There’s no reason to use old HDMI cables, so don’t buy them

There are a lot of iterations of HDMI at this point, and it can be annoying to keep track of everything. The cables aren’t easily identified unless you know what you’re looking for, and even then, you might have to plug in the cable to see if it’s 2.1 or 2.0. It’s not ideal, and if you’ve been buying HDMI cables since the mid-2000s, then you might have tons of them lying around your house.

While those cables still work, I believe you’re better off donating them or getting rid of them instead of letting them pile up. I don’t know when you last checked the price of an HDMI cable, but they aren’t all that expensive. If you have to buy a new HDMI cable today, I don’t see any reason to avoid 2.1 or even wait for 2.2 to hit. There’s no downside to buying a new cable, and I can only foresee problems if you plan on buying older cables just to save a buck or two.

Stop buying old HDMI cables

There’s no point

You can still very easily find HDMI 2.0 cables, and for a lot of people, that’s more than enough. In fact, I’d argue the majority of people get a lot more out of their 2.0 cables than they do 2.1, but I’d still tell you not to buy them. The reason for this simple — all HDMI cables are backwards compatible. If you buy a 2.1 cable and plug it into your Xbox 360, a console that existed well before HDMI 2.1 was an idea, it’ll still work. You won’t get the benefits of HDMI 2.1, as that old console isn’t capable of them, but it will still display an image.

On the other hand, your HDMI 1.4 cable works with your modern 4K TV, but you have the same issue, just the other way around. You’ll be limited by what the cable can provide, so your TV won’t get to use all of its features, but if all you’re looking for is a 4K image, it can do that. For most scenarios, I wouldn’t recommend you do that unless you need to test something out for a second.

The reality is your old cables don’t provide much value these days, so there’s no reason to hang on to them. New HDMI cables don’t cost an arm and a leg, so there’s little reason to keep using older ones. Since these cables aren’t labeled, there’s a chance you could be using the wrong cable with your TV, which comes with a whole set of issues. I’m a big audio fan, and I know the best way to get the most out of Dolby Atmos is by using an HDMI 2.1 cable in my TV’s eARC port. If I have a 2.0 or older cable plugged in there, Atmos still works, but it won’t be as good as it could be. It’s a very easy mistake to make, and I’m sure there are thousands of people out there doing the same thing without realizing it. This is a problem you wouldn’t have if your house were filled with modern HDMI cables.

Your old cables aren’t junk, but it’s time to retire them

Time to find new uses for them

Take it from me, as somebody who has far too many cables — you’re better off getting rid of them or at least separating them from your newer ones. I don’t want to ever be in a situation where I’m trying to figure out the difference between a 1.4 cable and a 2.0, and I do that by making sure those older cables are paired with my older devices. My PS3 and Xbox 360 don’t benefit from modern cables, and some people still use CRT TVs with them, so I keep them away from each other. I don’t have a single 1.4 cable left in my house, so everything lying around is at least 2.0 or better. Ideally, I’d like to weed out the remaining 2.0 cables I have, but I’m in no hurry to do so. These older cables still have some life in them, so I’ve just found other things to use them with.

Old HDMI cables aren’t junk, but they are old enough to the point that they’re holding back your newer devices. There’s next to no reason to buy one, even if you do get one at a cheaper price. If I were buying a new HDMI cable today, it’d be HDMI 2.1 or nothing. With HDMI 2.2 on the horizon, I imagine I’ll switch over to those cables when they come out, since there’s no downside to not doing so. Sure, you won’t see much take advantage of the HDMI 2.2 speeds for a while, but since these cables are backwards compatible, there’s no reason not to pick up the newest format if the price is right.

HDMI might be moving along too fast for my liking, but I don’t see a reason not to move with it. As long as the format continues to work across all devices, there’s not a downside. Yes, using an HDMI 2.1 cable with a 720p TV is certainly overkill, but you’re not punished for doing that if that’s what has to be done. Some of my older devices find new life by just moving to other rooms. I used an old Google Chromecast with a basement TV for quite a while before finally moving on to a Roku Streaming Stick. That’s a scenario where I was glad to have something old sitting around, and I’m sure some people feel the same way about their old cables. For a garage or basement TV that you don’t use all that often, quality isn’t typically the driving force. That’s a perfect scenario for an old cable, and many others fall into that same boat.

Ultimately, it’s your decision. I wouldn’t recommend buying an older HDMI cable anymore, but it doesn’t mean you have to get up and throw your existing ones into the garbage can. There are still plenty of ways to use them, but keep them away from my living room.