A Puzzling HDMI/HDTV Connection Problem

Hey guys,
I just got my Asus and I've been quite baffled by why it is unable to connect properly with my HDTV through HDMI.

Here's the background, I have a new Asus G51jx-x5, Dell m1330, Sharp HDTV, Acer 23 inch HD monitor, a 6 feet unmarked hdmi cable that came with the hd monitor, a 12 feet hdmi 1.3b cable.

I have always used my HDTV and monitor with my m1330 with no problems.
The problem now is that the asus has been unable to connect properly to the hdtv through the use of the 12 feet hdmi 1.3b cable.
I knew there were different types of HDMI cables but never thought they would make any difference on simple matters such as connecting to an HDTV.
My asus is able to detect the sharp tv and tells me that it is connected with it and is successfully connected but on the hdtv end, the hdtv does not get a signal. (I am able to go into the "extended display" and "clone display" modes but nothing shows up on the tv)

I had to try different combinations to realize that it must be a hdmi cable and my new asus compatibility issue:

M1330 w/ 6ft cable to HDTV: Works
M1330 w/ 6ft cable to Monitor: Works
Asus w/6 ft cable to HDTV: Works
Asus w/6 ft cable to Monitor: Works

M1330 w/ 12ft cable to HDTV: works
M1330 w/12 ft cable to Monitor: works
Asus w/ 12 ft cable to HDTV: No sound or picture but says its connected??
Asus w/ 12 ft cable to Monitor: Works

Does anyone have any ideas?
I really appreciate any help I can get with this weird dilemma
Thanks in advance,
freelancer

 

It's been my experience with laptops and HDTV's that if there is any pickiness on the laptop/cable/HDTV situation, that the cable is almost always to blame. In this case I recommend an HDMI cable no longer than 10-feet for optimum video quality and connectivity. It seems that HDTV's have a big problem with anything longer than 10-feet if it's a normal shielded male to male HDMI cable, and I think if we were to research this with Asus they would also specify a shorter HDMI cable, with proper shielding, is the answer.

I have a Sony VAIO laptop (in my signature) that I've used with my studio's Samsung 40" HDTV since new. I tried it with a 6-foot HDMI cable and all was well; I tried it with a 15-foot HDMI cable, and nothing worked, including sound, picture, and connectivity on the VAIO; tried a nice, new 10-foot length shielded HDMI cable (cheapo cable, got it for $3.99 from Meritline.com) and all was well...everything worked on the TV, the computer, extended desktop, HDMI to BluRay, all was Golden.

I have come to the conclusion that an optimum "long cable" length for computers to HDTV's is 10-feet maximum, preferably a 6-foot cable will be best, but the 10-footer will work fine too. That is my experience with HDTV's and laptops, with BluRay viewing and streaming movie viewing. I've not used the Asus G51 yet with either of my HDTV's, and if I did it wouldn't surprise me if the same guidelines worked best with it, too.

However I have used my front room TV and my Asus UL30VT-X1 HDMI-equipped 13.3" laptop, and it worked fine with a 10-foot cable also. I assume it would work with the 6-foot cable in addition to the 10-footer.

Try a 10-foot cable, and see if I am right about the Asus G51 and this long-cable connectivity issue you are having. If a 10-foot cable works fine, point proved in your situation, too, as it has already been proven on my HDTV's and the VAIO, and the Asus UL30VT-X1.

Hope this helps you out....

 

I wouldn't say it's cable length issue. I have some 20' lengths that work fine with both my Asus and Gateway. It's more of the quality of the cable manufacturer. I get the generic 1.3c cables from partsexpress.com

 

Granted that quality is always an issue, but I don't think
you will find any laptop manufacturer recommending a 20-foot+
cable length for connectivity with their HDMI ports, HDTV or
otherwise...generally cable length is the crucial factor in
connectivity with any medium, be it USB, FireWire, SAS/SCSI, any
connectivity really--the factor that most recommendations
are based on is actual length...quality being equal.

I may be mistaken about 10-feet being the optimum length for
HDMI hookups with laptops, in general, in fact the optimum size
may be 6 feet for all that I know. It's just my experience in this
case that has seen a 10-foot cable work best, and longer cables
have had issues.

Conversely I could probably go out and find a 40-foot cable that
would work great with any HDTV setup or laptop, but that
would be an exceptional, and possibly controversial situation. For
all that matters a 100-foot cable would/could work! Quality indeed
is a prime factor in cabling, but length is the key for general recom-
mendations with virtually any type of cable or connection.