lumen (May 17, 2014)

Just trying to help, but keep in mind I've never done the type of install you're talking about.

So is your cable old or new? Has it been installed before? Maybe subjected to temperature extremes in an attic? Scraped or cracked insulation could compromise cable reliability. Do you plan on installing in conduit? 

Do you have a dropped ceiling, or is the projector mounted to a ceiling joist? If you need to run part of the cable into the attic to get to the projector, you may need a cable with a suitable temperature rating.

Sorry, but that's about all I can contribute here. Hopefully, someone more experienced will chime in. :R


----------



## rab-byte (Feb 1, 2011)

For most people your test is fine. You can get test equipment, we use an Atlona test kit, but they are expensive and really only worth it if you do field work regularly.


----------

