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Cable info

post #1 of 8
12/31/08 at 4:53pm
Thread Starter 
I've decided to order the MonoPrice 4x2 HDMI matirx switch but am confused on the type of cable. I'll be running ~25~30 feet; up, over, and down. I've done a lot of searching and reading, but haven't found a specific answer. At MonoPrice, I'm seeing tin, copper, 22 awg, etc and know that I want the lowest number for the thicker wire. But the tin, copper, silver, gold, cat 5, cat 6, cl, etc., have me totally baffled. Would/could someone recommend a a good quality cable specification for me, and explain the cat 5/6 and cl? Thanks in advance.
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post #2 of 8
12/31/08 at 7:33pm
I'm running a 50' MonoPrice 24 awg copper tin cable and it works great. I have a Dish VIP 722 in our theater (115" screen with a Sharp PJ) but wanted to drive my 50" Panny in the great room. The 50' scared me at first, but MonoPrice has supplied every cable for my theater and I thought I would give it a try. I was not disappointed. MonoPrice ROCKS. I also use their 4114 mount for the Panny ($18.44) and a 50' Toslink to run the second AVR. I just installed the Inday TLDA1 to distribute the audio and am very satisfied. Don't have fears about MonoPrice's low cost - they are truely the best value around!
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post #3 of 8
12/31/08 at 9:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by clev1 View Post

Would/could someone recommend a a good quality cable specification for me, and explain the cat 5/6 and cl? Thanks in advance.

Cat5/6 refer to ethernet type computer cable. It's entirely different from HDMI cable.
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post #4 of 8
1/1/09 at 4:57pm
Thread Starter 
Hi crut, I was pretty sure that the cat 5/6 was ethernet, but not positive. Thanks for the input. South, your post inspired me, but in the Monoprice cable section, 25 feet was the longest length available in the 22 awg cable(unless I missed something). So, for a long length, what am I looking for? Tin, copper, silver, gold, cl, etc. I'd really like to know. Thanks for any input.
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post #5 of 8
1/2/09 at 10:13am
Thread Starter 
After exhaustive research, I've got everthing answered except one issue. Is the extra price for silver plating worth the extra money rather than tin for a 30 ft run?
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post #6 of 8
1/2/09 at 8:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by clev1 View Post

After exhaustive research, I've got everthing answered except one issue. Is the extra price for silver plating worth the extra money rather than tin for a 30 ft run?

I'm assuming you are comparing the following:

HDMI Silver-Plated Copper CL2 Rated (For In-Wall Installation) Cable (22AWG) - 35ft (Gold Plated Connectors) - $76.13

HDMI Tin-Plated Copper CL2 Rated (for In-Wall Installation) Cable (22AWG) - 35ft (Gold Plated Connectors) - $40.90

Since you are going in-wall (from your description) you must stay with a CL2 rated cable. As far as the silver vs. tin plating for a 35 foot run, well... it probably won't make an appreciable difference. That said, my stance on pulling in-wall cable is "do it once, do it the best you can" because the last thing you want to have to do is have to re-run in-wall cables. For $35 difference, I'd go with the silver and be done with it, never having to guess "could it be better" when using the tin plated.

Just this man's opinion.
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post #7 of 8
1/3/09 at 10:23am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the reply, king. I've rerouted a little, and can get by with 25 feet. However, at MonoPrice, the silver shield was out of stock, so I opted for the tin shield. I considered buying the cable from another company, but didn't want different orders from different companies. Hopefully, the tin will work out ok.
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post #8 of 8
1/4/09 at 10:34am
Let me know if the tin works out for you - I know I've had problems with some cheaper cables in the past - had color loss on an older model HDTV until we swapped the cables from the DVR to a gold-plated version some years back. We're looking to remodel some things here too, so if the tin is actually working for you, hopefully we can save some cash
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