Mod Note:

this is the place for cables/switchers/power conditioners talk (and related accessories)

Sorry: some posts got out of order!

Component vs. HDMI for plasma TVs
OK, somebody set me straight ...

HDMI is a totally digital wiring interface between (lets say) a DVD player and a TV (in this case a plasma). No analog-digital or digital-analog coversions whatsoever. Right?? So, HDMI should be *better* than component, which is analog. Better = sharper, clearer more accurate image.

Reading an article on the cobaltcable.com page, they say in their "choosing between component and HDMI/DVD" pdf that only LCoS and DLP sets are digital. Plasmas and LCD and CRT's, according to them, are all analog. WTF? Is this correct? Furthermore, they go on to state that HDMI might actually look worse on a Plasma and LCD when compared to component connections. Again WTF? Is this true? I thought that plasmas were indeed digital. Dont they allow EDID information to pass through to allow 2 way communication between devices? My plasma and DVD player suppport EDID. I am about to drop some $$$ on a couple of HDMI cables, but am kind of confused about all this now. Anyone know the straight goods on this subject???

All digital: plasma, DLP, certain LCoS (such as eLCoS (http://archive.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4440768#post4440768)). Mixed results with HDMI or DVI versus YPbPr just suggests varying effectiveness at implementing a complex circuit in different displays. -- John

Like most people here....cant see much if any difference, it's just another input to use for whatever you want to hookup.
Theres alot of hdmi handshake issue's,my panny ed plasma has underscan issue's with hdmi, also i see green sparklies unless i set my black level to dark
It all depends on your panel, setup, needs and expectations.

whatever minor advantage may be claimed for HDMI over component video is negated by the problems ascotiated with the HDMI interface and copy protection

component video just works all the time with few issues and it is easier to switch

I had the panny ED for a while. I noticed a big difference using HDMI over component. Sharper picture, better face detail which is something I had a real problem with on the ED set. Upgraded to the HD. Havent' been able to tell the difference between HDMI and component on this set. Though I never did an extensive comparison as the HD set fixed the clayface issue that bothered me so much.

Won't we be stuck with HDMI when BluRay and HD-DVD finally come along? Last I read, most of those players will output high-def signals over HDMI only.

whatever minor advantage may be claimed for HDMI over component video is negated by the problems ascotiated with the HDMI interface and copy protection

component video just works all the time with few issues and it is easier to switch

Won't we be stuck with HDMI when BluRay and HD-DVD finally come along? Last I read, most of those players will output high-def signals over HDMI only.

eventually Yes: I hope by then the HDMI mess is resolved and it works as intended

I think the first generation of these new players will still offer 1080i over component video (no one knows for sure)

Furthermore, they go on to state that HDMI might actually look worse on a Plasma and LCD when compared to component connections. Again WTF? Is this true?

There are instances where personal taste might make the component output look better than HDMI. Invariably the HDMI will be the more accurate image, but it certainly is possible that, although less accurate (and this accuracy would vary with the combination of display device and source), the 'alterations' that a component signal might produce, might actually look more pleasing to some. Just as with audio, 'accurate' is not always what looks or sounds best to many.

As Mark suggests (and we've both suffered through this), HDMI takes more work and more time when there are several HDMI sources involved. Some handshakes take far too long depending on the switcher, source, and display, or don't happen at all. You just have to experiment with these switchers. I'm currently having very good luck with a Gefen 4X1 HDMI switcher with discrete Toslink/coax audio switching. I tried a Gefen 4X2 HDMI switcher which can carry the audio with the video via HDMI (assuming your display supports it), but the switching time was far too long and for some sources I got PCM rather than DD.

HDMI is simply hit and miss depending on your device, your switcher and your display. Too many times these combinations don't play well together. :(

TyTimp,

I believe that you are the one that I have been hoping to hear from ever since I found this forum. I have been wanting to put an ED Panny in my bedroom for the past two years, almost bought the PD50 until I saw the "Clayface" phenomenon and it stopped me in my tracks.

The TH-42PWD8UK (along with the TH-XXPHD8'S) advertise that if you feed the set via DVI or HDMI you get double the number of grayscale steps and vastly many more colors in the pallette. This is supposed to eliminate the false contourting artifact, ie. "Clayface", banding, posterization, et al.

Which ED did you have? It sounds like you could see an improvement in the image using HDMI but that it didn't solve the false-contouring issues. Could you tell that there was a smoother grayscale and there were more colors due to the 14-bit processing? If not, and you still experienced clayface, why would changing to the HD version make any difference, as it has the same processing depth both for component and the digital inputs?

Any insights that you can provide will be much appreciated ... I really want to get something quickly, but do NOT want to live with false contouring. Have considered a NEC because people seem not to see f/c on those sets, which are 14-bit both component and digital inputs.

Thank You for your insights!

TyTimp ..... Where are you, Man?

Figure out by your equipment, if certain ones have to use HDMI of course use them. Else go by picture quality, which ever one looks better to you, keep that one. It's also a good test to make sure all your jacks work, there are tv's out there with a defective component jack or defective hdmi jack without the owner even knowning because they never bothered testing it.

All digital: plasma, DLP, certain LCoS (such as eLCoS (http://archive.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4440768#post4440768)). Mixed results with HDMI or DVI versus YPbPr just suggests varying effectiveness at implementing a complex circuit in different displays. -- John


so are you saying that Cobaltcable is full of cr*p when they publish info that flatly states that plasma are analog and not digital?

Here is the link: http://cobaltcable.com/pdfs/component_vs_dvi_hdmi.pdf

yes, he probably is, and rightfully so. it's a retarded statement.

unless you watch tv with 1s and 0s descending down the screen matrix-style, there's a digital to analog conversion going on somewhere in the chain, whether it's at the TV or somewhere before the TV.

the only question is which point in the chain is best to do that analog to digital conversion in your setup. maybe it's the TV if it can display digital inputs correctly. maybe it's before the TV if yours is one of the ones with a laundry list of HDMI issues that can't be solved by the end user.

It would be more correct to say that the conversion in a plasma is digital to time.

A plasma can be thought of as a tiny fluorescent light for every pixel. The only way to modulate the brightness of a fluorescent light is to turn it on and off many times a second. This is the way dimmers for fluorescent lights work. So within the 1/60 of a second between changes of the image, the pixel turns on and off several times to create the illusion of a brightness level.

Sounds a lot more digital than analog.

Although, there is actually no such thing as a "digital" circuit. All circuits are made of the same components. It is just that in a digital circuit, we define some voltages as one and some voltages as zero (and some voltages as undefined).

TyTimp ..... Where are you, Man?
Sorry, I only read this board while at work. :D

TyTimp,

I believe that you are the one that I have been hoping to hear from ever since I found this forum. I have been wanting to put an ED Panny in my bedroom for the past two years, almost bought the PD50 until I saw the "Clayface" phenomenon and it stopped me in my tracks.

The TH-42PWD8UK (along with the TH-XXPHD8'S) advertise that if you feed the set via DVI or HDMI you get double the number of grayscale steps and vastly many more colors in the pallette. This is supposed to eliminate the false contourting artifact, ie. "Clayface", banding, posterization, et al.

Which ED did you have? It sounds like you could see an improvement in the image using HDMI but that it didn't solve the false-contouring issues. Could you tell that there was a smoother grayscale and there were more colors due to the 14-bit processing? If not, and you still experienced clayface, why would changing to the HD version make any difference, as it has the same processing depth both for component and the digital inputs?

Any insights that you can provide will be much appreciated ... I really want to get something quickly, but do NOT want to live with false contouring. Have considered a NEC because people seem not to see f/c on those sets, which are 14-bit both component and digital inputs.

Thank You for your insights!
I previously had the 42PD50, now I have the 42PX50. I regards to false contouring, I get just as much with the PX as I did with the PD. I find false contouring more to do with a digital source. I've compared scenes against my 13" CRT in my bedroom and get the same results. The bigger TV just makes it more evident. I watched "The Fog" on the weekend (terrible movie but it was free) that movie shows false contouring at its finest because of the massive amount of shades of fog. This would actually be an excellent test disc for comparing how each panel handles false contouring. Anything with lights under water would also be good, like "The Abyss" or "The Cave" (another crappy movie) One thing I never did but I'll have to di is compare the f/c over HDMI vs component. Didn't do alot on the PD50 though.
I'm not sure if my terminology is correct but the "clayface" that I speak of that was so evident on the 42PD50 was the lack of detail on peoples faces, not false contouring. I don't know if these two are related. HDMI greatly helped the problem on the PD50 but I still wasn't satisfied. Jay Leno was a great test for this as it is the worst show for clayface.
The last HDMI vs component test I did was from a scene from LOST and couldn't tell the difference on the 42PX50. I'll have to do more tests with problem shows and DVD's and report back.

TY;

Your description of the "lack of detail" in peoples' faces is a perfect description of "clayface", and I believe that this is one in the same phenomenon as "banding", the visible transition from lighter-to-darker shades and vice versa (seen as contour lines going from lighter blue to darker blue in the sky or water, for example), and "posterization" (seen as abrupt changes in skin tone, also along contour lines). You are experiencing the same thing as me, only I just barely happened to notice it in the store before I bought it. There I was, checkbook in hand and looking at something that I knew I couldn't live with.

The PD50 and the PX50 should be the same with regard to false contouring, because they both are limited to 2048 grayscale steps, even when using HDMI/DVI. The commercial panels, the PWD8UK and the PHD8UK supposedly double the number of grayscale steps when feeding the signal via DVI/HDMI. Theoretically, this should reduce or eliminate false contouring. At this point, I have not found anyone who can say definitively that it works, or that it doesn't.

For some reason it appears that Panasonic chose to raise the number of grayscale steps in the new PD60, PX60 and PX600 all the way up to 3072.....which is 1024 steps below what the PWD8 and the PDH8's can do now. I don't understand this move at all. Are they saying that false contouring is eliminated at 3072 and that the 4096 level is overkill? If so, why is NEC doing the 4096 steps as they have for the last several years? I have even heard NEC owners say that they occassionally see "clayface", although they usually say that it is source dependent, not the set.

Unfortunately, comparing the HDMI and component inputs on the PD50 and the PX50 won't shed any light on the 14-bit processing capability or its efficacy. To compare the 2048 steps against the 4096 steps would require a consumer panel and a commercial panel, or comparing the component input against the HDMI input on a commercial panel. It seems like such an obvious comparison to me that all sorts of reviewers would have done it by now. CNET has reviewed the commercial panels, but has never commented on the difference between digital inputs and analog...I just don't understand it.

Anyway, thank you for your reply and I look forward to your continued input.

Anybody know of a good cheap HDMI cable? I would prefer not to spend $150 on a monster cable when I know a much cheaper one will do the job. Thanks

www.monoprice.com

Also try Radio Shack.

monoprice,last nite at 12am i ordered a hmdi to dvi cable for $6 and when i woke up this morning it was shipped so far this is THE BEST service of any kind online usually it takes a day or two to process the order ..this was not the case here

He said cheap. HDMI cable at Radio Shack is NOT cheap. I purchased one from Monoprice.com a few weeks ago and it works great.

Anybody know of a good cheap HDMI cable? I would prefer not to spend $150 on a monster cable when I know a much cheaper one will do the job. ThanksGot mine from Monoprice also - it arrived within two days.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/search.asp?keyword=2412&x=0&y=11

I want the male to male to go to from my Comcast box to my Plasma, same thing for DVD to Plasma... right..

No difference in quality compared to monster?

I too got my Monoprice cables real quick. IF you buy the premium HDMI cable, it has some ferrite core at the end at each cable and my electrician had a hard time fishing it through the wall b/c there was some pipe obstruction. So I had to go with the $90 Monster. Oh well.

I appreciate the help everyone.

Depends on what you call cheap. Radio Shack looks and is cheap compared to Monster
andwith Radio Shack you get it that second. I think a got the 12' HDMI for $34.99

I concur on Monoprice.... they shipped mine quick... and got a great price.

By popular acclaim, monoprice officially rules.

can anybody tell me where i can find a quality VGA to component cable?

the couple that i found on the internet were pretty crappy looking, i'd like a quality cable.

thanks.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/search.asp?keyword=vga+component

http://www.monoprice.com/products/search.asp?keyword=vga+component

wow, i wish i'd seen this before i ordered one from a place down the road here for 160.00 :eek:

thanks just the same, flyjar

wow, i wish i'd seen this before i ordered one from a place down the road here for 160.00 :eek:



Can you return it ???


ATTENTION: The New Domain for BruZZi's Panasonic Plasma FAQ is bruzzi.ws
If you have a direct link to the site please uptade to the new Domain Name.

Can you return it ???


ATTENTION: The New Domain for BruZZi's Panasonic Plasma FAQ is bruzzi.ws
If you have a direct link to the site please uptade to the new Domain Name.


lol, i haven't even picked it up yet, but i will at this point. i paid by credit card and besides, it's a hell of a nice cable. :D

Usually one needs a VGA to component electronic adaptor such as sold by "Audio Authority". http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/Audio-Authority.html?OVRAW=audio%20authority&OVKEY=audio%20authority&OVMTC=standard which also can be found at https://www.audioauthority.com/indexh.php

Usually one needs a VGA to component electronic adaptor such as sold by "Audio Authority". http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/Audio-Authority.html?OVRAW=audio%20authority&OVKEY=audio%20authority&OVMTC=standard which also can be found at https://www.audioauthority.com/indexh.php
It depends on whether your device can be configured to output YPbPr through the VGA port or not. If it can, then all you need is VGA->component cable. If not, you'll need a transcoder like you suggested.

I just ordered my Panny TH-50PHD-8UK today (Iam very excited by the way,LOL).And Iam wondering if I use a VGA rgb input to the panel, coming from Dish Hd tuner (component vid cables), will I notice a significant picture difference?

I would contact complete-it.ca

he carries a complete set of cables. Local guy too, you can save shipping!

Another good cables vendor: pccables.com

I just ordered my Panny TH-50PHD-8UK today (Iam very excited by the way,LOL).And Iam wondering if I use a VGA rgb input to the panel, coming from Dish Hd tuner (component vid cables), will I notice a significant picture difference?

Thing is, your Dish box is surely going to be outputing component as YPbPr, not RGB. Your display will take YPbPr over the VGA input, but it isn't going to do anything for image quality for you. If your Dish box can output RGB over component then you don't need an adapter to go to VGA either, as your display also accepts RGB over the component inputs.

I am getting this tv preety soon. I was wondering if anyone has first hand experience comparing the two types of connections on this TV. I am referring to the connection to a cabnle box and the picture quality that goes along with it. I was planning on getting a moxi box with component hook up. I want to now which shouls i go with becuase with this information, I will make my decision as to which blade/video card to buy along with the tv. Component or HDMI/DVI?

There is very little difference in PQ between any of the three options you are considering. The more important reason for getting HDMI or DVI is the HDCP capability that comes with the interface cards. You will need HDCP to view upcoming copy protected HD sources. I would suggest HDMI as it is the newer interface standard and will probably be around longer than DVI. Your cable company will probably provide free component cables, so don't rush into any expensive cables.

As long as you don't care about price and are just concerned with quality, I'd say the best option is to go with HDMI. HDMI is by far the best connection out right now for HD broadcasts as it can transmit both the HD signal and digital audio in one clear connection.

I see, so with component connections (Im not sure if the charter moxi even has an hdmi anyhow, that i'll check in a while) i would not be able to watch the new hd dvds. What else do you mean by copy protected hd sources?

i might add that at this pont i dont have a sound system yet, i would just be using either the attachments for two speakers that are built into the tv or my prologic type av reciever. Also i do not have a newer proggressive/upscaling dvd player.

It sounds like from what you guys say and from other posts ive read, that hdmi is better, but i may not have anything to plug that connection into at this point, maybe i have to wait a while for that upgrade.

The future of HDCP is just about anything that Hollywood wants to protect and I'll leave it to others to speculate on what that might be. As for DVD players; even the low end ones ($60-$100) are now progressive scan with component output and produce a great picture on the 8UKs. If your cable box does not have an HDMI output, this will drive you to a second component input on your 8UK which can be had by adding an adapter to the PC input that does come standard. It's hard to imagine anyone buying an 8UK and then tolerating a non-progressive S-Video DVD player for long.

It does not have an active HDMI input right now...can you tell me more about this pc connect adapter for component? that sounds like exactly what i need. I would buy 1 HDMI card (for dvd player, or future use) then have two component connections free (with the adapter on) - 1 for cable box and 1 for av receiver or xbox or whatever.....

to be a little more specific, what is the name of that adapter (in general). And would using an adapter of any kind degrade transmission of the signal?

i might add that at this pont i dont have a sound system yet, i would just be using either the attachments for two speakers that are built into the tv or my prologic type av reciever.
Um. You know the 8UK doesn't come with any speakers....right?

yes, i meant the inputs for the speakers, which the tv comes with.....i'll just have to start with my existing speakers for now before i get a surround system hooked up

I can't speak to your particular TV, but I just got an HDMI cable for my Sony LCD XBR. The PQ difference between it and the component cables I have been using is very subtle. HDMI is slightly sharper with slightly less ghosting of images (most apparent when looking at onscreen menus), but from a normal viewing distance with actual video content it's just about a wash. The HDMI cable was quite inexpensive (from monoprice), so I'll probably just keep it in anticipation of whatever variation of hi-def DVD player I buy in a year or so.

to be a little more specific, what is the name of that adapter (in general). And would using an adapter of any kind degrade transmission of the signal?

It's actually a cable with RCA component on one end and a PC type VGA connector on the other. I've seen them referred to as "VGA to Component" cables. I would, however, suggest you wait till you actually need two component inputs before buying it. Your long term solution might be an A/V Receiver with component or HDMI switching. This allows multiple inputs to the receiver to be switched to a single input on the TV. You'll have to do your own research on this when the time comes as the economics of the options is changing rapidly. You can find more on the subject by searching the forum.

...You will need HDCP to view upcoming copy protected HD sources....
I was under the impression that HDCP was only there for the digital signal transfer, and that component cable transfer, analogue, would not have this. True???

well, i picked up the 160.00 cable today, brought it home, and proceeded to break one of the pins off.

oh boy. :(

Just trying to understand something. I understand HDMI contains audio data. How would I use a single hdmi cable to get the audio info to my receiver. It seems I can only get it into my tv's speakers. Am I missing something here?

Also, how good is a DVI to HDMI cable compared to an HDMI>HDMI setup. Is there much of a difference??

Thx.

You would need to run optical or coaxial digital audio to the receiver.

Also, the video portion of DVI and HDMI are identical, so there should be absolutely no quality difference between the two.

So, obviously, you won't get any audio from the dvi cable so it would be video only and in order to get the audio on a hdmi>hdmi setup, you need to run optical from the display -- if there indeed is one available.

My 50 dlp has hdmi in but no optical out but the new plasma does have optical out.

Sound right??

well, i picked up the 160.00 cable today, brought it home, and proceeded to break one of the pins off.

oh boy. :(


:D


Which Brand is It ???


BruZZi's Panasonic Plasma FAQ - bruzzi.ws
Lots of info for all Plasmas in general.

well, i picked up the 160.00 cable today, brought it home, and proceeded to break one of the pins off.

oh boy. :(
What 160.00 cable?

It's not the cable that determines whether you have audio/video or video only. It is the source and destination devices. The cable doesn't care if there is audio or not. If you take a DVI cable and slap 2 DVI->HDMI dongles on them it will carry audio just fine as long as the source and destination devices are HDMI.

You can get audio to your receiver either by connecting your HDMI devices to the receiver's HDMI inputs and the HDMI output of the receiver to your TV or you can connect the HDMI to your TV and take the TV's audio out and connect to your receiver.

Similarly, if your TV has digital audio out or your source device has digital audio out, you can also use those to send audio to your receiver.

I just bought the Panasonic TH-37PWD8UY plasma. I am hooking our vcr to it to use as a tuner. (this is a second plasma, so we are not using a cable box with it). We have so many extra Monster audio cables. Is it OK to hook the composite video output from the vcr to the Panny with a Monster audio cable, or should I buy a true composite video cable?
Thanks.
Dave

Should be fine. While we're at it, there's nothing special about a digital coaxial audio connection and any 75 ohm RCA terminated cable can be used.

If the cable is a 75ohm cable, yes. If it is no, or you do not know, recommend using a proper 75ohm cable. You certainly can't damage anything, but with an incorrect cable you may get ghosting problems.

:D


Which Brand is It ???


BruZZi's Panasonic Plasma FAQ - bruzzi.ws
Lots of info for all Plasmas in general.

it's an ultralink XCV-6 component to XGA

it's an ultralink XCV-6 component to XGA

Never heard of it but they look nice. :)



BruZZi's Panasonic Plasma FAQ -> bruzzi.ws
Lots of info for all Plasmas in general.

If the cable is a 75ohm cable, yes. If it is no, or you do not know, recommend using a proper 75ohm cable. You certainly can't damage anything, but with an incorrect cable you may get ghosting problems.
75 ohm for an audio cable?

Any RCA cable will work. It can introduce noise but I use different types all the time.

Any benefit to getting the HDMI cables with net-jacket from monoprice (#2219) or should I just stick with the normal ones (#2412). Will be using it to connect cable box to lcd tv.

Monoprice is a great company! I've heard great reviews on them. I went the cheap cable route and glad I didn't get screwed out of $100!

Target Monster Hdmi $69.99

Anybody know of a good cheap HDMI cable? I would prefer not to spend $150 on a monster cable when I know a much cheaper one will do the job. Thanks
Monster makes crap cables. Just expensive and performance stinks.

The top quality name brands are: BetterCables, AViC, and AudioQuest.


Since you're going digital, I would say BlueJeans may suit ya. You don't have to go too expensive with DVI/HDMI class cables..

The Cable (VGA) that I bought off of Ebay for my 42" Panny worked well and Didn't fall apart !! :D

The Cable (VGA) that I bought off of Ebay for my 42" Panny worked well and Didn't fall apart !! :D

the cable didn't "fall apart", i broke it.

How did you break a Pin off ?? :confused:

not sure where to put this!

when i go HDTV should cablevision update my cables from the street into my house.

id guess the cables are about 15-20 years old.,

Very unlikely they are about to replace cables at that end unless they are shown to be faulty. The important cable is from the wall to your components and making sure your electrical is able to run Clean without interference and at the same time protects your investment, I use a Belkin PureAV PF40 line conditioner and it works great and got it with big time discount at Ecost once in the shopping cart.

So good connections then from the STB to the TV's with either component or HDMI/DVI and clean power/protection and you should be fine. I've never had Satellite but many state they compress HD alot affecting HD. If there was a problem exteernally it would impact everyone in the region but since it's buried or elevated and out of reach it's unlikely, if you do what you can to maximize the feed and issues occur then they may be able to test the lines externally.

It's sort of like when I suspect issues with my five T1 lines on my network I have to work from my equipment back to the smartjack and test before calling my Telco to exclude my equipment otherwise I get a billable service call at $150 per hour when they come out to test their end (if they are unable to do it remotely) - so take care of your end and minimalize electrical issues within the home and then work backwards knowing you've done what's needed internally rather than assume age of the cable has a role. I'm forced to do it so I don't waste my IT budget resources out of panic during a T1 loss. Usually issues occur from auto accidents, weather, rodents chewing through or construction diggers that fail to call Ms. Dig, or the smartjack locking up.

But after you've done all you can and issues persist they can come out and test the lines from the local box they may be connected to that feeds your home and they should be able to feed and test from point-to-point and I've heard of this being done and they can replace the section depending on the logistics.

Good Luck! :)

How did you break a Pin off ?? :confused:

the space between the connection on the display and the pedistal stand is very small. the cable is reinforced at both ends and i had to push hard just to get the connector attached to the display.

i got it in there and then it popped out. i looked at it and it was missing a pin.

it's obviously hard to explain, lol.

Another vote for Monoprice here. I went with the slightly more expensive HDMI cable that has the net jacket. It looked a bit more sturdy from the website pictures. I splurged for the slightly higher end one:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&cs_id=1024002&p_id=2219&seq=1&format=2&style=

Still under $20 shipped to my house, and the picture looks just fine. No sparkling artifacts or anything like that, which tells me that the digital signal is getting from cable box to TV just fine. Happy with the cable, and impressed with the company.

I'm truly astonished that Monster can get away for selling much the same thing for 5x the price.

I'm truly astonished that Monster can get away for selling much the same thing for 5x the price.
Monster gives great margins to the dealers. So of course sales reps push them.

About the only thing I can say is , I'm sorry.

Chances are the installers will evaluate that when they come to do your install. You could ask at that time. They can do a signal strength test if the picture you are getting is not up to par.

not sure where to put this!

when i go HDTV should cablevision update my cables from the street into my house.

id guess the cables are about 15-20 years old.,Definitely... if you are "upgrading" to digital cable... then your coax cable, outside and inside your home, should be "upgraded" to shielded RG-6.

jltv, you are so right. My son works for BB and I paid 1/3 of what the retail price was for a 4' HDMI monster cable. Talk about profit margin!

Hey, just got great news that my Panny th-42PHD8uk is coming in 2 days. Have an HDMI cable that I got a great deal on but now need component cables for the DVD player.

Any reviews on Acoustic Research cables? They are the alternative to Monster at Best Buy. Normally I wouldn't buy there but I got a gift card and might as well use it.

Thoughts? Alternatives?

Thanks

AR cables are fine, if you want to spend your gift card.

Thanks Marty. I know everyone loves monoprice and blue jean and a million others. Was just checking. I appreciate it.

Yeah, but people are willing to buy it! My next door neighbor dropped $150 for an HDMI cable, nearly 10x what I paid. His is 12ft long to the 6ft cable I bought, but still!

Monster gives great margins to the dealers. So of course sales reps push them.

They'll probably just do it. When I switched to digital cable a few years back, the company I had at the time (then MediaOne) ran new cables to the house without me bringing it up. They'd already wired the neighborhood for digital services, but they were upgrading the final run from the lamppost to customers' homes only as needed.

Since we get alot of Cable Questions and Inquiries, please put your questions here.

I have merged the other threads with this one.

Thanks.

Dave

I just ordered the Pioneer PDP-5060. I was curius the best way to hook it up to my HD cable box. Should I buy HDMI cables or just use component cables? I have heard mixed opinions.

Thanks for any help.

-Moo

I just ordered the Pioneer PDP-5060. I was curius the best way to hook it up to my HD cable box. Should I buy HDMI cables or just use component cables? I have heard mixed opinions.More people here seem to like HDMI better than Component (including me). To me HDMI looks a little sharper and the colors are a teensy bit subdued in comparison but that's easily fixed in the user menu. And the Audio is better through HDMI than it is through the regular red/white connections if you're using those. I now have two SA8300HD DVRs connected to my TV with both type of connection and the one with the Monoprice $7 HDMI cable looks better than the other one with the $19 AR/BB Component cables.

However some people report that Component looks better with their particular setup so maybe some equipment/TV combos don't respond to HDMI as well. The best way to know for sure is to just order and HDMI cable and try it yourself - it's under ten bucks shipped.

made this a sticky

this is the place for cables/switchers/power conditioners talk (and related accessories)

One thing is for certain -- don't waste your money on a $100 HDMI cable from Monster or the like. Total waste of money. For the price of a cheap meal you can get an HDMI cable from monoprice that will do the job.

More people here seem to like HDMI better than Component (including me). To me HDMI looks a little sharper and the colors are a teensy bit subdued in comparison but that's easily fixed in the user menu. And the Audio is better through HDMI than it is through the regular red/white connections if you're using those. I now have two SA8300HD DVRs connected to my TV with both type of connection and the one with the Monoprice $7 HDMI cable looks better than the other one with the $19 AR/BB Component cables.

However some people report that Component looks better with their particular setup so maybe some equipment/TV combos don't respond to HDMI as well. The best way to know for sure is to just order and HDMI cable and try it yourself - it's under ten bucks shipped.

Monster gives great margins to the dealers. So of course sales reps push them.


To a large degree that is true.
However it is not the entire story.
Just went to the monoprice site and looked at the HDMI cables.
The terminals do not carry the HDMI logo, which should mean that they have not been tested and certified as correct.
Mostly it means that they (monoprice) are not paying for legal licencing (expensive).
Major cable mfgr's CAN NOT (cease and desist orders are a PITA) take the chance of running afoul of these legal issues.
Therefore they have to pay to play.
The purpose of this is two fold.
First: Provides a construction technique and performance baseline for the mfgr. to work from.
Second: Products that have been tested and correctly licenced should give the consumer confidence in their product.
Now all of the above has no effect on rather or not the cable is any good.
Monoprice appears to have a good working cable for not a lot of money,
this does not mean that other cable mfgr's are ripping you off.

Note also: Monoprice has no actual investment in product development, they buy off the China shelve (saving several hunderd thousand allows for a much lower selling price).
All good for the consumer but not a level playing field.
Sorry for the sour grapes.

I'm Sean with Monoprice, Inc. First of all, I'd like to say "Thanks alot for your great support, AVS Forum members." I happened to read this comment and would like to clarify on it.

To a large degree that is true.
However it is not the entire story.
Just went to the monoprice site and looked at the HDMI cables.
The terminals do not carry the HDMI logo, which should mean that they have not been tested and certified as correct.
Mostly it means that they (monoprice) are not paying for legal licencing (expensive).
Major cable mfgr's CAN NOT (cease and desist orders are a PITA) take the chance of running afoul of these legal issues.
Therefore they have to pay to play.
The purpose of this is two fold.
First: Provides a construction technique and performance baseline for the mfgr. to work from.
Second: Products that have been tested and correctly licenced should give the consumer confidence in their product.
Now all of the above has no effect on rather or not the cable is any good.
Monoprice appears to have a good working cable for not a lot of money,
this does not mean that other cable mfgr's are ripping you off.

Our HDMI cables are manufactured from a factory in China who is one of the leading HDMI licensed adaptors. It can be easily verified with HDMI Licensing, L.L.C. Since the prices we've been selling HDMI cables are so lower comparing to the prices other companies are selling, I can understand why Brent has thought our cables are unlicensed products. However, it would have been nicer if he has verified this info before posting his comment on this thread. Brent McCall, he has already explained why you need to buy HDMI licensed products. I thank you for the explanation. Again, all our HDMI products are HDMI licensed.

Note also: Monoprice has no actual investment in product development, they buy off the China shelve (saving several hunderd thousand allows for a much lower selling price).
All good for the consumer but not a level playing field.
Sorry for the sour grapes.

We've been cooperating with the manufacturer in China for HDMI products. Monoprice and the manufacturer have spent hundreds thousands on R&D. We are not just buying cables from their shelves but also developing and improving HDMI products with them together. Monoprice and I will do anything to provide the best quality products at lowest prices possible to all Monoprice's supporters!

Should you have any question, please write me an email at sean@monoprice.com. Thanks for giving me a chance to clarify on this legal and quality issue.

Regards,

Sean Lee
Monoprice, Inc.

Anybody know of a good cheap HDMI cable? I would prefer not to spend $150 on a monster cable when I know a much cheaper one will do the job. Thanks

Very high quality, lightning fast service here:
http://www.bluejeanscable.com/

not sure where to put this!

when i go HDTV should cablevision update my cables from the street into my house.

id guess the cables are about 15-20 years old.,

YES
Also INSIDE the house. Make sure you have RG-6 and NOT RG-59

I just ordered the Pioneer PDP-5060. I was curius the best way to hook it up to my HD cable box. Should I buy HDMI cables or just use component cables? I have heard mixed opinions.

Thanks for any help.

-Moo
Neither--get a CableCard. I have a new 5060 and my cable company is temporarily out of cablecards, so I got the STB for now. It comes with component interconnects. What a pain in the ass juggling remote controls, fishing five-conductor RCA cables and putting up with that stupid STB. Demand a CableCard! It may also be cheaper. My Cable Co charges $8/month for the STB but the Card is a one-time $120 purchase.

I need a 6' hdmi cable to connect cable box to pioneer proelite 930 tv. trying to 'support the sponsors', I looked for same on three of the cable sources listed in the sponser deal. and found prices for what sounds like the same thing for x$, 2x$, and 3x$.

and of course there is the monster one that the sales guy wants to sell me for like 6x$.

so, how does one choose?

skiguy

I need a 6' hdmi cable to connect cable box to pioneer proelite 930 tv. trying to 'support the sponsors', I looked for same on three of the cable sources listed in the sponser deal. and found prices for what sounds like the same thing for x$, 2x$, and 3x$.

and of course there is the monster one that the sales guy wants to sell me for like 6x$.

so, how does one choose?

skiguy

Take a look at the cables and quality. Both monoprice and bluejeans have been mentioned here as high quality and lightning fast service. I prefer the bluejeans cables because they seem to use the highest quality components, but you can't go wrong with either. Super-expensive cables are a waste of money, IMO

Never heard of it but they look nice. :)



BruZZi's Panasonic Plasma FAQ -> bruzzi.ws
Lots of info for all Plasmas in general.

i contacted ultralink directly and told them what happened and they were awesome, they replaced the cable with a new one.

i'm not touching the friggin thing this time until i hang the plasma on the wall. :D

i don't see this in the thread yet, so:

which is better from SA cable box to yamaha receiver: optical or coaxial digital audio?

Are there any inexpensive HDMI switchers? The least expensive I've come across so far is $299!

Are there any inexpensive HDMI switchers? The least expensive I've come across so far is $299!
Google it! ;)
$34 to $137 at monoprice http://www.monoprice.com/products/search.asp?keyword=hdmi+switch

$65 (manual) at http://www.bestcableforless.com/search_hdmi.asp?txtfrom=GO-hdmi-switcher
$250 at http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/hdmi-2x1-switch.htm
$228 at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BNSIC8/102-7701305-6654510?v=glance&n=172282
$219 and up at http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_attrib.php/page_id=2037/form_keyword=hdmi%20switcher/mode=g_us_b_s/skd=1/rd=1/sortby=priceA

Anyone have any experiance with this PureAv Power Conditioner. The PureAV AP10300010? Is it a good one....any info or thoughts greatly appreciated.

http://www.circuitcity.com/IMAGE/product/enlarged/blk/EC.BLK.AP1030010.JPG

Google it! ;)
$34 to $137 at monoprice http://www.monoprice.com/products/search.asp?keyword=hdmi+switch

$65 (manual) at http://www.bestcableforless.com/search_hdmi.asp?txtfrom=GO-hdmi-switcher
$250 at http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/hdmi-2x1-switch.htm
$228 at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BNSIC8/102-7701305-6654510?v=glance&n=172282
$219 and up at http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_attrib.php/page_id=2037/form_keyword=hdmi%20switcher/mode=g_us_b_s/skd=1/rd=1/sortby=priceA

I was hoping someone had some recommendations rather than me just taking a gamble on not only a switcher but also on a store I've never heard of. Some of the links look promising though so thank you. :)

Hello there,
I could use some advice from you experts.
I brought a Panny TH-50-PM50U from Costco and feed component from the HD cable box to it. It works in this mode.
The problem is when I attempt to feed DVI to a HDMI from my media PC.
The Panny's HDMI port works when I use feed it fom the DVI output of the HD cable box.
The Panny does not display the PC's desktop even when I adjust the NVidia GE 6800 video to 800x600 using the same DVI to HDMI cable from Monoprice.
What am I doing wrong?

I was hoping someone had some recommendations rather than me just taking a gamble on not only a switcher but also on a store I've never heard of. Some of the links look promising though so thank you. :)

Everyone here seems to like monoprice, and they have a couple of models. Good luck

Anyone have any experiance with this PureAv Power Conditioner. The PureAV AP10300010? Is it a good one....any info or thoughts greatly appreciated.



I don't have any experience with it, but it's Belkin and they are reputable. My credibility may be poor because I use a Monster conditioner, but I picked up their HTS3500MkII for $185, then got a $50 rebate, so the price was good and the unit seems solid. Comes with a fried-equipment warranty, and it looks cool ;)

i don't see this in the thread yet, so:

which is better from SA cable box to yamaha receiver: optical or coaxial digital audio?

There is no difference in sound quality, at least not in my setup. I have used both since my old DVD player had coaxial only and my new Oppo has both. There is no chance of electrical interference with the optical (and very little chance with coaxial), if that is a tie breaker for you. Optical is probably better for very long runs.

Very unlikely they are about to replace cables at that end unless they are shown to be faulty. The important cable is from the wall to your components and making sure your electrical is able to run Clean without interference and at the same time protects your investment, I use a Belkin PureAV PF40 line conditioner and it works great and got it with big time discount at Ecost once in the shopping cart.

I am considering the purchase of a Belkin PF40 or PF30 for my home theatre. The PF40 that you bought has a more advanced line conditioner. In your experience, does a good line/power conditioner make any difference in the PQ of your plasma display? I have never seen a review that does A/B testing. Since you can get comparable surge protection at a fraction of the price, I wanted to hear from a real owner of a high quality unit rather than the "jibber jabber" from a salesman.

I just bought a "DVI to HDMI" cable for my cable STB. I had it connected with component cables before, well now the picture looks grey. It just looks so odd. It looks WAY better with the component cables. Why is there a difference? The blacks and colors just look so pale on the HDMI cable.

It would be helpful if you mention the TV model number and the cable box manufacturer.

sigh... thank you for letting me know why I was not getting any responses...

Well, I have a Samsung LNR26in model and with a Motorola STB from comcast.

Heya guys! :)

So I was thinkering with photoshop, and I ended up in doing a little sketch of my living room wall, where the plasma will be located: of course, the wall is much bigger, and not so cramped like the picture you see here...

but anyway, I was wondering what would be best in my situation as far as cable management goes! I'd like to hide the cables inside the wall, and for that I will need 15ft cables, because the cabinet is a bit far from the plasma!

...and what about the power cable from the NEC to the wall outlet? What can I do? Is there a long extension I can buy so I can connect the NEC to my Monster HT3500 MKII?

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/1904/d2nk.th.jpg (http://img98.imageshack.us/my.php?image=d2nk.jpg)

I would like to have suggestions on this!

Thank you!
Emanuele

I just bought a "DVI to HDMI" cable for my cable STB. I had it connected with component cables before, well now the picture looks grey. It just looks so odd. It looks WAY better with the component cables. Why is there a difference? The blacks and colors just look so pale on the HDMI cable.

Just a silly thought here, but have you calibrated your HDMI input? Most sets store the calibration values (brightness, contrast, etc) separately for each input.

Just a silly thought here, but have you calibrated your HDMI input? Most sets store the calibration values (brightness, contrast, etc) separately for each input.There are always differences when you switch from one input to another, even with the same equipment. Calibrate the system before comparing PQ.

In my area it is against code to run an extension cord through a wall, so just don't tell anyone. Pick up an 8' grounded extension cord. hook the extension cord to your plasma cord and shrink wrap the connection.

Thank you Big Ryan...

....downstairs on the 6th floor, we have a room for cocktails, which has a Panny plasma on the wall and all the cables are inside!Same thig for the gym room: 2 panny plasmas with all the cable inside the wall!

So I guess I can do a bit of cable fishing myself in my apartment! ;)

I'm wondering if I should just put a cable raceway from the NEC to the low cabinet and then just run the cables horizontally near the wall.

anyone else on this?

Yes, I have calibrated for the HDMI input. It was actually the very first thing that I did. I also have calibrated my set with AVIA. Prior to using the HDMI. My DVD player does not accept HDMI though... so I can not calibrate for the HDMI specifically...

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10235&cs_id=1023503&p_id=2409&seq=1&format=2&style=

has anyone purchased these cables...tv is coming this week (panny 42" phd8uk) and the premuim cables are out of stock. I was just wondering if I will have any picture clarity loss. Thanks in advance.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10235&cs_id=1023503&p_id=2409&seq=1&format=2&style=

has anyone purchased these cables...tv is coming this week (panny 42" phd8uk) and the premuim cables are out of stock. I was just wondering if I will have any picture clarity loss. Thanks in advance.

i haven't but you have to wonder what such a cheap looking cable is and isn't going to do for you.

have a look at this one, it cost me a lot more than the cable your looking at but i think it's well worth it.

i bought one for my 50" phd8uk.

Ultralink RCA Component To XGA (http://hometech.com/video/hd15.html#UL-XCV3)

i haven't but you have to wonder what such a cheap looking cable is and isn't going to do for you.

have a look at this one, it cost me a lot more than the cable your looking at but i think it's well worth it.

i bought one for my 50" phd8uk.

Ultralink RCA Component To XGA (http://hometech.com/video/hd15.html#UL-XCV3)

That cable does look top notch...just wondering if I ned yo psend $114.95 on a cable.

any more opinions on whether a power conditioner is a worthwhile investment? my panasonic 50px60u is being delivered next week and we need to decide.

thanks much!

Heya guys! :)

So I was thinkering with photoshop, and I ended up in doing a little sketch of my living room wall, where the plasma will be located: of course, the wall is much bigger, and not so cramped like the picture you see here...

but anyway, I was wondering what would be best in my situation as far as cable management goes! I'd like to hide the cables inside the wall, and for that I will need 15ft cables, because the cabinet is a bit far from the plasma!

...and what about the power cable from the NEC to the wall outlet? What can I do? Is there a long extension I can buy so I can connect the NEC to my Monster HT3500 MKII?

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/1904/d2nk.th.jpg (http://img98.imageshack.us/my.php?image=d2nk.jpg)

I would like to have suggestions on this!

Thank you!
Emanuele


anybody on my post?

Thanks for the tip on monoprice! Saved myself a good chunk of cash on a set of component cables!

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10235&cs_id=1023503&p_id=2409&seq=1&format=2&style=

has anyone purchased these cables...tv is coming this week (panny 42" phd8uk) and the premuim cables are out of stock. I was just wondering if I will have any picture clarity loss. Thanks in advance.
In my experience monoprice carries high quality cables at an affordable price. Don't let the price fool you. Build quality is excellent and I've tested them at 1080p 60Hz with HDCP. All the cables worked great and did not display any sparkles or other artifacts. Since they are displaying 1080p without issues, it is doubtful lower bandwidth like 1080i will have any issues.

The following is copied from this thread:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7052307&&#post7052307

I recently had the opportunity to test Monoprice HDMI cables with equipment
running at 1080p 60Hz with HDCP (148.5MHz) The results were very positive.

Please note that success at 1080p depends on a lot of factors including quality
of TMDS transmitters, receivers, and anything you might have connected to the
cables like HDMI switches, repeaters, HDMI->DVD adapters, etc., therefore these
test results should be taken as a data point and not as a guarantee the cables
will be problem free @ 1080p with your specific equipment.

For example, during initial testing I had discovered through process of elimination
that one of the HDMI->DVI adapters I was using could not reliably pass 1080p. At
first I thought the cables were the issue, but after switching out the adapters, the
cables worked great.

Also please note, even though some of these cables are listed as only 1080i certified,
they did nevertheless pass 1080p without issues for the equipment combination I used.
See this post for what was tested at the factory:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6953664&&#post6953664

The process of listing a cable as passing visual inspection involved looking at black
screen for 30 seconds to detect sparkles, then watching video for 1 minute to detect
additional artifacts.

Sharp LC-45GX6U is a 1920x1080 LCD display which accepts 1080p and 1080p/hdcp when
devices are connected directly to the panel, bypassing the external video processor.

Hope you find this information useful.

====

Test cables (FC=FerriteCore N=Netjacket):
0) 02029 HDMI->DVI F-M converter

1) 02526 HDMI M-M 28AWG FC 3ft
2) 02412 HDMI M-M 28AWG FC 6ft
3) 02504 HDMI M-M 28AWG FC 10ft
4) 02529 HDMI M-M 28AWG FC 15ft

5) 02283 HDMI M-M 24AWG FC/N 3ft
6) 02219 HDMI M-M 24AWG FC/N 6ft
7) 02281 HDMI M-M 24AWG FC/N 10ft
8) 02282 HDMI M-M 24AWG FC/N 15ft

9) 02109 HDMI M-M 24AWG 25ft
10) 02742 HDMI M-M 24AWG 33ft (actual 35ft)
11) 02110 HDMI M-M 24AWG FC 50ft

12) 02678 HDMI M-M 22AWG 50ft

====

Scenario 1
Sharp AVC 1080p/HDCP == DVI->HDMI == Monoprice HDMI cable == HDMI->DVI == Sharp LC-45GX6U Panel

(all tests performed using 2 x HDMI->DVI adapter and listed HDMI cable)
(this test is for 1080p/HDCP only, not 720p, not 1080i, not 1080p/sans-HDCP)

1) 3ft 28AWG no sparkle, passed visual picture inspection
2) 6ft 28AWG no sparkle, passed visual picture inspection
3) 10ft 28AWG no sparkle, passed visual picture inspection
4) 15ft 28AWG no sparkle, passed visual picture inspection

5) 3ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual picture inspection
6) 6ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual picture inspection
7) 10ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual picture inspection
8) 15ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual picture inspection

9) 25ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual picture inspection
10) 35ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual picture inspection
11) 50ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual picture inspection

12) 50ft 22AWG no sparkle, passed visual picture inspection

====

Scenario 2
PNY Verto 6600GT 1080p == DVI->HDMI == Monoprice HDMI cable == HDMI->DVI == Sharp LC-45GX6U Panel

(all tests performed using 2 x HDMI->DVI adapter and listed HDMI cable)
(this test is for 1080p only, not 720p, not 1080i, not 1080p/hdcp)

1) 3ft 28AWG no sparkle, passed visual picture inspection
2) 6ft 28AWG no sparkle, passed visual picture inspection
3) 10ft 28AWG no sparkle, passed visual picture inspection
4) 15ft 28AWG no sparkle, passed visual picture inspection

5) 3ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual picture inspection
6) 6ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual picture inspection
7) 10ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual picture inspection
8) 15ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual picture inspection

9) 25ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual picture inspection
10) 35ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual picture inspection
11) 50ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual picture inspection

12) 50ft 22AWG no sparkle, passed visual picture inspection

Note:
nVidia driver 82.12
Testing using bottom DVI port

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10235&cs_id=1023503&p_id=2409&seq=1&format=2&style=

http://hometech.com/video/hd15.html#UL-XCV3


so you are telling me that their is no difference in video quality between these 2 cables

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10235&cs_id=1023503&p_id=2409&seq=1&format=2&style=

http://hometech.com/video/hd15.html#UL-XCV3


so you are telling me that their is no difference in video quality between these 2 cables


exactly, kparker. of course there's a difference, and it's not just the price.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10235&cs_id=1023503&p_id=2409&seq=1&format=2&style=

http://hometech.com/video/hd15.html#UL-XCV3


so you are telling me that their is no difference in video quality between these 2 cables
At 3ft I doubt you will see any difference. It's a $3 purchase so I wouldn't agonize over it so much.

There is such a wide difference in price in cables...from $3 to $200 monster cables. Tough to make a decision.

Can someone tell if there is a difference between a 75 ohm coaxial digitial audio cable vs 75ohm coaxial digital video cable ?? This is buggin' me...

thanks

I orginally Posted this 1-13-06
After 3 months now, i still have found monoprice cables to be very good. The issue with the HDMI cable being lose- solved- block of wood under the ferrit core- to hold it up.


Here is my personal observation. I just purchased from MonoPrice-- -10ft HDMI- 28 awg cables, with Ferrite cores. @ $9 each, I then went out and purchased a Monster 6.5' HDMI cable @$135. I have brand new NEC XR5 Plasma. I could not see any difference in PQ between the two different cables. Either in Dark or Bright Day light conditions.
So, the hat goes to Monoprice... well Yes and no!
The MP cables are well build and have a protected covering over them including Ferrite Cores (FC) on either end. My issues, the HDMI connector to my Comcast HD Dvr box is very loses and does not fit properly and slips out often{my buddy who has the same box and the a hdmi MP cable said the same thing}. The Monster HDMI cable fits fine.
Both Monster & MP HDMI cables fit fine into the xr5. However, w/ MP's FC and stiffer cable with a Side input bending it rounds to the back of the plasma cause some fitting issues. {after 3 months-this not an issue i thought it would be}
, if one had a bottom input to your plasma the weight of the FC might be too much and cause it to fall out. However, this is just speculation.
I order my cables on Tuesday morning and had them Wed. morning....
db

There is such a wide difference in price in cables...from $3 to $200 monster cables. Tough to make a decision.
How about you think of it this way. There is a sale on the $200 monster cable. It is an open box special for $3. The store doesn't know if the cable works or not, but you can return it if you don't like it within 21 days.

There is such a wide difference in price in cables...from $3 to $200 monster cables. Tough to make a decision.
For your amusement, there are cables much, much more pricey than those Monsters. Even from Monster!

Kal

any more opinions on whether a power conditioner is a worthwhile investment? my panasonic 50px60u is being delivered next week and we need to decide.

thanks much!

Hi - I can't bring myself to pay $3-$600 for a Belkin or Monster conditioner. But, I did find this little gem at Costco the other day. For about a Franklin it has Voltage regulation, UPS, Line filtering, and surge protection.

This is a link to the Tripp-Lite site for the OMNI900LCD, Costco is carrying the 1000: Omni900LCD (http://www.tripplite.com/products/product.cfm?productID=3082)

My question is, what kind of filtering does this unit provide as compared to the Belkin PF40 (or similar?

Ok so I just bought the new 42px60 Panasonic plasma. This is my first real TV. I'm a total noob.

Now what type of cable or cables do I need to buy. I heard monoprice has good cables but i dont know which one to select. Right now I am a comcast digital cable subscriber and also using a dvdplayer.

i haven't but you have to wonder what such a cheap looking cable is and isn't going to do for you.

have a look at this one, it cost me a lot more than the cable your looking at but i think it's well worth it.

i bought one for my 50" phd8uk.

Ultralink RCA Component To XGA (http://hometech.com/video/hd15.html#UL-XCV3)

You could also check out bluejeans cable for high quality low cost.

Heya guys! :)

So I was thinkering with photoshop, and I ended up in doing a little sketch of my living room wall, where the plasma will be located: of course, the wall is much bigger, and not so cramped like the picture you see here...

but anyway, I was wondering what would be best in my situation as far as cable management goes! I'd like to hide the cables inside the wall, and for that I will need 15ft cables, because the cabinet is a bit far from the plasma!

...and what about the power cable from the NEC to the wall outlet? What can I do? Is there a long extension I can buy so I can connect the NEC to my Monster HT3500 MKII?

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/1904/d2nk.th.jpg (http://img98.imageshack.us/my.php?image=d2nk.jpg)

I would like to have suggestions on this!


Emanuele

Suggestion 1: Use wiremold to run all the cables inconspicuously along your baseboard and up the wall. Paint to match wall.
Suggestion 2: cut holes in the wall (is it sheetrock?) behind the plasma and behind the cabinet, fish cables but NOT the power cord. Use a smaller wiremold for just the power cord. NB: Your wall will have studs placed every 16", and it can be a PITA to fish the cables horizontally.
Suggestion 3: Have an electrician install a "clock outlet" behind the plasma, fish the other cables.

Putting a power cord inside the wall is a BAD idea. It violates code, probably also vio;lates your lease. In any event, if there were ever a problem (i.e. FIRE) you'd be screwed whether it was really caused by your half-assed installation or not.

just my $.02

Monster Cable did not pay license fee to HDMI-LLC and was repeatedly warned about it.

Ironically, Monster Cable's HDMI product are not certified and using the HDMI logo without the proper HDMI license.

Now what type of cable or cables do I need to buy. I heard monoprice has good cables but i dont know which one to select. Right now I am a comcast digital cable subscriber and also using a dvdplayer.
Anything 15ft or less just go with the 28AWG cable. You'll need either HDMI->HDMI or HDMI->DVI depending on your equipment. The Panasonic side will be HDMI. The other side will be HDMI or DVI depending on what you are connecting. Look on the back of your cable box and DVD player. There should be either a DVI or HDMI connector. That will tell you which cable to get. HDMI connector is small and compact. DVI connector is larger more traditional style. Look at the pictures on Monoprice to see what they look like. It is also possible neither your cable box nor your DVD player have DVI or HDMI connectors. In that case you'll need to see if it is worth your time to obtain versions which have digital connections.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10231&style=

You'll need either HDMI->HDMI or HDMI->DVI depending on your equipment. The Panasonic side will be HDMI. The other side will be HDMI or DVI depending on what you are connecting. Look on the back of your cable box and DVD player. There should be either a DVI or HDMI connector. That will tell you which cable to get. It is also possible neither your cable box nor your DVD player have DVI or HDMI connectors. In that case you'll need to see if it is worth your time to obtain versions which have digital connections.

Ok, I just looked at the back of my Panasonic plasma. It has the HDMI connections but no DVI. My comcast digital reciever has no HDMI, DVI or s-video. The Sony dvd player I have has S-video and component connections.

So it looks like I'm going to have to settle with S-video cables?

Another plug for monoprice. I have also used Cablesforless and they were awesome. Also, Blue Jean is very good. If you are not located on the left coast and you are in a rush, cablesforless can get cables to you a day sooner. Although, I ordered something from BlueJean, located in Seattle, and Cablesforless, located in Indiannapolis, on a Friday morning and both were delivered to me Monday morning. Great service. You can't go wrong with any of them.

Another thumbs up for Monoprice here! I ordered a VGA to component cable on Monday evening around 9pm eastern, and the cable arrived today!! That's great service!! And the cable is really nice also!

Russ

which cables did you order?

For your amusement, there are cables much, much more pricey than those Monsters. Even from Monster!
Kal
Someone has to pay for Sterophile to be published! :)

Here is a rational article on HDMI cables:
http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/audioprinciples/interconnects/HDMICable.php

I just unpacked my Maxent 50x3 last night. I had my HTIB in storage during a remodel, so I had to hook it up as well. At the end of the process, I realized the Maxent was pretty bare-bones (power cable only) and I didn't have any component cable to use. All I had was a crappy little AV cable that came with a VCR. I figured it had three leads, so why not give it a whirl? So, I matched up the component inputs and used this inferior RCA cable (only 3ft).

I had the Eagles Farewell disk in my DVD player and, believe it or not, the picture is pretty good. I don't plan to leave it this way (will stop and get a decent cable tonight). How much better should the picture be with a good cable?

which cables did you order?

Here is the cable I ordered...Monoprice VGA/Component cable (http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10235&cs_id=1023503&p_id=2173&style=&seq=1&format=1#largeimage)

Ok, I just looked at the back of my Panasonic plasma. It has the HDMI connections but no DVI. My comcast digital reciever has no HDMI, DVI or s-video. The Sony dvd player I have has S-video and component connections.

So it looks like I'm going to have to settle with S-video cables?
Yeah, it looks like you have a non-HD set top box from Comcast. The HD set top boxes mostly have DVI or HDMI in addition to component. Your DVD player, I would use component to connect to your Panasonic.

What would be the main purpose going from component to VGA? Do you get the same quality or better than straight component?

Also when it comes to cables is there really a difference in a Acoustic Research Pro II HDMI than say a Monster 800Series HDMI.Or is the old saying true "digital is digital"?

Yeah, it looks like you have a non-HD set top box from Comcast. The HD set top boxes mostly have DVI or HDMI in addition to component. Your DVD player, I would use component to connect to your Panasonic.

Thanks for the help guys. I called comcast yesterday to order the HDTV service. The technician came to my home earlier today and plugged in the new HD receiver. It has a DVi connection. Tomorrow I am going to buy the Toshiba dvd player that has the HDMI output.

Plus Im going to order hdmi cable and hdmi/dvi cable from Monoprice. :)

i'm planning on getting an lcd tv soon, but it seems like alll lcd tvs only comes with 1 hdmi input, this will definitely not be enough to accomdate my ps3, dvd player upscale w/ hdmi and maybe an standalone blu-ray player. are there any hdmi input spliters out there?

Yup.

gefen.com


__________________________________
BruZZi's Panasonic Plasma FAQ — bruzzi.ws
Lots of info for all Plasmas in general.

http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/DVI-HDMI-switchers.htm

This monoprice one seems to be pretty popular. http://monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10110&cs_id=1011002&p_id=2777&seq=1&format=2
It has automatic switching too.

My avr has one set of 6 channel inputs. I have a SACD Player and a DVD Audio player and of course numerous titles. So is there a cheap solution for this. From what I could google Zektor makes something along these lines, but is a little expensive. Anyone know of a cheaper solution? Thanks.

Ok, I am going to get nasty looks cause this might be posted in the wrong spot, but I tried posting it in the audio area and had NO replies... very frustrating. I figure surely there is a tv owner out there who uses these so I will ask here.

For the multi-channel audio cables... I do not want to run 6 separate cables from my DVD player to my reciever... but starting to look online at prices for a multi-audio cable... they are quite expensive. Anyone have a recommendation of the best place to locate a quality cable that won't break my bank? :D

I'll give another quick plug for monoprice. Great, great prices and my cables have worked flawlessly. I've ordered HDMI - HDMI as well as component cables and both have arrived in 3 business days.

HDMI/Component cable for about 25ft... Anyone try out the Monoprice cables at this length? how did it look? will i see a difference if i went with cables from audioquest for this distance?

audioquest cables at this length can be anywhere from $$275 to $500+.

HDMI/Component cable for about 25ft... Anyone try out the Monoprice cables at this length? how did it look? will i see a difference if i went with cables from audioquest for this distance?

audioquest cables at this length can be anywhere from $$275 to $500+.

i've never tried monoprice cables but i can safely say that the longer the length, the more difference you'll see between cheap cables and good cables.

at 25', i'm sure you notice a fair difference.

HDMI/Component cable for about 25ft... Anyone try out the Monoprice cables at this length? how did it look? will i see a difference if i went with cables from audioquest for this distance?

audioquest cables at this length can be anywhere from $$275 to $500+.

I am using a 33ft Monoprice HDMI-HDMI cable to my Panasonic Plasma and its flawless. Its a rather substantial cable; much higher quality than the < $40 price would suggest. Zero sparklies or drop-outs.

My panel, 50PX60U is being installed next week, wall mount with cables though the wall to surround receiver and HD Cable/DVR. Existing cable box/DVR does not have HDMI, only component. Would I be best served by running HDMI, DVI from the panel during install in preparation for future equipment?

I have a 42phd8uk and the DVD-S77. I just got the DVI blade for my display and installed it yesterday but to my disappointment the picture looks better through the component connection than through the upconverted HDMI to DVI on my Panasonic dvd-s77. It's the colors that don't look right when I hook it up through the DVI, it seems slightly too green and the user options do not allow you to adjust the color settings when using DVI. I also have a Humax HFA100 and it looks outstanding through the DVI port (better then through component, colors and everything) so I wonder if it is the DVD player. Has anyone else noticed the same thing or am I doing something wrong. At this point I am feeling like I wasted my money on getting a DVD player that upconverts.

I have a 42phd8uk and the DVD-S77. I just got the DVI blade for my display and installed it yesterday but to my disappointment the picture looks better through the component connection than through the upconverted HDMI to DVI on my Panasonic dvd-s77. It's the colors that don't look right when I hook it up through the DVI, it seems slightly too green and the user options do not allow you to adjust the color settings when using DVI. I also have a Humax HFA100 and it looks outstanding through the DVI port (better then through component, colors and everything) so I wonder if it is the DVD player. Has anyone else noticed the same thing or am I doing something wrong. At this point I am feeling like I wasted my money on getting a DVD player that upconverts.

Well, your panel already upconverts the dvd to the NR of the display, so in that sense of the word, yes upcoverting players are a waste of money. It would be advantagous if the player's scaling is superior to the panels though (not sure in your case, but it sounds like that isn't the case).

That being said, you have hit on what my personal annoyance is with the commercial panny units- that the digital input blades don't allow full image manipulation controls. This irks the heck out of me and is why I'm driving the display via component with the STB DVD player. In HTPC land, I can manipulate the output signal when I use the digital interface to the TV, but I'd rather do it at the TV for the source rather than the other way around.

I have a 42phd8uk and the DVD-S77. I just got the DVI blade for my display and installed it yesterday but to my disappointment the picture looks better through the component connection than through the upconverted HDMI to DVI on my Panasonic dvd-s77. It's the colors that don't look right when I hook it up through the DVI, it seems slightly too green and the user options do not allow you to adjust the color settings when using DVI. I also have a Humax HFA100 and it looks outstanding through the DVI port (better then through component, colors and everything) so I wonder if it is the DVD player.

Sounds like the display is expecting SMTP-240 (HD) color space and the DVD is sending NTSC color space.

Sounds like the display is expecting SMTP-240 (HD) color space and the DVD is sending NTSC color space.

Is there any way to fix this.

I just read in another post that the DVI blade does not support YPbPr it only supports RGB and that is why the color and tint settings are disabled. If I understand this correctly I would have to exchange my DVI blade for an HDMI blade (because HDMI will support YPbPr) and then I could adjust the color and tint, does this sound right to anyone?

thanks for feedback on cables. i'll try out the monoprice and if look ok i'll stick with it. they seem to have a good return policy.... -ray

Anyone have any feedback on the startech 4-in-1 cables (CPNTTOSHQ6) seen here:
http://www.buy.com/prod/StarTech_6ft_Component_4_In_1_Video_To_Slink_Audio_Cable_CPN TTOSHQ6/q/loc/101/10370642.html
I really would like to buy some solid cables...esp if they are bundled for ease of use. Only problem is they aren't in stock many places. If you think they suck, I'ld love to hear about alternatives. btw, I have looked at monoprice. Thanks

Component bundled with toslink I don't think is a big deal. toslink cable is very thin and doesn't get in the way. Having the 3 component cables bundled is nice though. I'd just go with monoprice. Product works great and prices are very good.

Is it worth getting the fancy connectors for the component cables as far as PQ? Same question as far as molded versus fancy connectors for the TOS link? Thanks

Is anyone familar with NXG cables? http://www.videoguys.com/cables/index.html

I bought my Avid Xpress editing system from the Videoguys and now I see they're offering these but I don't know how well they compare to other brands... they look nice

What would be the main purpose going from component to VGA? Do you get the same quality or better than straight component?
Also when it comes to cables is there really a difference in a Acoustic Research Pro II HDMI than say a Monster 800Series HDMI.Or is the old saying true "digital is digital"?

Ok, I am going to get nasty looks cause this might be posted in the wrong spot, but I tried posting it in the audio area and had NO replies... very frustrating. I figure surely there is a tv owner out there who uses these so I will ask here.

For the multi-channel audio cables... I do not want to run 6 separate cables from my DVD player to my reciever... but starting to look online at prices for a multi-audio cable... they are quite expensive. Anyone have a recommendation of the best place to locate a quality cable that won't break my bank? :D


try www.bluejeanscable.com. They have a nice 5.1 Analog audio cable set that is reasonably priced. They use good wiring and solid Canare plugs on most of their wires. I've been extremely happy with the component video set I purchased. Frankly, it blew the doors off the IXOS component set I was using (punchier image, improved sense of black. Minor increase in perceived picture sharpness).

Hi hopefully you ca n help me.... I recently purchased a plasma with the Dvi hookup, Dvi to hdmi, Now the picture comes in perfectly on all channels above 11 including all the hd channels.. Channels 2-11 comes in fine also except there is a white line on the top of the screen almost like a interference line, Thought it was my cable box so i swithed it out but still the same am i using the wrong cable???? please help..... Thanks

There is data like closed captioning and the current time in between frames of video. Normally this is trimmed off by overscan, but if your display doesn't have quite enough overscan, it can be visible. It is "normal" and reported frequently on the forum.

If your display has user controls to increase the picture size, you could do that and push the line off the screen. However I advise against going into the service menu if that is what it would take.

Have any one tried any power cable that has Right-Angle IEC? This one (http://www.audioadvisor.com/store/productdetail.asp?sku=PSARADPC1%2E5&product_name=Radiance%20Power%20Cord) is pretty expensive (more expensive than an HDMI blade!). The stock power cable that comes with Panasonic is fine; but a bit inconvenient to plug/unplug because of all connectors being at the bottom plane of the display. A right angled connector would probably make it easier without creating sharp bends in the cable (of course, height of the plasma stand would also play a role here).

Thank you.

Have any one tried any power cable that has Right-Angle IEC? This one (http://www.audioadvisor.com/store/productdetail.asp?sku=PSARADPC1%2E5&product_name=Radiance%20Power%20Cord) is pretty expensive (more expensive than an HDMI blade!). The stock power cable that comes with Panasonic is fine; but a bit inconvenient to plug/unplug because of all connectors being at the bottom plane of the display. A right angled connector would probably make it easier without creating sharp bends in the cable (of course, height of the plasma stand would also play a role here).

Thank you.

http://www.markertek.com/SearchProduct.asp?item=POWER%2D3&off=11&sort=prod

the RA-Power6 seems like a much more cost-effective solution!! (8$+shipping!!)

I used to have my Sony Grand Wega LCD RPTV, which I had a UPS for in case power failed while watching TV so the fans sould still run to prevent overheating as TV shut down.

I now have a new Pioneer 1130 and was wondering if I should use the UPS?

Actually, I have an APC 800 with a Max Load of 800VA-540W that is plugged into wall and a Monster Ref Power Center HTS 3500 plugged into it and the TV and other equipment plugged into the Monster Power Center. I am having trouble with UPS which I am obviously overloading...so I am planning on connecting Monser Power Center directly to Wall since ups not needed for other equipment and leaving just TV/Media center on USP. Dows this sound right?

Thanks,

Mark

anyone ever try these http://www.computercablestore.com/detail.aspx?ID=3289

there on ebay for real cheap

What would be the main purpose going from component to VGA? Do you get the same quality or better than straight component?

The quality should be identical. The only purpose for doing this is to use the VGA input on the TV for a component source such as HD-cable or DVD. This only works if the TV can be set to accept component video through its VGA input. For example, the Panasonic commercial plasmas have one component input, and the VGA input can be configured as a second component input. If your TV has enough component inputs for all your sources, there's is no need or advantage to using a component to VGA cable.

The quality should be identical. The only purpose for doing this is to use the VGA input on the TV for a component source such as HD-cable or DVD. This only works if the TV can be set to accept component video through its VGA input. For example, the Panasonic commercial plasmas have one component input, and the VGA input can be configured as a second component input. If your TV has enough component inputs for all your sources, there's is no need or advantage to using a component to VGA cable.


exactly why i bought one, Hackashaq. ;)

HI,

I'm gonna get myself a new Plasma this week I'm thinking 42" or greater. The only thing is I'm looking for something with DVI and it seems all I can find at my local retailers has HDMI. I found 37's that are DVI, but nothing bigger...

SO being I want to hook my PC up to the TV to control everything, is it possible to convert the DVI-I output on my PC to HDMI to run into the TV. The guy at BB told me I'd have probs.. I was only on a fact finding mission and wasn't buying but I figure I'll ask before hand.

Otherwise, does anyone have a suggest,

I looked at my Vid Card and I think it'll only do 1280x768 if that helps with any suggestions.

Thanks
Russ

Ok guys.... As fo right now I have a Direct TV HD Tivo Receiver that I have connected to my Panny th42pwd7uy set via HDMI... In the near future I am looking on getting either a Blue Ray Player or a HD HdDVD Player.... Now On better Cables.com the site I have seen that they have a 2 in 1 or 4-1 HDMI Switcher.. Has anyone used these switchers and how good are they.. Do you lose any quality... My tv only has 1 HDMI slot...

Can anyone help me out... I picked up my first plasma today - the TH-42PD50. I dont know much about cables. I only have two devices to hook up - DVD player and I plan to pick up a HD PVR this week. I will use component for the DVD player, and should I use component or HDMI for the HD PVR? Will I notice a difference using HDMI over component since the TV is only ED?

Thanks

After getting a plasma display, I've been wondering about surge protectors, power conditioners, etc. Has anyone used or can comment on a product such as the Monster Cable HTS1000 Power Center. This 1665-joule surge protector features Monster's Clean Power Stage 2 high-level AC power filtering. It has eight grounded color-coded AC outlets, three pair coax, and one phone outlet.

How important is this?

Also is it true that digital audio cables (coaxial) are the same as a typical composite audio cable? Thanks.

I've done a bunch of searches on here and still the answer alludes me. I was at BB and bought the following audioquest cables:

one 2M HDMI-3 Cable
one 1M HDMI-1 Cable
two 2M TOSlink Cable

And boy were they expensive. Even with a discount and a $100 gift certificate it was significantly more than i expected. Can one actually hear or see the difference in quality of cables? It seems so subjective but I'm trying to figure out if its really worth it. I'll spend the money if it will give me a better experience but at the same time these cables were almost on par with the cost of the actual components that will use them (ie oppo dvd player, xbox 360, SA8300). By the way this is my setup and I guess they recommended the cables as these were high-end components:

Panny 50" 60U
Denon 4306
Paradigm Studio 20s
Paradigm CC-470
Paradigm PW-2100
Paradigm ADP 370's
xbox 360
SA8300
Oppo dvd player.

Thoughts? Lets keep this constructive and please only answer if you actually used them. Otherwise, what else do you suggest?

Quick question. Are surge protectors with "clean power" necessary? Im wondering if I need one. Thanks.

I've done a bunch of searches on here and still the answer alludes me. I was at BB and bought the following audioquest cables:

one 2M HDMI-3 Cable
one 1M HDMI-1 Cable
two 2M TOSlink Cable

And boy were they expensive. Even with a discount and a $100 gift certificate it was significantly more than i expected. Can one actually hear or see the difference in quality of cables?
I highly suggest you look at monoprice.com for quite affordable cables that are very good quality. They are a forum sponsor and have lots of satisfied AVS customers. What you are interested in will probably cost you around $15.

I second that... check out Monoprice.... great cables... MUCH LOWER price. I have some expensive components in my system, so it isn't like I go with the lowest price. I just know that paying $100 for an HDMI (or more) is stupid when I cannot tell the difference when I got MONO's cables in for 1/5th of that (including shipping) and it looked just as good.

So basically there is no consensus on power conditioners/line conditioners or surge protectors. There seems to be a lot of maybe you need it, maybe you don't, couldn't hurt, etc.

gotcha. I needed them asap so I stuck with the audioquests but i returned them for the lowest priced ones they have (given that its only 2m cords). Plus with the $100 gift card I had (due big credit card points) and a discount i got them around a price that was on par with some internet dealers (not monoprice or blue jeans but impact audio).

So basically there is no consensus on power conditioners/line conditioners or surge protectors. There seems to be a lot of maybe you need it, maybe you don't, couldn't hurt, etc.

basically, you can't go wrong with a battery backup, vether.

that doesn't mean you'll ever actually need one though.

I'm with Joe. I wouldn't dream of hanging my $6k' worth of gear off an unprotected outlet.

Thanks Joe. That makes it a *little* more clear. After reading your signature, would you consider the Panasonic TH42PX60U and TH37PX60U high-quality plasmas??

based on my experience with the TH50PX60U, absofrigginlutely. :)

i've only had mine 6 weeks but i'll tell ya, vether, i'm so happy with it, i'm going to buy two more of them. the blacks are out of this world, making colors pop right out at you.

i laugh when people come over and they get drawn to the screen, as if they were hypnotized, lol.

yes, i highly recommend these plasma's, vether. ;)

anyone ever try these http://www.computercablestore.com/detail.aspx?ID=3289

there on ebay for real cheap



well i bought these on ebay for under $10 and got them today , they are real :eek: best deal i ever found, $199 at other internet sites wooooot .......picture is a bit sharper but not enough to justify the retail cost

well i bought these on ebay for under $10 and got them today , they are real :eek: best deal i ever found, $199 at other internet sites wooooot .......picture is a bit sharper but not enough to justify the retail cost

you scored, large. ;)

Do those passive HDMI Y splitters from Monoprice or Pacific Cable work? I want to split from a HD Tivo to a Plasma and a LCD TV.

My Question:

Line Conditioners --- Are they worth it? I was looking into getting a Monster HTS5100MKII for my entertainment center-- but they sure as hell cost a pretty penny. Is it worth it? Should I go with something a little cheaper?

I have a Sony KDLV40XBR1, a Polk Audio sound system with a Harmon Kardon Reciver AVS635, Xbox 360, Samsung DVDHD860 Dvd-upconverter, and thats about it.

Tell me your thoughts

Can anyone help me out... I picked up my first plasma today - the TH-42PD50. I dont know much about cables. I only have two devices to hook up - DVD player and I plan to pick up a HD PVR this week. I will use component for the DVD player, and should I use component or HDMI for the HD PVR? Will I notice a difference using HDMI over component since the TV is only ED?

Thanks

HDMI is definitely a better connection, although the jury is out whether you will see a better picture with HDMI. Some people say HDMI is better, some say there is no difference, and some say component is better!!! It depends on what TV you have, whether you have cable or satellite, the model of PVR, etc etc. The only real way to tell is to hook it up with compenent AND HDMI and switch back and forth and judge for yourself.

I have a newbie question, my old sanyo dvd player that I want to hook up for now has a 3 component out, my new tv has a 5 component in, if I hook up only the three (green, blue, red) should if work? I though it would but I am not able to get it to work. When I hook the dvd player up with the rca redy, yellow, and white it works fine but I wanted to see if I could improve the picture.

Between my game consoles, dvd player and my cable box, I've run out of component connections...even through my receiver. So, I want to use a DVI to HDMI adapter between my HD cable box and my TH-42PX60U. And anyone tried this?

And how much do I need to spend on an adapter cable? Or can I get away with an eBay adapter?

KUNI

Hello:

I was wondering what was the consensus on the best connection cables for various componants.

My TV has:
1 Composite Video In
1 S-Video In,
2 YPbPr In
1 DVI-HDCP In
1 HDMI-HDCP In
1 VGA In

My DVD player has a Composite Video Out and a 2 YPbPr.

My cable box has YPbPr Out and an HDMI out.

Is HDMI better then YPbPr for the cable connection? Is YPbPr better then Comp. Video for the DVD connection?

Thanks in advance,
Splotto

I find component (YPbPr) does nicely for my cable box and DVD player. I added a new upconverting DVD player which requires an HDMI cable - and I like less cables to run.

I could not tell a difference between component and HDMI on my cable box, so let your eyes make the decision.

3 cable component video is better than 1 cable composite video (or s-video)


JCPZero

I find component (YPbPr) does nicely for my cable box and DVD player. I added a new upconverting DVD player which requires an HDMI cable - and I like less cables to run.

I could not tell a difference between component and HDMI on my cable box, so let your eyes make the decision.

3 cable component video is better than 1 cable composite video (or s-video)


JCPZero

Thanks.

Is there any benefit to sending the video signal along with the audio signal to the sound system (via one cable) and then sending the video signal back to the TV? Or is it just as good to send the video directly to the TV and then send the audio to the receiver seperatly?

Right now I send the video directly to the TV via YPbPr from the cable box and I send the audio from the cable box to the reciever via standard red-white audio cable.

Is there a better way?

Splotto

Hi,

I just recently purchased a Phillips 42PF7220A plasma and component cables. But when I hook up my DVD player to the plasma with component cables, everything has a reddish tint to it. I made sure the cables are all hooked up correctly. Could this be a faulty cable or tv?? Has anyone else experienced this?

Thanks,

Dave

Have you hooked up a seperate STB with components to see if the redish tint is still there?

Some DVD players require you to select Component output in their setup menus.

Unfortunately I don't have anything else that has component connections. I guess I'll have to find or borrow something that has.

I'll also see if that dvd player needs the component feature to be manually turned on. But would I even see anything at all if it wasn't turned on? I can play the movie... it's just all red. If I hook up just regular composite cables, the colors are normal.

Thanks!

Dave

My DVD player produces a pinkish result if the component output is not set up correctly. You may also need to check your Progressive settings. It is not unusual to have questions on this, so I am guessing it is due to one of the common chipsets that is used.

Hmmm interesting. I will have to check this out. I have the Philips HTS3410D system. Which component output settings would I need to tweak?

Thanks,

Dave

set your dvd to progressive output.
go back and make sure you have the cables correct R to R, G to G, B to B.

Calibrate each input, usually the tv set will have settings you can calibrate for each input.

Any solutions?

Would it make a difference if a 50" NEC XR5 was power conditioned through a monster hts1600 power center?

Or would that blow the powercenter, since it's not able to condition enough watts? (the plasma takes up 450WATTS!)

Also, if I wanted to have my power center in my equipment rack in another room, is it ok to run a long extension wire through the walls to the rack, or would that just create interferrence?

Ok I will try it. Thanks!

dvi->hdmi should work, it will only carry the video signal. i an atleast attest that dvi->hdmi works for a PC signal, with some slight overscan (5%). as far as adapter, monoprice, bluejeans, ebay. (google)

just wondering what i should be looking for when buying a HDMI as i am getting a 46 lcd flat panel samsung in a week with dual hdmi. Ok now is what is the best (silver plated, gold plated, or tin plated?) what are ferrite cores and do i need these with hdmi cables?

Does monoprrice.com make good hdmi cables? what about ramelectronics or monster cable?

Ok to sum it up, can anyone suggest a 6 foot hdmi cable that is the best Picture quality for the best price? and why?

mikej you can read back through this thread but most, including me, have had great results using either monoprice or bluejeans. They make high quality cables and their prices are a LOT lower than others you'll find (cough cough Monster). Apparently if you need a very long cable you have to be much more careful, but 6' is no big deal. I ordered all my cables from monoprice and they've worked great.

Ok now is what is the best (silver plated, gold plated, or tin plated?) what are ferrite cores and do i need these with hdmi cables?
BTW gold plated refers to the connector head.

Silver and tin plated refer to the individual wires in the whole cable run.

The Silver and Tin plated cables at monoprice also have the gold plated connectors.

Do I need a high end component switcher or should any component switcher do?

It would be something a 4-->1 for a progressive (or upscaled) DVD player, a Blu-ray player, and a console, preferably with both analogue and digital audio.

I'm not really keen on spending $300 for a switcher though. The Audio Authority 1154A for $219 seems like a reasonable option from the specs, although I wonder what it's going to take to get one shipped to Canada, and I wonder how much of a pain this auto-sensing business might be. I'm wondering if I should just consider a manual selector. Has anyone tried the JVC JX-66? I could hook one of those up to the TV, and use a separate audio switcher for the receiver.

P.S. What's with the Ram Electronics webpage? It takes me forever to switch from page to page.

EDIT:

Here is a review (http://www.avdeals.ca/audioauthority/1154A-Review.htm) of the Audio Authority 1154A. It's on a store site, but the review seems fair enough.

I have a plasma with DVI and component. Right now my DVI is being used by my OTA antenna for HD and my DVD player is hooked up via component but im getting ready to get my comcast HD box that needs to use DVI or HDMI.

I think my only choice is getting a switcher but will I still get a decent picture if I get a DVI to HDMI cable for my antanna then run the hdmi to the switcher then out from the switcher using hdmi to DVI that will then plug into my plasma? I will then use the hdmi cable from the Comcast box to the switcher.

Will this degrade my picture quality and does it sound like im going about it in the right way?

Comcast told me they force both Audio and Video down the HDMI path with their 6412 Phase 3, so I'm keeping my DVI-based Phase 2 DVR instead...that way I can have my audio direct to my receiver.

Your hookup should work ok with PQ, but HDCP might get you in trouble...did you look at DVI switchers also?

Comcast told me they force both Audio and Video down the HDMI path with their 6412 Phase 3, so I'm keeping my DVI-based Phase 2 DVR instead...that way I can have my audio direct to my receiver.

Your hookup should work ok with PQ, but HDCP might get you in trouble...did you look at DVI switchers also?

All I looked at or had seen so far was HDMI switchers and thought for future upgrades the HDMI would be better but the DVI switch would probably be the best choice for now. Do you know of a good one?

Suggest you look at monoprice 5x1 switcher. It works great and the price is excellent. It can switch HDMI and DVI, you just need to get the correct cables, HDMI->HDMI or DVI->HDMI, which are also available at monoprice at great pricing.

Comcast Motorola Phase III 64xx boxes have a bug where using an HDMI connection to TV will force the optical/toslink outputs to 2-channel PCM. There is a firmware fix for this, but rollout is inconsistent across various regions. My area was waiting for 3 months before the fix got rolled out a week ago.

My avr has one set of 6 channel inputs. I have a SACD Player and a DVD Audio player and of course numerous titles. So is there a cheap solution for this. From what I could google Zektor makes something along these lines, but is a little expensive. Anyone know of a cheaper solution? Thanks.
Anyone using the Zektor HDS4.1 (http://www.zektor.com/hds41/index.html)?

Suggest you look at monoprice 5x1 switcher. It works great and the price is excellent. It can switch HDMI and DVI, you just need to get the correct cables, HDMI->HDMI or DVI->HDMI, which are also available at monoprice at great pricing.

Comcast Motorola Phase III 64xx boxes have a bug where using an HDMI connection to TV will force the optical/toslink outputs to 2-channel PCM. There is a firmware fix for this, but rollout is inconsistent across various regions. My area was waiting for 3 months before the fix got rolled out a week ago.

Right, the firmware fix is hit-or-miss at the moment, so it's probably better to stay at DVI until they sort it out...should be a free swap.
That switcher is HDMI and the DVI-HDMI conversion isn't always trouble-free, which is why a DVI switch might be more effective. They can easily be found via google.

Right, the firmware fix is hit-or-miss at the moment, so it's probably better to stay at DVI until they sort it out...should be a free swap.
That switcher is HDMI and the DVI-HDMI conversion isn't always trouble-free, which is why a DVI switch might be more effective. They can easily be found via google.

Thanks for the info.

That switcher is HDMI and the DVI-HDMI conversion isn't always trouble-free, which is why a DVI switch might be more effective.
There is *no* signal conversion between DVI and HDMI going on in the switch. It is only a physical pinout conversion between the DVI and HDMI plugs. This is the way it works for "passthrough" switch designs like the monoprice 5x1.

Whatever signal your source device sends is what the receiving device is going to get. The switch won't convert anything.

Key Digital makes awesome products. I am using their 2x1 component switch. It is autosensing and has a remote (although I have never had occasion to need it). I am guessing their bigger switches work the same.

Personally I am using HDMI and component. Using a single HDMI cable as opposed to component is much easier IMHO. HDMI seems to work better on my cable box as well for HD content.

Guys need advice on the HDMI/DVI cable I need to hook up my DVD/STB?
Is using a HDMI-HDMI better than a DVI-HDMI connection? My Comcast STB right now has only a DVI slot, so is it better to get a DVI to HDMI cable or ask for a STB with a HDMI slot and use a HDMI-HDMI cable?

What is a net jacket? Is better to buy a cable with a net jacket?
Also I am not sure about the difference between a 22/26/28 AWG? Which one is better?

Any help is appreciated.

Guys need advice on the HDMI/DVI cable I need to hook up my DVD/STB?
Is using a HDMI-HDMI better than a DVI-HDMI connection? My Comcast STB right now has only a DVI slot, so is it better to get a DVI to HDMI cable or ask for a STB with a HDMI slot and use a HDMI-HDMI cable?

What is a net jacket? Is better to buy a cable with a net jacket?
Also I am not sure about the difference between a 22/26/28 AWG? Which one is better?

Any help is appreciated.
DVI-HDMI should be fine, but if Comcast has an STB with HDMI you should ask for it.

I think a net jacket is supposed to protect the cable from damage when pulling it behind walls.

Guys need advice on the HDMI/DVI cable I need to hook up my DVD/STB?
Is using a HDMI-HDMI better than a DVI-HDMI connection? My Comcast STB right now has only a DVI slot, so is it better to get a DVI to HDMI cable or ask for a STB with a HDMI slot and use a HDMI-HDMI cable?

What is a net jacket? Is better to buy a cable with a net jacket?
Also I am not sure about the difference between a 22/26/28 AWG? Which one is better?

Any help is appreciated.
From a cable perspective DVI and HDMI are equivalent.

Depending on your usage, you may prefer the DVI version of the Comcast STB right now because of a "bug" in the HDMI version. The HDMI version will negotiate 2-channel PCM over the HDMI connection when connected to a TV. There is a bug that also forces the optical and coax digital output (that you probably have connected to your receiver) to 2-channel PCM also. It is taking a while to get the firmware fix out, as in multiple months.

If your application is 15ft or less, go with the 28AWG. 25, 35ft go with 24AWG. 50ft go with 22AWG.

Would it make a difference if a 50" NEC XR5 was power conditioned through a monster hts1600 power center?

Or would that blow the powercenter, since it's not able to condition enough watts? (the plasma takes up 450WATTS!)

Also, if I wanted to have my power center in my equipment rack in another room, is it ok to run a long extension wire through the walls to the rack, or would that just create interferrence?

Any ideas??

Ok I know you can't run power wire through the walls, so how would I achieve this?

And would power conditioning make a difference in PQ on the plasma or is a simple powerbar sufficient?

There is *no* signal conversion between DVI and HDMI going on in the switch. It is only a physical pinout conversion between the DVI and HDMI plugs. This is the way it works for "passthrough" switch designs like the monoprice 5x1.

Whatever signal your source device sends is what the receiving device is going to get. The switch won't convert anything.

Cool, I'd still say it has to be all HDMI devices or all DVI...even with a passthrough switch it could get hairy mixing those 2 techs right now.

Any ideas??

Ok I know you can't run power wire through the walls, so how would I achieve this?

And would power conditioning make a difference in PQ on the plasma or is a simple powerbar sufficient?

I'm not sure about PQ, and the power consumption hasn't been a problem for my APC UPS, but I think you'd primarily want something with serious surge protection...

Cool, I'd still say it has to be all HDMI devices or all DVI...even with a passthrough switch it could get hairy mixing those 2 techs right now.
As long as the connection between the source device and display would have worked without the switch there are no issues mixing and matching DVI and HDMI on the switch.

I have 3 DVI and 2 HDMI devices on my 5x1 HDMI switch with zero issues.

Fantastic! If only the rest of HDMI was as trouble-free!

Looking at 35 ft Monoprice HDMI cable. Will I see a big difference between AWG22 or AWG24? Cable is used for Sammy 40 inch LCD.

Thanks in advance

With HDMI if you see any difference, usually it is a big difference. There isn't any gradual degradation.

To answer your question, I'd go with the 24AWG at that length.

I recently experienced a strange problem where one single QAM (HDTV over coax) channel was being blocked by my Belkin surge protector with a built in coax protector. Has anyone else seen something similar? Any recommendations on surge protectors with coax that don't cause issues with QAM. I also just purchased an APC surge protector with coax protection today, and it blocks the same channel.

Are you sure it was blocked, or were the signal levels just reduced to a level your QAM tuner couldn't pick up?

Try removing some splitters and see if it improves.

I'm sure glad I read about websites like monoPrice in this forum.

I just got the Dish Network 622 receiver and I need a DVI/HDMI cable. My previous receiver used a DVI/DVI cable, which I bought a couple of years ago from Circuit City for about $100 (Monster cable brand I think). At monoPrice I can get the 6' DVI/HDMI cable I need for less than $20, while Circuit City has a Belkin brand 4' cable for $100 on their website.

MonoPrice seems to good to be true . . .

What's the deal with these outrageous cable prices in the electronics stores?

Are you sure it was blocked, or were the signal levels just reduced to a level your QAM tuner couldn't pick up?

Try removing some splitters and see if it improves.
Did that. The only thing in the path was the surge protector. Also, the QAM signal strength indicator doesn't seem to show much/any difference with channel 105 vs. the others.

Would it make a difference if a 50" NEC XR5 was power conditioned through a monster hts1600 power center?

Or would that blow the powercenter, since it's not able to condition enough watts? (the plasma takes up 450WATTS!)

Also, if I wanted to have my power center in my equipment rack in another room, is it ok to run a long extension wire through the walls to the rack, or would that just create interferrence?


Any ideas about how to power a plasma if I want to keep the equipmnent rack in a seperate room, or I am forced to get built in surge protected wall socket?? (expensive if I can even find one that supports power conditioning also).

MonoPrice seems to good to be true . . .




I thought the same thing until I actually bought a couple of their cables!

I'm about to purchase a new projector and I want to be prepared for the when I finally buy an HD-DVD or Blu-Ray player, so I'm going to buy an HDMI--->DVI cable. I might be able to go with 35ft., but 50ft. would be long enough for sure. Should I just assume I need the thickest guage wire at Monoprice (22AWG)? Do I need that much?

I'll have to remeasure to see if I can get away with 35ft. For some reason I bought a 50ft. VGA-->component cable when I had an Infocus X1 and I remember being glad I did. Although I don't specifically remember why? I'm sure I want the shortest cable I can use, correct?

Thanks guys,
George

I thought the same thing until I actually bought a couple of their cables!

well, you know what they say.

Originally Posted by ekalbs4

MonoPrice seems to good to be true . . .I thought the same thing until I actually bought a couple of their cables!
What do you mean here? Are monoprice cables good or bad?

What do you mean here? Are monoprice cables good or bad?
He means they are good cables.

He means they are good cables.

lol, no. he means they were "too good to be true", they weren't good after all.

no surprise here, not at all. :rolleyes:

lol, no. he means they were "too good to be true", they weren't good after all.

no surprise here, not at all. :rolleyes:


Yes, I thought that Monoprice was too good to be true. Until I actually bought a couple of their cables, and then found out how nice they are. So yes it was a big a surprise (because the cables are really nice)!!

Sorry, for the misunderstood statement in my earlier post.

Russ

Yes, I thought that Monoprice was too good to be true. Until I actually bought a couple of their cables, and then found out how nice they are. So yes it was a big a surprise (because the cables are really nice)!!

Sorry, for the misunderstood statement in my earlier post.

Russ


well i'll be damned. ;)

i'm sure they're worth the money, are they as good as more expensive cables, that's where i'm skeptical.

I've been very skeptical as well, because of the low price. I e-mailed them a couple times to find out what cable they use, and it's a "no name" brand.
All of my cables until now have been from Blue Jeans Cable and the Belden wire. I've been very staisfied with them.

I decided to order some monoprice cables because there are a lot of posts in this forum and others that say they are good. My HDMI length is 6 ft and the Components are 15 Ft, so not very long distances, so I figured I'd give them a try. The monoprice was about $80 and the Blue Jeans price was over $200 for the same cables.