View Full Version : Ok, another cable question


bkchurch
04-19-07, 08:26 PM
Just realized another problem with my potential home theater set-up: getting the cables to the projector. Here are the cables I will have at my disposal: PS3 component cable, 360 component cable, Wii component cable, HDMI cable usable with both the PS3 and 360. I know the PS3 cable is 10ft. and I'm going to assume the other three will be as well (It's going to be a bummer if I open the box and find a 5ft. cable) and I figure to run the cables from the entertainment area to the projector I'll need a solid 20ft. of cable.

So my dilemma is getting the remaining cable I need for as cheap as possible without taking a hit to the quality of the signal. I figure what I'll do is run the three component cables into a switcher and then run another 10-12 ft. cable out of the switcher and into the projector (this is gonna look quite redneck and my switcher will probably be stapled to the wall but trust me I don't mind).

So I have two options: 1) run another component cable out of the switcher and into the projector in which case I need to know if I'll see a big PQ difference between Monoprice's premium and regular cables (this method will run me between $40-$50 depending on whether I use premium cables or not) or option 2) find a switcher that can convert an analog signal to digital and then I can just use my available HDMI cable that I'll already have to run from the switcher to the pj (in which case I need to know if such a thing even exists, and if so will there be a quality loss in the conversion and how much would it cost)?

Alright so that's that, any help would be greatly appreciated. As it's looking if I can handle the cables for $50, the mount for another $50, and the DIY screen for another $50 the entire set-up's gonna cost $1050... not bad only $50 over my budget.

dwhisent
04-20-07, 01:36 PM
I'm certainly not a cable expert, but the difference between the Monoprice std and premium cables is that the std is RG59 and the premium is RG6. I do know that RG59 is a lot thinner, and it doesn't carry HD cable TV signals nearly as well as RG6, and you can't use RG59 for modem lines, so I personally paid the extra for the premium component. I would think that is more important over the 20' run you are doing.

As far as converting to digital and back, I can't believe it would be as cheap or simple as a cable.

Maybe someone with more knowledge will chime in here, though.