Why Is This HDMI Cable So Expensive? | Best Buy Rocketfish Review

I'm a sucker for a good deal - and I hate getting ripped off. So when I found out that a cable I bought for $8 is being sold for $60, I had to dig a little deeper. Here's an in-depth look at Rocketfish, Best Buy's in-house brand of electronic accessories.
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Rocketfish 12ft HDMI Cable: amzn.to/3azyJ1X
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[@starshipfpv]

I thought you were going to do a real actual test on the cable

[@MrPopo-bd1ix]

Fast-forward the video and you'll see.

[@starshipfpv]

@user-yu3yu9jg4i I saw the end.. running a video to see if it looks better isn't a test.. doing a data test is a test

[@spooky_lights]

I’d be wary of this “Amazon” age because so many listings on there have been of fake products and I’ve been screwed over because a 3rd party vendor wasn’t being transparent.

[@EliasOlsen]

Good point! Always research your products to make sure you're getting what you need. I've found a few good brands that I stick with and haven't had much trouble. Thanks for watching!

[@MrPopo-bd1ix]

That's why there's Reviews, Q&A, and 30-day free returns.

[@marthalutz6658]

You're absolutely right! I came across this video because I found one of those Rocketfish cables on the back of my 90 year old mother's TV and didn't know what it was. Now I know and now I'm a more well informed tech shopper. Thanks for the video!

[@keller376]

Came here just to say thank you and to anyone else who arrives here.... in 2022 best buy tried to sell me these rocketfish cables - 50$ for 12 foot HDMI 4k cable, CL3 rated (in wall rated shielding for fire etc) Amazon basics 12 foot CL3 rated = 7-8$ Considering I need 4 of these thats 33$ compared to 200+tax from Best Buy. That is absolutely insane.

[@MrPopo-bd1ix]

You can buy better & 1/4 less expensive from Zeskit off Amazon, they were the first to be HDMI 2.0 certified.

[@doz3r943]

i just bought a rocketfish 8K ultra high speed hdmi cable from bestbuy and the box says 8 foot i get home and open it ITS A 4 FOOT CABLE in a 8 foot box!!!

[@MrPopo-bd1ix]

BestBuy, they've done that to me with some of their OpenBox chargers.

[@John8.7]

I'm 44 and I build PC's. You should raise the age limit on tech savvy to 55+ xD With that being said, I also do I own research on things. I like IVANKY for my HDMI 2.1 at $19.00.

[@TunaSoda]

I'm 53 and I laugh when someone at best buy askes if I need any help, I will then ask them "what is your fastest usb thumbdrive?" and they answer, 3.X... with no regard to actual data throughput. Or "what ram do you sell with a good cas to ras rating?" I don't think that most younger "tech-savvy" people have a depth of knowledge nowadays, kinda like comparing two photographers and one has some non-digital film camera experience... Knowing why something doesn't work without google...😆

[@jared8530]

I've always had great usage with Monster Cables....picture quality is great and built to last a long time

[@disguiseddv8ant486]

Best Buy make their money on selling their marked up peripherals and extended warranty instead of selling appliances, computers, blurays, etc. just like how gas stations make money selling their wholesale goods i.e. chips, candy, soda, carwash, etc. instead of selling fuel.

[@doczombiez]

I know this video was uploaded two years ago, I only happened stumble across it since I was throwing away a really really old rocketfish cable and wanted to see if the brand was even still around. I think where RocketFish really shined was back during the Xbox360 era. They were sold as quality HDMI cables that were braided and tough.Which was great so they can take constant moving which was also great for lan parties and tournament setups. Looks like the new ones aren't even braided?!! I can't speak about them too much now, but at one point and time during that era of moving from CRTs to HDTVs they were a good upgrade when you didn't quite know what to look for in HDMI and where a lot of HDMIs outright didn't last for a month. It was good quality assurance back then, but HDMI and even Display ports are so cheap and made just as good you really don't need RocketFish now. I think the value would still be there in a sense if they were $8-$15 and you know you were getting it from a chain retail store and not some weird third party company.

[@djm24able]

Have you seen anyone do a test on this cable?? I just bought the 4Ft length one for my Ps5 In my tcl R646 120 frame rate capable tv!

[@huntervelk1056]

Did you notice if it removed the jutter you get while watching KZbin pm your Xbox or ps5 on the tcl646?

[@chrishoward6674]

Buying high end electronics = buying high end accessories. Not really sure what your expertise is in but I'm a "older" person and I can tell you with 100% certainty that RF is worth the money. It's kind of like saying a Corvette is the same as a Ford Focus because they both go down the road.

[@EliasOlsen]

Define high end. Unless you're running an 8K TV or industrial displays, a certified $15 cable will work the same as a $45 cable. Also an interesting analogy - assuming both cars go down the road and both cables work, you're just paying a lot more for a flashier product that serves the same purpose. I appreciate the comment - thanks for watching!

[@chrishoward6674]

@@EliasOlsen needed something to do while sitting on the toilet so don't thank me too much. Have a good one, enjoy your $15 cable..lol

[@masterjohnny31]

No disrespect. I am retired and I have never worked for Best Buy in my life but I think it is important on the type of HDMI cable you are purchasing for example is it 2.0/2.1, copper or fiber. You also can’t compare a video on KZbin. Also, you need to do a lot of research on the length of cable you need with both type of cables. You wouldn’t set up your PS5 with a 2.0 copper cable in a long distance would you, especially when you are running a 4k 120/240hz television. The cheaper cable will show a difference. I feel that you are not the type who can tell the difference and would settle for a cheaper cable for the lack of knowledge in HiFi equipment and that’s ok. Young people, I feel, need to learn at some point the difference between entry level equipment vs HIFI. Thank you.

[@EliasOlsen]

Hi - thanks for your comment! It is definitely important to make sure you are purchasing the correct cable for your needs. I would recommend watching Linus's video about testing HDMI cables because he does more in depth testing than I am capable of. However, you aren't correct about a few things. Different cables will not show a difference in quality, assuming they are certified at the same spec. Copper wire is recommended because of it's high signal conductivity, but a cable will either work or it won't. There could be instances of jitter, which I would consider a cable failure but the 1's and 0's of a cable are either there or they aren't - there is no gradient of quality when changing cables. Also, there is no 4K 240Hz TV, nor is there a specification of HDMI that would support that rate. The max of HDMI is 4K@120Hz. The Rocketfish cable I reviewed in this video is $7.50 per foot, which is ridiculously expensive. Similarly certified cables from Cable Matters are $1.50 per foot. My main point in this video is that the Rocketfish cable is not worth the extra expenditure, and that Best Buy is pushing them on people who probably won't know better. If you know how to google around, you can find the same spec at much more reasonable prices. Even if you need an in-wall rating, you can find cables for for around $1 per foot. I'm not sure what you mean when you say I'm "not the type" to tell the difference between cables or what my age has to do with anything, but I have done a lot of research on this topic. Best of luck with retirement.

[@fhf17]

@@EliasOlsen Bro, you’re just summarizing Linus video 😂 .You’re not the appropriate person to be able to tell “us” consumers weather or not a cable IS or IS”NT something , based off just plugging it on a $340 gaming monitor that only has HDMI 2.0 and the display isn’t even 4k 120. You don’t have the proper equipment to properly test said cables.Premium HDMi cables are for Premium TVs with the latest Specs for new Hardware not for $400 Gaming monitors. There will be a 240hz 4k gaming monitors coming out soon

[@BMWliterbikes4life]

I think what he’s trying to say is that he probably has experience in this area more than a novice or someone that is an average consumer like yourself. I do not believe all cables are the same. Quality of the materials matter and build quality matters. When you say either they work or don’t work I feel a novice would say that but, NOT a person who really know how cables are made. Monoprice hdmi cables are cheap and you get what you pay for. I bought them and the build quality is excellent however the picture quality was terrible. I went to a SVS premium cable with the same Sony 85j and Apple TV and the picture quality changed! But you say work or won’t work? You think won’t work means no picture or sound and that’s where you’re wrong. Either on or off. That does not apply with HDMI cables. You’d need to understand more on a technical level to get it. It’s not about what it cost. I see the difference and hear the difference but hey to each his own. I’m an electrician and if you told me all current carrying conductors are all the same I’d walk away from you.

[@mackjay1777]

You are correct. People in an older age bracket will go to a Best Buy for help finding the right thing that they know nothing about. I'm in that age group, but I don't understand why more people don't comparison shop online, reading more than one review of a product to see if it's worth getting (and I don't mean just Amazon reviews, though some of those are very useful I admit). Things like cables can be way over-priced as you point out, and some people equate higher price with quality which is not that often the case

[@billtotolo]

Comparing like for like specs against other “name brands” like Belkin or Monster, Rocketfish is in the same price category. At $49 for an 8’ 48Gbps cable that should last at least ten years, it’s cheap piece of mind. $4.99/year is justifiable IMHO. I’d rather have that than a cable that will either die or be outdated in a couple years when we switch to 8K viewing standards. Thank you for sharing your opinion with us.

[@scottjones3971]

Bought 2.The connectors were the most solid of the bunch.After reconnecting with others..these were the best sounding.Try for the best sound,other than specs.

[@TheJustina102085]

What you said about the target consumer of Best Buy is spot on. With regards to Geek squad; I admittedly don’t have experience dealing with them, but they’re either not knowledgeable or they’re knowingly pushing products that are overpriced which seems hard to believe unless they get commission or something.. I know some home theatre people think it’s worth spending big money on HDMI and in some cases those cables have a lower failure rate, but not by much or those cables work better at longer lengths. I feel like the $40 range for HDMI are the biggest rip offs since they often aren’t even as good as something you could get for $15. If you need a cable 10ft or less, you’d be crazy to spend big money on a HDMI cable. That’d not to say don’t do your home work but for my 6ft 2.1 cables I bought for $12-$20 work great and never had failures..if you need super long cables, perhaps that’s when it’s worth spending big money on cables like Infinite, but that $50 range of HDMI cables are basically a scam. Great video, thanks!

[@mixmastermacaroni]

Im happy with GE cheaper and better i think.

[@getoveryourself2212]

I think the rocket fish made your video look crisper as in you can see it was a good quality video recorder. the green's popped a bit more making it look like the sun reflection on the bird's wings noticable. the yellow on the bird's bellies looked more orange blended kinda makes the bird look kinda metallic, but idk if that's actually a good thing? or if the video quality really grasped the bird's true characteristics

[@dachamp2k417]

Seen the same thing, the rocketfish did perform at a higher quality lmao

[@RichardPothier-w8f]

I've never used Rocketfish, but I do know this. You can't test a cable on a video you shot using low tech. The video will only be as good as the lowest quality element you use. That is why both your videos look grainy. I have seen the different between a twelve dollar cable and a two hundred dollar cable (Cinnamon-AudioQuest), it's staggering. Of course it was tested on a High quality OLED with a 4k source. There is also equipment out there which gives you performance numbers to back up the information on the box ( that is really the only way to test). As an old person, even I know that... There is so much to consider when buying an HDMI cable, like how much distance do you need to cover? Will it be mostly for tv or also for music? Is it going into a wall? What type of resolution do you need/want? At some point, the cable will max out on video, but the ability to make a crisper, cleaner sound goes on forever, and you can pay a thousand dollars a cable and get noticeable differences. I guess the good thing about being old, is I have the wisdom and the money to figure this out without taking the word of some, hmmm how do I say this nicely.... some snot-nose little brat....ha ha

[@EliasOlsen]

I appreciate you making an account just to comment

[@user-oj8ss4zq3x]

I wonder if the consistency of the signal is any better with a big end cable

[@omegafire6253]

I'm trying to get a compatible hdmi cable for my panasonic ub900 player. I can get this on the cheaper. I'm just having issue where some of the 4k bluray are returning to home just before the menu pops up.

[@EliasOlsen]

Sorry, I'm not sure what to do about that. I'm not too familiar with Blu-Ray players, unfortunately

[@EVEmasta]

How about a 2.1 4ft hdmi cable rocketfish for 30

[@EliasOlsen]

Here's a 6ft HDMI 2.1 by Monoprice ($14): amzn.to/3pFtztZ and here's a 3 pack of HDMI 2.1 by Cable Matters ($19) amzn.to/3JnTnCF. Links are affiliate.

[@EVEmasta]

@@EliasOlsen thank you I got zeskit for around that price/range

[@2005RavenR6]

Who's is this cable for? I bought 2 the other day, cause it was 50 percent off, and I needed them that minute.

[@EliasOlsen]

Sounds like a good deal! Hope you enjoy it :)

[@fhf17]

I’d honestly have to disagree with that statement. I own a LG C1 and is paired with both the PS5 Disc version and Series S console. I’ve been using the stock hdmi cables that were included with the consoles and I’ve had juddery motion issues while playing back DVD and Blu-ray / UHD Blu-ray and drove me mad as I own hundreds of DVDS, VHS, Blu-ray’s which is very important to me. After doing some digging around the house while cleaning I found a “ Rocket fish Hdmi cable that looked old and my father probably bought it back in 2014 at some point so I was curious if it still worked. Fortunately it was fairly new or just in great condition and I was surprised it was a 2.0 and can transfer 4k hdr signal without issues. The thing that surprised me the most is it fixed the motion judder from what I’ve been having while making it a bit cleaner image because the noise reduction features on the TV are more effective with this cable than all the others I’ve been using. Those more expensive hdmi cables are meant for TVS/ consoles/ Dedicated Blu-ray Players not for 1440p gaming monitors.

[@EliasOlsen]

What do you think would make a cable work better with a TV/console/Blu-Ray player and not at 1440p monitor?

[@fhf17]

@@EliasOlsen Using the hdmi cable at 1440p 120 is not even using half of the bandwidth of said Cable, as its rated 48GB per second. By buying a 50- 60 dollar cable and not use it to its full potential and meagerly “test”it and judge it by eye while watching a video which you did not state if it was 1080p or 4k or anything. makes it look stupid don’t you think? At that point just get a 2.0 cable instead if you’re going to run it at 1440p 120 and not complain. The biggest difference between a cheap HDMi cable and a premium one apart from just looks and feel alone is it can cut latency issues while watching movies through a Blu-ray Player. It will help the TV’s frame pacing making the TVs frame interpolation noticeably better and creates a smoother image as with a cheap hdmi cable it cannot have a steady bandwidth therefore creates a juddery motion even with frame interpolation on, skipping frames ext.That’s it’s intended use case ( Home Cinema ) and it does create a sharper image overall as it can sustain its speeds accordingly. If you’re just going to game then you’re most likely not going to notice because you’re just running around shooting people around the map. Why do you think the cable is sold at the Home theater section and not with the rest? Hope I got to clarify my previous statement.

[@EliasOlsen]

@@fhf17 I think you’ve missed the point of this video, and most of what you have just said is not correct. I’m not a professional tester, I don’t have $15,000 to spend on a cable tester like Linus. This makes it harder for me to put cables through their paces at max capacity like you can do with a tester. So, I used what I would consider to be on the high end of a normal use case: most people are not running video at 1440p @ 144hz, so I thought that would be a sufficient test. The $60 Rocketfish cable performed the same as a $20 Insignia cable. The point of this video was to see if these cables make sense for the average person to use and if they deserve to be called “Premium”. The answer to both questions is no. There is no evidence to suggest that an HDMI cable can improve latency. Usually latency issues stem from the display or output settings. This tester used multiple different brands of cables, and the tests resulted in identical latency between cable models. hdtelevizija.com/en/2016/03/13/does-hdmi-cable-length-affect-input-lag/ Judder is almost never an issue caused by cabling. Judder is a mismatch in frame rates between your content and your display - ie displaying 24p content on a 60hz display. If you have two cables at the same spec and they both support your desired data rate, there should be no difference between the image they produce. You’ve watched the Linus video, you know the data is either there or it isn’t. There is not a “better quality of data”. If the data is bad, it fails. Read more about judder here: www.howtogeek.com/753131/what-is-judder-and-why-do-tvs-have-this-problem/ There are not cables made with intended use cases. That is purely marketing. If a cable meets the standards of its specification, then it will work for any application. There are not twisted pairs of copper built specifically for a Blu-ray or home theater setup. If they work on a monitor, they will work on your TV. If you bought the Rocketfish cable, I’m sorry but you drastically overpaid for a pretty standard cable.

[@fhf17]

@@EliasOlsen I can only see value to your point if every Best Buy employee would recommend or upsell a “Premium “ hdmi cable to “every” or most customers who are just looking for a basic cable and not anything premium, trust me I had one “ TV Specialist” at the store tell me if it’s not working properly, just flip the hdmi cable, even though it’s the same on both sides 🤦‍♂️ all I know is every other cable doesn’t work properly all the time and is very inconsistent while viewing a Blu-ray. I did not “overpay” as I only found it going through some stuff and I didn’t originally buy it,so I wouldn’t know how much it cost him, t is a 4-5 feet cable so it’s not long or expensive, a new 2.1 rocket fish cable goes for around $30-40 brand new given that size. The other cables I have are the ones that are included in devices such as; Nintendo switch, Ps4, Ps5, Xbox series S, gaming monitor cable , Rocket fish. Unfortunately I tried recording through my phones camera but since the camera has a lot of picture processing, it smoothens out the motion ( 30,60 fps) making it look completely inaccurate to what I’m seeing on the TV with my own eyes. I would only describe this as a weird Phenomenon at this point. The only Reason why I got the LG C1 was because of its motion processing because I’ve had the worst motion and motion processing I’ve ever seen with 3 Sony TVs 2021 , models are X85j, X90j, and another x90j because the other one was faulty :/. I just want a steady non judder and non frame skipping movie watching experience and I can’t believe how hard it was to buy a TV that just does that fairly well even 9/10.

[@jamesmatthews6881]

I have a rocketfish hdmi for my ps5 and feel like i wastes money its the same as my ps5 hdmi no difference

[@michaels2470]

Best cables on the market are from Audio Quest but you’ll pay for it. The silver in the cable does provide a better audio signal. I have had one case where I was using an older hdmi cable and it was creating a lot of grain in the image and it was cleaned up with the Rocketfish. It all really comes down to the materials and the insulation they use in the cable. On another note, Rocketfish surge protectors are amazing. In my opinion, if you have high end equipment it’s best to compliment it with an Audio Quest cable but if your equipment is average you won’t appreciate the difference.

[@troy028]

Your getting ripped off by audio quest

[@michaels2470]

@@troy028 debatable depending on your hardware.

[@昊照李]

Do you accept business cooperation?