The HDMI cable scam
Someone finally published an article that caught my eye about this, so I thought I'd add my two cents.
Summary in my own words:
Never pay more than $5/foot for an HDMI cable at big box places like Best Buy, etc.
The best places to go are small shops around town - those are roughly $1/foot. There's a handful of places around me that offer plenty of options - length, color, etc. Obviously the length-to-cost ratio is different based on the length (I see some that are less than $1/foot, and some that are more than $1/foot, but all pretty close.)
When looking at an HDMI cable all you need to see is "High Speed" or 10.2Gbps on the packaging. Don't look for "Hz", "4K" or anything else. Look for either "10.2 Gbps" or "High Speed" and then find the cheapest cable for the length you need.
As it says, quality of manufacture can be an issue - but like any product, that is always a possibility. However, most cables should have absolutely no issue.
This goes for Ethernet cables too - you shouldn't have to pay more than $1/foot anymore. Even for cat6. I'm looking at a local place with 50 foot cat6 for $15. 75 foot cat5e for $11. Don't get ripped off!