The $2 HDMI Cable: Just As Good As the $45 HDMI Cable

I'm sorry to say this, but if you've ever paid more than a few bucks for an HDMI cable you've been had.  HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) is a digital signal that carries both video and audio from the source to your HDTV.  Since it's a digital signal, it is lossless.  You don't lose any of the information or gain any "noise," due to interference from other electronics, like an analog signal does.  Examples of analog signals would be the RGB (Red, Green, Blue) component cables found on most HDTV's.  Another draw back of the analog signal is the more distance the signal traveled, the more it degraded.  Companies that advertise things like "shielding" on their HDMI cables are taking advantage of these drawbacks from older technology to make more money off of people who may not know about the newer stuff. Shielding isn't necessary for the digital signal that HDMI sends.  What comes out of your cable box or bluray player is exactly what you get on your HDTV.  So save yourself a bunch of money on cables and put it towards some other component of your home theater.