HDMI and Scart leads Buying guide

Follow our tips below to get the most suitable HDMI or Scart lead for you.

HDMI offers you another option for connecting standard definition equipment to you TV. Lots of standard definition equipment is coming equipped with HDMI outputs. But beware, when some standard definition equipment is connected via an HDMI lead it will try to upscale the picture to improve its quality. Which? testers have seen examples where upscaling has in fact reduced picture quality, so some experimentation may be required.

However you choose connect your equipment to your TV, the following guide will help you buy with confidence. 

JL scart lead

The John Lewis Scart lead works well and you are unlikely to notice much improvement with more expensive leads

Scart leads

 

There are subtle differences in Scart leads available, following these guidelines will help you choose the best lead for you:

  • Do not buy the cheapest leads as they are unlikely to have individual cable screening which can result in cross talk.
  • Do check that the pins are gold plated (this should be stated on the packaging) as this will ensure good, durable contacts.
  • Don’t buy the most expensive lead unless you are convinced that you will notice the difference. 

HDMI leads

Tesco HDMi lead

The Tesco Value lead is cheap and works as well as more expensive leads

 

The simple rule here is to save your money and buy the cheapest available. All HMDI leads have gold plated connecting pins and Which? testing has shown that you will not see any data loss even when using the cheapest leads. 

The most expensive HDMI leads could cost the same as your new Blu ray player, but it is totally unnecessary to spend that much.

 

HDMI 1.4

HDMI 1.4 is the latest standard for HDMI leads and offers improved functionality such as an Ethernet channel which allows a 100Mb/s Ethernet connection between connected devices. It is also likely that you will need a 1.4 HDMI lead to connect and watch 3D films form your 3D Blu ray player on your 3D TV. A 1.3 standard HDMI lead might work, but it is likely that you will not get the best picture quality.If you are buying a new HDMI lead it is worth ensuring it supports the 1.4 HDMI standard as this will save the need to upgrade later to make the most of all the features found on the latest Blu ray players, for example, but there is no need buy expensive leads, cheaper ones will suffice.

Which? works for you