HDMI and Scart leads Leads Compared

Which? experts were curious to know if expensive leads could improve DVD or Blu ray picture quality, so we compared three Scart leads and three HDMI leads to find out

HDMI and Scart leads are the most popular methods used for connecting equipment such as DVD players, Blu ray players, PVRs, Set Top Boxes and games consoles to your TV. Until the arrival of high definition (HD), the vast majority of connections were carried out using Scart leads, but they cannot carry an HD picture. HDMI leads must be used to connect HD equipment such as Blu ray players and HD games consoles if you want full HD picture quality. 

HDMI leads

Which? found that all HDMI leads had identical performance

The answer is an emphatic no for HDMI leads. Amazingly, our expert viewers saw no difference at all in the picture quality when using the Tesco Value lead (£9.97), the John Lewis lead (£19.50) or the Belkin lead (£99.99), with our technical tests confirming that their performance was identical.

Scart leads

However, it is worth spending a bit more on a Scart lead. Critically, the individual wires within the Tesco value lead (£4.97) were not individually screened from each other, which may allow cross talk between the wires and could create picture problems. Our viewers did note that up close they could just detect minor improvements with the Belkin lead (£59.99) compared to the John Lewis lead (£14.50), but at normal viewing distances there was no perceivable difference.

Our technology expert Matt Bath said: “Always buy the cheapest HDMI lead available as more expensive leads offer no benefits. Spend a bit more on Scart leads, but avoid the most expensive as a noticeable improvement over a mid priced lead is unlikely.”