A 50 euro HDMI cable does not provide a better image than a 5 euro one, according to reports. High-end HDMI cables are often sold at a premium with features such as gold-plated contacts and braided sheaths, promising more vivid colors. However, at the same certified category and length, a budget model displays the same image. The certification label is most important, followed by the length. In the connector section, all the boxes look alike, except for the price. One promises "8K," another "richer colors," a third highlights its gold contacts. Between the cheapest and the most expensive, the price is easily multiplied by ten. When you have just paid 1,500 euros for a television, you are tempted to give it a cable that seems to match its level. HDMI transports digital information. The console or player sends a sequence of bits, which the television receives to reconstruct the image pixel by pixel. As long as each bit arrives as it was sent, the screen displays what the source produced, and a thicker cable cannot do anything for colors or contrast. In the days of Pal or VGA, it was different: a bad analog cord actually blurred the image. When the digital connection weakens, it is immediately noticeable. Engineers refer to this as a "cliff effect": the image remains perfect as long as the signal is readable, then degrades abruptly. Near the limit, white or colored dots flicker (the "sparkles"), the image jumps, the sound cuts out briefly. Beyond that, the screen turns black, often because the HDCP copy protection disconnects. In FRL mode, HDMI 2.1 adds a Reed-Solomon error correction that fixes damaged bits and pushes the cliff edge further back, without removing it. If the image is stable and free of interference, the cable is doing its job, and a 50 euro model will not add anything. A cheap cable can still seem to damage the image. 4K at 120 Hz requires more than the 18 Gbit/s of a Premium cable: up to 32 Gbit/s on PS5, 40 Gbit/s on Xbox Series X, and 48 Gbit/s on a recent graphics card. If the cable cannot keep up, the device renegotiates the connection at a lower level, reverting to 60 Hz or switching from a 4:4:4 color sampling to 4:2:0. The image appears less smooth, sometimes slightly less sharp. The cause is the cable category, designed for a lower bandwidth, regardless of its price. The HDMI Licensing Administrator certifies categories, not version numbers. A High Speed cable supports 10.2 Gbit/s (1080p, 4K at 30 Hz). A Premium High Speed guarantees 18 Gbit/s, enough for 4K at 60 Hz, including HDR (with 10-bit color sampling). Ultra High Speed goes up to 48 Gbit/s for 4K at 120 Hz and 8K at 60 Hz. The first certified Ultra96 cables, capable of 96 Gbit/s, intended for HDMI 2.2, have been available since this autumn, although no television, console, or graphics card can yet take advantage of them. The first compatible devices are expected in 2027. Certified Premium, Ultra High Speed, and Ultra96 cables carry a label with a QR code, which can be verified on a smartphone in the official database. A mention of "8K Ready" or "HDMI 2.1" without this label guarantees nothing. Certification is not a privilege of high-end cables: certified Ultra High Speed cables can be found for around 10 to 15 euros for one or two meters. For one or two meters between the box and the television, an entry-level copper passive cable is more than sufficient. The signal attenuates with distance, all the faster as the bandwidth increases. Beyond three to five meters at 48 Gbit/s, you move to active optical cables (AOC), which convert the signal into light. They often cost between 50 and 120 euros, and this extra cost buys reliability over distance. A more robust sheath and reinforced connectors are also justified for a cable that is constantly plugged and unplugged, or run through a wall, where an appropriate sheath may be required. "Audiophile" cables costing several hundred euros, with their silver strands, provide no measurable improvement in image or sound. If your current cable displays a stable image, without flickering or cutting out, replacing it will make no difference.