Best HDMI Adapters and Accessories | Are There Any Differences?

For basic applications like TV Boxes, Gaming PCs, older gen consoles, and generally devices that’ll output up to 4K, this Amazon Basics Braided cable is great for most use cases. Just a heads up though, this cable is heavy and thick which is a good thing! It also has ethernet capabilities. Although I’ll warn you that based on the reviews, some buyers had a hard time bending this cable which is also important if you’re trying to bring this portably or if your media cabinet has tight spots. For those purposes, you might be better off with this Amazon Basic cable.

One last thing, this cable is available up to 25 feet, although, cables that are more than 10 feet will have risks of voltage drops.

While the previous cable I mentioned won’t get you 144Hz or 8K, this Monoprice Cable will! More specifically, this cable can run 4K-144Hz, 8K-60Hz, and even 10K (theoretically). As some of you might know, Monoprice is a brand that brings budget but high-quality products. Although, remember when some of the Monoprice cables that LTT tested, failed? Well, fear not, this cable I’m recommending definitely passed!

With that said, this cable is great for newer-gen consoles like the Xbox Series X and PS5 which can utilize resolutions of up to 8K and more importantly, frame rates up to 144Hz. You can also count your Gaming PC, I heard that with some troubleshooting, you can even use this cable to run 1080p-240Hz. Last but not least, you can also use this cable to transfer lossless or Digital Surround Sound Audio to your audio systems.

As you may already know, the main problem with HDMI is voltage drops, which get worse the longer the cable is. Although here’s the thing, let’s say you’re looking for a cable to use for a classroom or a massive viewing party where a long HDMI cable might make things easier. I mean, how can you possibly transmit 4K or even 1080p video over a span of up to 300 feet? Through a Fiber Optic HDMI cable!

Some internet providers use Fiber Optic Cables to quickly transfer a lot of data over a span of miles before needing a signal amplifier. A Fiber optic HDMI cable essentially does the same, it converts the HDMI’s electrical signal into the light to transmit over the fiber optic cable, and the other end will convert it back into an electrical signal that an HDMI display can read.

Going back, I think the Amazon Basics Fiber Optic Cable is a great option for people who want to extend their HDMI cable’s reach, but don’t want to sacrifice quality. This fiber optic cable has been rated to transmit 4K-60Hz from up to 300 feet away without signal degradation, so you can rest assured that your signal will be crisp and clear.

Lastly, just a word of warning. Since this cable and any other Fiber optic HDMI cable have signal converters, it is directional which means the signal can only go one way, one plug is only for input and the other is also specifically for output.

Take a look back at our recommended HDMI cables, all three of them are thick and stiff aren’t they? This is good for preventing any electromagnetic interference but is clearly bad if your TV or HDMI device is in a tight spot especially if it’s wall-mounted, and you just can’t bend HDMI cables straight away, especially with these high-bandwidth cables.

A solution to that is these 90-degree adapters, which won’t only make your tight setup possible, they’ll also make cable management easier, and since it’s just an adapter, it won’t affect your image quality even if you’re running 8K.

This pack of adapters comes with two adapters, one bent at 90 degrees and the other bent at 270 degrees or essentially opposite of 90 degrees so you can use these two on both your console, PC, or other devices to your TV and monitor without any kinks and folds in the HDMI cable.

Last but certainly not the least is the Marseille mClassic! It’s a great way (and one of the few ways) to take your HDMI signal and upscale it into 4K!

It’s small and portable, so you can take it with you anywhere. It’s also very easy to use. All you have to do is plug it into your TV and then plug in your HDMI cable into the mClassic, and power the mClassic by plugging the USB power cable into it, and the rest is all automatic. You don’t have to worry about anything else.

It also has a physical switch to toggle between different modes, you can turn the upscaling on or off, I think this is an excellent addition, that way you don’t have to take the mClassic on and off every time you don’t want to upscale your content.

Before I forget, the switch can also toggle to the retro mode which is best if you want to upscale your old Gamecube, PS2, or other retro consoles.

This device can make any HDMI signal look amazing, whether it’s from an old DVD player, retro consoles, or even a Nintendo Switch. Everything will be upscale in crisp detail and vivid color that will blow your mind. Who says you can’t upgrade an old device?

Remember at the beginning of this article when I said that HDMI is pretty ubiquitous? Well, USB-C is also fairly common these days, and the number of devices that has USB-C is growing pretty fast!

That being said, I bet a handful of you readers will have at least one device that only outputs video through USB-C, whether it’s a tablet, a phone, laptop, or camera, connecting it will require a USB-C to HDMI dongle or adapter. For that, our best recommendation is the Anker USB-C to HDMI adapter!

It works with a ton of devices, and it’s pretty small in size so you can bring it everywhere. I know that some of you already know or have USB-C hubs that include HDMI, PD, USB-A, and a ton more, and the reason why I didn’t recommend those as the best USB-C to HDMI adapter is that most of those can only output video at 4K-30Hz. While this Anker USB-C to HDMI adapter can output 4K-60Hz.