HD tv cables

[Vapor 0]

well obviously gold tips on a copper wire are not much of an improvment over a full copper wire. I am saying a full gold wire will give you a supperior picture as compared to a copper wire.

[NuggyBuggy 0]

the cables that came from the cable company are component cables, but the picture quality doesn't seem that great (especially compared to in store),

Are you subscribing to your cable company's HDTV service (and if so, are you looking at an HD channel through the proper cables) ? HD is a distinct service from digital cable, and unless that's what you have, the signal will not look do an HDTV justice. And remember that a good store will be feeding their HDTVs with the highest quality signal they can, so the picture you see in store *should* be about as good as you can get. Heck, I think I even saw Futureshop running some Blu-ray feeds.

[Chadd 916]

the cables that came from the cable company are component cables, but the picture quality doesn't seem that great (especially compared to in store),

Are you subscribing to your cable company's HDTV service (and if so, are you looking at an HD channel through the proper cables) ? HD is a distinct service from digital cable, and unless that's what you have, the signal will not look do an HDTV justice. And remember that a good store will be feeding their HDTVs with the highest quality signal they can, so the picture you see in store *should* be about as good as you can get. Heck, I think I even saw Futureshop running some Blu-ray feeds.

Comcast downgrades their HD signals in some markets and I'm only allowed to have one HD tuner in my house. I hate those farging comcast corksuckers. Bonus points to get the reference but don't feel compelled to tell everyone.

[sitzlejd 0]

I know d*ck about this stuff so somebody help me out. My Dad's house burned down so he's in the midst of replacing all his electronics, amongst other things.

He went out today and got a samsung tv, blueray player, etc. The HDMI cables he bought were Acoustic Research PR-187 Pro 2 Simplay HD-verified.....

The guy at the store told him these were an absolute must, but I'm skeptical, especially since other HDMI cables are MUCH cheaper. I've always heard Best Buy, HH Gregg, etc. make all their money on cables that are overpriced. So what's the deal? Did we get screwed or are these really "an absolute must" like the guy said? Any suggestions for a comparable knockoff?

Thanks!

[Rustpot 1]

I know d*ck about this stuff so somebody help me out. My Dad's house burned down so he's in the midst of replacing all his electronics, amongst other things.

He went out today and got a samsung tv, blueray player, etc. The HDMI cables he bought were Acoustic Research PR-187 Pro 2 Simplay HD-verified.....

The guy at the store told him these were an absolute must, but I'm skeptical, especially since other HDMI cables are MUCH cheaper. I've always heard Best Buy, HH Gregg, etc. make all their money on cables that are overpriced. So what's the deal? Did we get screwed or are these really "an absolute must" like the guy said? Any suggestions for a comparable knockoff?

Thanks!

I run Xbox 360 and PS3 units to a 52" 1080p Samsung, watch BluRays, play games, etc. All on $6 cables. HDMI is HDMI. Just like you can get a $2 ethernet cable or a $40 Belkin, they're both copper in an RJ45 head.

Sure the $150 cables may be better, but you're not talking about perceptible difference. Also, gold plated means jack shit for digital signals. It's a pulse, not a wave, so the chance of degradation and attenuation are nil unless you have a broken cable.

There is a difference in cables for speakers, not for digital signals. Notice how no one pays attention to component or DVI cables, just HDMI.

[Too Old 1]

If you use HDMI or DVI use a quality cable if the cable run is longer than a few feet. If you use component the cables don't do diddly squat. Yes, the gold contacts are better. IMO the bs folks spew about spending "X" percentage of the system cost on cables is laughable. If someone is foolish enough to do that, or to buy into the Monster hype then I have a bridge for sale. Yeah... it's right on the oceanfront too... and I only take cash. I use HDMI to connect as much as possible and where component cables are used good old coax works wonderful for that. Any A/V dealer worth their salt can custom-make coax cables with RCA ends up to any length you'd need. Or, do 'em yourself. The funny thing also is that even many who use the right cabling and hookups don't have their A/V receiver and speakers/sub properly set up. If you want to talk brand loyalty I am a Denon and Klipsch guy. Only using Denon because I don't want to spend the coin for tube style amps to drive the Klipsch's. ;)

ps... it's going to be a while before you will see TV broadcast in 1080p. The only thing a 1080p set is good for is if you have a gaming system or DVD player that has a 1080p output. Otherwise each set takes the 480/720/1080 input and converts to it's native resolution.

[Ahriman 1]

Sure the $150 cables may be better, but you're not talking about perceptible difference. Also, gold plated means jack shit for digital signals. It's a pulse, not a wave, so the chance of degradation and attenuation are nil unless you have a broken cable.

There is a difference in cables for speakers, not for digital signals. Notice how no one pays attention to component or DVI cables, just HDMI.

No, no they are not better. They are not better in any way at all. Not an "imperceptible difference" no difference at all except that you've been screwed by someone selling a high margin item instead of a low margin one. If you desperately seek a cable right now go to RadioShack maybe, you might be able to at least find one that doesnt have "deuterium diamond coating" or "kevlar weave" or whatever bullshit.

Get ALL of your cables of any sort, data or A/V for any reason from monoprice.com or http://www.bluejeanscable.com/. Monoprice offers even those fancy gold plated USB cables for 99cents, 10 foot HDMI for under $5. And they ship extremely fast. I doubt you could walk into Best Buy and pick up any length of HDMI for less than $20

In fact everyone should read this link http://www.bluejeanscable.com/legal/mcp/index.htm Where the onwer/operator of blue jeans cable gets threatened by Monster Cable and tells them to go screw off. It's delicious.

[Rustpot 1]

No, no they are not better. They are not better in any way at all. Not an "imperceptible difference" no difference at all except that you've been screwed by someone selling a high margin item instead of a low margin one. If you desperately seek a cable right now go to RadioShack maybe, you might be able to at least find one that doesnt have "deuterium diamond coating" or "kevlar weave" or whatever bullshit.

I wasn't speaking in terms of signal, more in terms of the cable construction. I've had cheap HDMI cables get cut, get interference from an EM source due to no shielding, and have the heads fail. If I spend $100 on a cable with a nice shielded weave and a better head I'm sure I wouldn't have had any issues. That said it's still cheaper to buy 3 $6 cables than one $100 cable.

[AnthonyJTa 0]

Comcast downgrades their HD signals in some markets and I'm only allowed to have one HD tuner in my house. I hate those farging comcast corksuckers. Bonus points to get the reference but don't feel compelled to tell everyone.

Bastiches! .... Anywhoo, I have the same issue with Comcrap and their HD resolution, I remember the guy installing stating it was only 720p or 720i, not 100% sure...and then he said to check out Fios.

[Too Old 1]

720p is HD. As is 1080i. It just depends on which broadcast format the network uses. Some claim the 720p is better for action sports due to the progressive scan mode vs the interlaced that 1080i is. No matter what the TV set ends up scaling the input to whatever the native resolution is for the panel or tube. So many folks just are brainwashed now thinking they must have a 1080p television even if they don't have a DVD/gaming system capable of the 1080p output. We had a dildo at work who whined that we "only replaced our 1080i LCD HD set with a 720p". I explained that the native resolution and 768 x 1366 panels were likely from the same supplier no matter what the TV was. Of course they just "knew" the picture on the "720p" was "much worse than the 1080i because it isn't as good". Lol. I told them to go read up on the HD formats and how TV resolution and scaling work and then come back and we'd talk about it. Yes... I'm an A/V affecionado too if you can't tell.

[Ahriman 1]

I wasn't speaking in terms of signal, more in terms of the cable construction. I've had cheap HDMI cables get cut, get interference from an EM source due to no shielding, and have the heads fail. If I spend $100 on a cable with a nice shielded weave and a better head I'm sure I wouldn't have had any issues. That said it's still cheaper to buy 3 $6 cables than one $100 cable.

The wire get get cut? They sit behind your tv or in the wall and never move again, why would you be worried about that? And I've seen bird nests behind displays before, it doesn't affect HDMI, it's a digital signal meaning it either shows up point B or it doesn't. The wires in an HDMI cable are set up using differential signaling which also minimizes the chances of interference causing signal loss. Unless you're coiling the wire around a power supply cable and pointing a doorless microwave and 3 wireless routers at it there should be absolutely nothing to worry about. Everything I've bought from monoprice has been every bit the equal of the Acoustics Research or monster cables I've had after 6 moves. If you're constantly unplugging and traveling with the equipment, obviously you'll want something better than the lowest price cable, however monoprice (unlike monster) offers reasonable steps up from the lowest price point without adding on a $20 margin and advertises "research" that shows gremlins will get into your tv and force you to cheat on your wife if you dont use bulky, inflexible cables that are quantifiably no better.

And too old, well...if the signal you're getting is 1080i, which most of cable/sat tv signals are, you are arguanly better off with the native display then downscaling it to the 720p based on the quality of the receiver/monitor. If you're telling a 360 or PS3 or whatnot to send your 720p display a 1080 signal then you're also doing yourself a disservice. If you stand in front of enough displays long enough playing the same source you will notice the difference between the resolutions. Of course in the end it's just insane for that guy to even think that an LCD was displaying an interlaced signal in the first place.....

[Too Old 1]

The scaling varies in quality with the brand of electronics doing the work. The precise reason I prefer to use my Denon DVD with Faroudja hiding inside it. You just need to determine if things look better letting the component or the monitor do the scaling. Personally I don't see a huge difference between the 720p and 10801 pictures (we have a pair of LCD's and one CRT for HD viewing) other than the 720p is marginally better for sports. But it does take a good LCD so you don't get shadowing. As to cables it's funny to overhear the kids at Best Buy extolling the magical virtues of Monster products. And most often the folks shopping there are gullible enough to belive the hype. I went online to buy the two Denon AVR's and DVD's we have. Some of the Klipsch speakers came from a very good local shop and some others were online buys. I'd advise folks to lurk around the AVS forums if they want to learn a bit more about things.

[Rustpot 1]

I wasn't speaking in terms of signal, more in terms of the cable construction. I've had cheap HDMI cables get cut, get interference from an EM source due to no shielding, and have the heads fail. If I spend $100 on a cable with a nice shielded weave and a better head I'm sure I wouldn't have had any issues. That said it's still cheaper to buy 3 $6 cables than one $100 cable.

The wire get get cut? They sit behind your tv or in the wall and never move again, why would you be worried about that? And I've seen bird nests behind displays before, it doesn't affect HDMI, it's a digital signal meaning it either shows up point B or it doesn't. The wires in an HDMI cable are set up using differential signaling which also minimizes the chances of interference causing signal loss. Unless you're coiling the wire around a power supply cable and pointing a doorless microwave and 3 wireless routers at it there should be absolutely nothing to worry about. Everything I've bought from monoprice has been every bit the equal of the Acoustics Research or monster cables I've had after 6 moves. If you're constantly unplugging and traveling with the equipment, obviously you'll want something better than the lowest price cable, however monoprice (unlike monster) offers reasonable steps up from the lowest price point without adding on a $20 margin and advertises "research" that shows gremlins will get into your tv and force you to cheat on your wife if you dont use bulky, inflexible cables that are quantifiably no better.

Between the 5 of us at the house with all of our electronics, and whoever may come over with a different system, we switch the cabling around quite a bit. One cable ate it to a sharp corner on the entertainment stand, a similar one would not transmit if it was laid by the power strip and would give us problems every so often of transmitting a purple picture, and we had a cable separate where the body of the head meets the main cable strand. The last one was probably a fluke and the dead cables were replaced with ones that had a braided guard and a thicker gauge for the rubber of the main shield to help keep the cable from being creased or cut from rolling on it, coiling too tight, etc. They cost $9 from Newegg I think, where the cheaper, smaller gauge barebones ones were 5 or $6.