Monster SuperThin HDMI cables are only 3.5mm thick

LAS VEGAS--HDMI had a rocky start, but overall it's been a boon for home theater fans, simplifying bundles of AV cables into one easy cable. While HDMI has drastically reduced cable clutter, Monster seeks to take that idea to the extreme with its recently announced SuperThin HDMI cables. With the cable measuring only 3.5mm thick, Monster claims the SuperThin cables are 65 percent thinner than a normal HDMI cable, making them easier to carry with portable gadgets like cameras and camcorders. And while the cables aren't HDMI 1.4 compatible, they do support HDMI 1.4's maximum transfer speed of 10.2 Gbps, which means it's possible that they'll work with new 3D Blu-ray players (although we've never tested that.)

Is Monster's SuperThin cable enough to make us take back our recommendation not to buy pricey HDMI cables? No, although we're more sympathetic to the slim design than the performance claims of other Monster Cable HDMI products. Still, Monster announced that prices for the SuperThin cables would range from $90 to $170--far more than the $4 Monoprice charges for an 6-foot HDMI cable with a 10.2Gbps transfer speed--so you'll be paying quite a premium to cut down on cable bulk.