Summary
- Long HDMI cables can get expensive, especially for higher quality ones. Watch out for cheaper, lesser-known brands.
- Longer cables can introduce more points of failure and signal issues, especially over 50 feet for 4K resolutions.
- Be cautious with long cables around pets and kids, as they can pose a tripping or damage hazard. Cable management is difficult.
There are plenty of reasons for you to get a longer than usual HDMI cable, and I don’t fault you for doing so. I considered doing it before with my gaming PC, as I didn’t want to lug it into my living room to game, but I opted against it. Running a cable from my office proved to be too much hassle for what it’s worth. It also helps that I have an Xbox Series X and PS5 in my living room now, so there’s no reason for me to do that anymore.
To my surprise, I found out you can get HDMI cables that are 50 feet long, and while I can see the appeal there, I can’t say it’s worth it for me. I see far too many downsides to getting a long cable. Your mileage may vary, of course, but I have four reasons as to why I won’t be picking one up in the near future.
1
Long cables can get expensive
I don’t want to spend this much on a cord
Through buying a bunch of different electronics, I’ve been blessed (or cursed) with having so many extra HDMI cables that I don’t know what to do with them. The benefit is I don’t have to buy a new one for a very long time, especially since things like game consoles come with a new cable bundled in.
You might notice you can find some 50-foot cables for cheap, but they are typically from unknown brands and only boast HDMI 1.4. If it were me, I’d be looking for at least HDMI 2.0 or 2.1, and those cables would drastically raise the price. A Monoprice 25-foot cable costs $73, for example, so these aren’t cheap by any means. Sure, you could get away with a lesser-known brand, but it’s not something I’d want to risk with something I use every day, like an HDMI cord.
2
Too many points of failure
Longer cables mean bigger problems
While an HDMI cable is typically something that works or doesn’t, that’s usually the case when someone is running the cord just a few feet. When you stretch the boundaries, you open the door to more issues down the road. Your 4K HDMI cable works best within 10 to 15 feet, and the signal will likely struggle if you go to 50 feet. On the other hand, 1080p can go much further, so if that’s what you need your 50-foot cable for, you might be able to get away with that.
If you’re willing to splurge, you can find a fiber cable that gets the job done without worry. Going back to a Monoprice example, a 49-foot Fiber cable costs $110. I assume that’s not a realistic option for most people, and if it were me, I’d try to find alternatives.
3
Watch out for pets and kids
Can’t have it looking like a toy
I don’t know about you, but my cat is a very curious cat who likes to get into things she has no business with. She’s not the sole reason I don’t have a long HDMI cable, but having him certainly doesn’t help. It’s especially an issue if I were running a cable down my stairs and into my living room. It’s enough of a problem as it is running my Ethernet cord from my office to a spare bedroom. I have rugs covering it up, so it’s not a tripping hazard, but I don’t have nearly enough coverage to get it in any other room.
Thankfully, I don’t have any kids who can get into my stuff, but I’m sure an exposed cable running across the ground would be a huge issue if I did. This is a risk you run with anything in your house, but a long HDMI cable is unnecessary and something I can avoid. If you can’t avoid it, I hope you find a good way to keep it out of harm’s way, especially since we’ve already gone over how expensive these cables are.
4
They are difficult to hide
Cable management is important
Let me be clear, I’m not one of those people who spend hours making sure the inside of my PC looks nice by getting all the cords and wires put together nicely. However, I’m not a big fan of having eyesores like a long cable being run across my living room.
There are many ways to keep things looking clean, but many of them require work and money. If you’re mounting a TV and need to run your cord above a fireplace, something I wouldn’t recommend in the first place, running the cable through the wall isn’t a bad idea. Of course, that’s going to require you to drill into your wall, and not everybody wants to take time to do that. That’s not even mentioning that it’s not an option for people who rent.
