Panasonic TCP60GT30 display issues; HD over Cat5, Blu-Ray picture grainy

Originally Posted by Hammy1480

I purchased a 60" GT30 Plasma for my basement. I am running a cable box and a Blu-Ray into an Onkyo receiver and the single HDMI out goes into an HDMI wall plate that converts the signal to CAT5 cable. Those CAT5 cables run roughly 50' to the TV, which there is another HDMI wall plate that converts the signal from CAT5 back to HDMI, which then goes into the Panasonic HDMI 1 input. Cable box HD picture looks great. But the BluRay video is very grainy or snowy. I've tested each part of this setup individually (BluRay into Panasonic HDMI 1 input; Cable Box into HDMI 1 input; etc) and each looks good. I've even put a 22" Samsung TV on the other end of BluRay-HDMI wall Plate-CAT5-HDMI wall Plate- setup and the BluRay video looks great as it should. Could this be an issue with the Panasonic or some other part of this setup?

There are cases where higher quality cables and going to lengths to maintain signal quality are important. They just aren't cases that apply for most HDTV owners. If you're going to run an HDMI cable for lengths longer than 10 feet, you should be concerned about insulation to protect against signal degradation. It's not an issue for 6-foot lengths of cable, but as the distance between media device and display increases, signal quality decreases and the more susceptible the signal becomes to magnetic interference. In fact, for distances of over 30 feet, the HDMI licensing board recommends either using a signal amplifier, or considering an alternate solution, like an HDMI-over-Ethernet converter. When you're running up against the maximum length, the greater insulation and build quality of more expensive cables can potentially improve the stability of your signal. However, if there's a 30-foot gap between your Blu-ray player and your HDTV, you might want to rearrange some furniture. Or just use a technology designed for long distances.