cables

[PeteZaHut]

from what i hear, monoprice.com is the best place to buy cables.

I will have a TV, PS3, and home theater system. What cables will I need. I need something cheap as possible but don't want to reduce quality.

[ohheck]

Buy your tv first. It will come with the cables that you'll need to get you started for viewing your tv. Then, as you add components, you'll know what cables you'll need to buy from monoprice. Also, you might want to read the FAQ's. :grandpa9:

http://www.hdtvoice.com/voice/showthread.php?t=3529

[abeas]

Most of the cables you will buy for a PS3 and Home Theater system will be digital so you won't be reducing quality by purchasing a $100 cable or a $10 cable.

[Crazybob]

I bought a HDMI & Optical cable from Monoprice & am pleased with the good quality & low price.

Bob

[PeteZaHut]

The TV im getting comes with an AV cable and a power cord. Other than that, I am completely lost. That FAQ confused the heck out of me.

[Crazybob]

Are you also hooking up to cable with an STB, direct or are you just going OTA? If you use a cable STB it would help to know the make/model#. Would also help to know what connectors your TV & A/V equipment have when you get them, then we could probably help more to get the best quality hook ups.

Bob

[PeteZaHut]

Are you also hooking up to cable with an STB, direct or are you just going OTA? If you use a cable STB it would help to know the make/model#. Would also help to know what connectors your TV & A/V equipment have when you get them, then we could probably help more to get the best quality hook ups.

Bob

No STB, I've just got the cable coxial coming through the wall.

[abeas]

Buy an HDMI cable for your PS3 and depending on whether or not you own a receiver with HDMI inputs, you can use that same HDMI cable for sound. If not, purchase an optical audio cable for your PS3. If your TV has an optical output, you can run that to your receiver to pick up surround sound for your HD channels that you pull in OTA, since you aren't using a STB.

[ohheck]

Your tv will come with an owner's manual. It will give you exact instructions on how to hook up your tv....what cable goes where and exactly how to set it up. Just follow the instructions. After you do that, if there's anything you don't understand, then post back for help. :grandpa9:

[PeteZaHut]

Your tv will come with an owner's manual. It will give you exact instructions on how to hook up your tv....what cable goes where and exactly how to set it up. Just follow the instructions. After you do that, if there's anything you don't understand, then post back for help. :grandpa9:

I just don't want to be stuck waiting for cables to come in the mail after i buy my tv

[kevinw]

No STB, I've just got the cable coxial coming through the wall.
What cable do you think you need??????

[Ratman]

See if you can download the users manual for the TV (normally found on the manufacturer's website). Read the manual, buy your cable(s).

[devo]

Cables---This has been a big argument (disagreement) on the internet for a long time. The weekest link in your system is the cable. (Think about it)... 1080p tv. BluRay player 1080p rez. Receiver that can push 1000 watts of power. Speakers asking for signal for receiver (200 watts each).

Which cable should I buy to maintain this rez? Which speaker wire should I buy to maintain quality of sound of origional source?

If you think all wires are made equal, then just buy monoprice...They certainly are cheap! It's all in materials used, the conductor and shielding. Your trying to maintain integrity of said signal.

They say HDMI's will either work or don't work. Well 1's and 0's can loose data, and when your dealing w/ billions of colors...

I replaced my power cord, and it made the picture more 3d. Going to add a better one for my sub soon.

If I bought a Ferrari or a Porsche, I wouldn't use 87 octaine just because I knew it could get me from point a to point b. I would use the best that I could afford!

[57U]

I replaced my power cord, and it made the picture more 3d. Going to add a better one for my sub soon.Please point me to any double blind test anywhere on the web comparing any acceptable cable with the "exotics" and we'll have something to discuss. In the meantime, this is all marketing and supposition.

BTW, no one says to put 87 octane in your Ferrari, however, it is designed to run on 91 octane and putting 101 octane will not make it go any faster or run any better or look more 3D unless the engine management system is modified to take advantage of the additional octane.

An understanding of what is required for a particular service is what we are attempting to convey on this forum. If people wish to purchase an item that is "more than what is required for a particular service", they are welcome to do so, provided they understand that it could very likely be a waste of money that could be spent on better equipment, instead of better cables.

For example, is it better to buy a $100 DVD player and $100 HDMI cable or a $180-$190 DVD player and $10-$20 HDMI cable? I believe most people know the answer to that question. Luxury cable comparison below:

http://www.hdtvoice.com/voice/showthread.php?t=21206

People with $1000 DVD players may, or may not, wish to spend more on the cable. (The OP isn't purchasing a Ferrari)

A better cable can have better shielding and that can be important in some applications, especially for analogue signals, however, just because a cable (Monoprice for example) is inexpensive, doesn't mean it's "cheap" and doesn't have the appropriate shielding, etc. Monoprice and similar outfits have a variety of cables, some of which are "premium" cables, which do cost a bit more, however, they are also often significantly less costly than an equivalent cable from a B&M store. Just because it's $20 instead of $150 doesn't make it less of a cable, it just means it costs less.

[damondlt]

I just don't want to be stuck waiting for cables to come in the mail after i buy my tv



Get all your equipment first,then if you need cables Go to your nearest retailer,Buy what you need.PS3 is going to have at least component wires with it.And if its a PS2 the wires that come with it are fine,PS2 NOT HD anyway.If your dvd is progressive scan go to WALMART and Component Cables (red,blue,green )and audio(red and white) all for about $13. I've never saw a cable at walmart for more then $40.

[abeas]

PS3 comes with COMPOSITE wires, not component. The composite wires it comes with are not capable of HD.

[devo]

57U---by the way, you have some very nice speakers! I would love some electostats. I luckily won my fronts in a contest which were autographed by Gayle.

I don't know any "internet sites" or "magazines" that would let us know what are better. I have always been a believer that my ears are the truth, and my eyes never lie!

A few years ago...Audioquest sat about 10 of us down in a room w/ a small shelf system worth no more than $100.

They started out w/ 16/2 and it sounded o.k. and as they went up the ladder of performance, so did the quality. Now I can't say it was that much better, but once they got closer to their flagship speaker wire, I thought I was listening to a reference audio system.

If you don't believe me...Audition for yourself.

Now that I have left the industry, HDMI's and other cables. I do know that shielding has an effect on performance.

Ultimately...It's up to the consumer to decide what level. Go w/ what you can afford. Monoprice certainly can get most people taken care of.

[PeteZaHut]

Ok, I am planning on buying my 32" Vizio next weekend. I would like to order the necessary cables beforehand, so they are ready to use when I get the TV. I have looked at the FAQ's and have looked at the TV's manual and I still don't get it.

I will have the TV, a PS3, an older home theater system, and a a coaxial cable for cable TV coming through the wall.

I don't care about sound that much, so I think I am going to use regular cables for that.

Other than that, is all I need something to hook up the PS3?
Do I need any kind of special cable to watch TV in HD? Do I have to replace the coaxial cable coming through the wall?

What is confusing me on monoprice.com is all the different selections. I clicked on Video Cable - HDMI, and then it shows different categories like 22AWG and 24AWG. What do they mean?


So hopefully, I will only need to buy one cable for the PS3, but what do I get? The PS3 is right next to the TV, so I could do a 3 ft cable.

[Ratman]

The smaller the number, the "fatter" the wire gauge. The "fatter" the gauge, the better signal over a long distance. At 3', 28 AWG is fine for HDMI.

Do you have to replace the cable from the wall? Who knows? Is it some 'ratty' coax cable that you installed or is it one that was provided by the cableco? If cableco provided, it's probably RG6 and should be okay.

For peace of mind, why not splurge and buy a new coax from monoprice? A 6' RG6 coax will set you back a whopping $3. ;)

[PeteZaHut]

Now, I'm thinking that I might want to do a 6 foot HDMI. Should I do a different AWG for that?

And it is the Video Cable - HDMI on monoprice that I want for the PS3? Because they've got stuff like HDMI/DVI too.

[abeas]

The PS3 has an HDMI output. What will your TV have? If your TV will have HDMI< like most newer ones do, then you want HDMI to HDMI. IF your TV will have DVI, then you want HDMI/DVI.

[PeteZaHut]

Ok I see. what level AWG should I get for a 6 foot HDMI?

[abeas]

I would buy 28, because it's the cheapest. You aren't going over 50ft and you are not running the cable through your walls. 28 will be fine.

[kevinw]

Ok I see. what level AWG should I get for a 6 foot HDMI?
The one with the ferrite

[PeteZaHut]

ok yall are going to want to kill me. Now I am thinking since these things are only 5 bucks a pop, why not get the best sound I can get too.

So I will get an HDMI cable to connect my PS3 to my TV.

The TV has 2 HDMI outputs.

So, then I have to connect the home theater system. I would like to use the home theater system for both the PS3 and the TV, so does that mean I have to connect it to both?

Looking at my home theater manual, I have some different options. There's an External Audio Component Input Connector, an External Digital Component Input Connector, Video Output Connector, Component Video Output jacks, and an S-Video Output Connector.

The home theater system has a DVD player, which I don't need to use b/c I have the PS3, so all I need from this is sound. What do I do?

Thanks

[Ratman]

The TV probably has two HDMI "INPUTS".

If the HTS doesn't have HDMI, inputs and outputs, then HDMI from PS3 to TV. And then an additional audio cable from the PS3 to the HTS.

Then... you will need an audio connection from the TV to the HTS.

If you like, for a nominal fee, I can order all of the cables for you. Just provide the make/model #'s of all of the gear along with your name, mailing address and credit card number. For an additional fee (travel/meals and time), I will also come to your home and hook everything up for you. ;)

[PeteZaHut]

ok, so I will need to cables

one to go from the HTS to the TV, and one to go from the PS3 to the HTS.

The HTS has a digital input, and the PS3 has a digital output. does that do sound? what section on monoprice do I buy that cable?

after that, which one should i buy to go from the HTS to the tv?

can I somehow split it, so both the PS3 and the TV use the digital input on the HTS, because isn't digital the best?

[Ratman]

Yes... you will need cables.

One to "GO" from the TV to the HTS and one to go from the PS3 to the HTS.

What HTS (make/model#) do you have?
Only one "digital" input?
Is it optical or coaxial?

If there is only one... you can always buy a "switch".

[PeteZaHut]

Samsung
Digital Home Theater System
HT-DB120

It's a few years old

Only one digital input
optical

thanks

[Ratman]

Then if you have two devices and only one input:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10423&cs_id=1042302&p_id=2946&seq=1&format=2

[PeteZaHut]

ok great, so i get that thing, then i get 2 Audio Cables (Optical Toslink).

Do I get 5mm or 8mm?

Does the splitter thing reduce quality?

[Ratman]

Three optical cables.... two "IN", one "OUT".

5mm

No...

I may just take the three hour drive and do you install for free and I'll even provide the cables. Let me know when you get the TV. :whistle:

[PeteZaHut]

right, i'd need 2 to go into the splitter from the TV and PS3, then one to go from the splitter to the HTS. All the same Toslink to Toslink audio optical cables, though right?

Haha, I think the forums should have a party when I get my TV.

Although, I'd probably crash the party by asking questions on how to set up the TV.

Everything should go well. My brother gets home from college for Spring Break on Wednesday, and he is pretty good with stuff like this.

Thanks a lot everyone for the help.

[Ratman]

Haha, I think the forums should have a party when I get my TV.
Although, I'd probably crash the party by asking questions on how to set up the TV.

TV first... questions later. I hope your brother can help get you setup/informed. :Party6:

[PeteZaHut]

Bad news. The switch you recommended got really bad customer reviews. Apparently, it breaks very often. I figure I'd have to spend a bit more to get a decent switch, so I will connect the PS3 to the HTS using the digital optical audio cable. What is the next best choice to connect the TV to the HTS?

[57U]

While waiting for a better switch, etc, you could simply use the analogue audio cables (red/white) to connect the TV to the HTS, but that will mean you'll only get analogue audio, which can be decoded to Dolby Pro Logic, but will not give you DD5.1 audio, since a digital audio connection is required for that.

http://www.hdtvoice.com/voice/showthread.php?t=3529 Cables

http://www.hdtvoice.com/voice/showthread.php?t=2046 DD5.1

[PeteZaHut]

So if the digital optical slot is taken up on my HTS, the only other option is the analogue audio cables, which doesn't give me DD5.1, so is it pretty much the same thing as using the speakers on the TV?

Anybody have any recommendations on a digital optical toslink switch?

[Ratman]

http://www.trianglecables.com/os-3pt.html
http://www.ramelectronics.net/HTML/audio_toslink_adapters.html
http://www.cablestogo.com/product.asp?cat_id=3108&sku=28734
http://www.worldofcables.com/oscatalog/CablesProduct/28734.htm
http://www.svideo.com/digitalaudio1.html
http://shopper.cnet.com/digital-media-receivers/svat-sw100-digital-audio/4014-6739_9-32331254.html
http://www.hdtvsupply.com/diausw.html

[PeteZaHut]

hmm, they all look like the one that got bad reviews on monoprice.

I'm not too displeased to use the optical for my PS3 and just the regular red and white ones for my TV.

[Ratman]

Hmmm...
You may want to look again. They MAY "look like" the one from Monoprice, but if you take the time to compare, you will see they are not the same.

Why not treat yourself and spend the $8 for the Monoprice switch? If it fails after a few months, you're only out a 12 pack of beer (if you have someone of legal age to buy it for you). Or... buy three and it's still less $$ than all of the other switches.

Or... use the red/white and live with stereo/DPL. But... you did state that you wanted the best audio and the least expensive options.

I hope this helps and look forward to Wednesday when your brother gets home to help you out.

[PeteZaHut]

Good news! I made the first step and ordered those cables. I went ahead and just got one optical and stayed away from the switch.

Looking foward to Saturday!