There’s no official maximum length, but higher-bandwidth signals can make long HDMI runs much less forgiving.

HDMI is wonderfully boring, which is refreshing in a tech world where so much is complicated. A 6-foot cable that connects a streaming box to a TV will likely fulfill its purpose for the duration of its life. Run one across a room, through a wall or up to a ceiling-mounted projector, however, and it gets a little less predictable.

There isn't an official maximum HDMI cable length. HDMI Licensing Administrator does not specify one, as the distance is dependent on the cable, the signal it's sending and the hardware at either end. Those 10-, 25- and 50-foot limits you see online are thus more like guidelines than set limits.

Bandwidth is a major factor. An old DVD player doesn't demand much from a cable, while 4K at 120Hz with HDR and VRR is a much heavier task. The longer the run, the less room there is for error.

Passive HDMI cables transmit an electrical signal through copper, which weakens along the way. There is no universal distance limit, but longer runs become harder to maintain as bandwidth increases. This is why a cable that works fine at 1080p may not reliably handle 4K/120 at the same length.

There isn't a brick wall where passive HDMI suddenly stops working, either. One 25-foot cable can perform flawlessly while another may begin to act up sooner. A cable that supports 4K/60 can also fail when you switch to 4K/120.

Source link