How long for an HDMI cable to break in.

@richardbrand 

Thanks!

@jhill387 

How would I know if the length of the cable was an issue?

Yep, you are listening for sound degradation.  Easiest way to find out what this sounds like is to switch in longer HDMI cables until the degradation is obvious.

When HDMI cables are used as intended for HDMI, it is easy to see the effects of overlong or poor quality cables on video.  Blockiness on the screen, dropped frames, noise.  HDMI is designed for an error rate of about 1 in a billion bits which I think translates to about 70 CDs per error!

@roxyy1927

Yes, you were bamboozled.

Sound quality wise a bog standard HDMI cable doesn’t differ from a super expensive one.  The more expensive one might have connections less prone to slipping, which HDMI cables are particularly prone to do.  Nor does the cable require any break in.  The 1s and 0s flying down the pike don’t care how much use has preceded them.

If it makes you feel any better, you aren’t the first to be taken in, and you won’t be the last 

I am going from a wireless projector (Epson 5040UBe) to a 77" OLED (LG) and none of my sources (cable box, streaming, Oppo-95, HDMI switcher) exceed 4K at this point, so I used 8K cable to "future-proof" the system because this runs through the baseboard and is a PITA to change.  But at 4K, I shouldn’t have any problems even at 35 feet.

And because the cable runs through the walls and along the baseboard, I thought it was important to get one that was made for this allowing for greater flexibility.

This is what I got and is only a bit more than 4K cable.  Does one really need to spend hundreds of dollars on a cable that carries a digital signal of 1’s and 0’s just so long as they get there intact?

https://www.amazon.com/Highwings-48Gbps-Dynamic-Compatible-Desktop/dp/B0CR3WX6FH/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3FNZPZTAP7824&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.GhQQMKbvYw5ZRTAn0WPYg4tnrPD6qBfrPzTiiDn5iT1o5S-O-Mk4zEPbe9qK0jeTqrilfjUPWwSO3NnYQJdw0TtQGPsL9KyBj0FRLIFmGuZwrqqOXxb4BH8MGtBD52EvcmpY1VUKcUMy9DC-qjcoudWLwaXjYGxR4HWVRre6iS9hQPAkQ8qpecrQSIQrTe72JGM9v052JIScFpaTpkv1lq3KxAjfJ3gwXFuNguC3-Ps._N6R9YIQjVxJDN9emxdIKaBygGLO6ZIr2ag4uLguT40&dib_tag=se&keywords=8K%2Bcable%2B35%2Bfeet&qid=1765392056&sprefix=8k%2Bcable%2B35%2Bfeet%2Caps%2C139&sr=8-4&th=1