My Bottleneck (1 Viewer)

[Tim Jin]

I recently upgraded my DVD player to a Denon 2200.

My cables are the bottleneck now.

I really don't think that Monster Cables are worth it because you are paying for the marketing. I know that is a huge margin on Cables and it seems like I'm buying the name.

I'm thinking about Mogami cables for video.

I can't really afford to spend $300 on Better Cables.

I can get 2 sets of Mogami component cables for $70.

I run the video switching through my reciever.

Do you guys have any suggestions for me?

 

[DaveMart]

I just got a 12' bluejeans component video cable in the mail yesterday. I'm very impressed with the quality. Depending on the lengths of your cables, they might not be very much more. I've never heard of Mogami, so I can't comment on them or provide a comparison. My bluejeans cable is made of Canare V3-5CFB cable with Canare connectors. It's a broadcast quality cable. The thing is about as thick as a garden hose.

 

[Neil Joseph]

Moved to Connections

 

[Chu Gai]

Thoughts...well depending upon what you're currently currently using, the length in question, and the resolution you intend to push down the cable from your DVD player you may not even need new cables but you can get a feel for that by considering a few issues.

A general rule of thumb when running video into your receiver or any other switching device, is that the bandwidth of the device, in this case your receiver, should be 3 times the bandwidth of the signal you intend on running. For example, regular DVD is something like 4.5 MHz so if your receiver has a bandwidth of 15 MHz, you'd be fine. If you're running 1080, which has a bandwidth of about 35 MHz, then a receiver that has a bandwidth of 100 MHz will meet the requirements. Having a bandwidth in this case of 3x or more ensures that any signal loss will be neglible and certainly corrrectable/adjustable using your monitor's controls.

Mogami video cable is sold through svideo.com (maybe others...I haven't really looked) and two 3 meter sets will run you about $70 give or take. There are two gauges depending upon the flavor that you choose: 24 and 27 gauge. RG59 and RG6 are 20 gauge and 18 gauge respectively. A smaller number (thicker wire) means less signal loss. I took a brief look at gauge and signal loss in this particular link which hopefully will give you a little more insight into how long of a run can you safely get away with.

So dig a little deeper into what you have right now. Get the answers to what your receiver's bandwidth is, what gauge you're currently using, read the link, and maybe come back to this thread. You may well find that if the receiver severely constricts you on account you're running 1080, then a more prudent choice would be to run the DVD straight into the monitor. For some people, this just becomes all too much and they throw up their hands and say just give me the best stuff, I don't want to worry about it. If that's the case, then consider an RG6 which is available from the HTF sponsor

 

[Tim Jin]

Thanks for your help. Cables are very confusing to me because I think wires is wires and I think that you can get the same preformace from a $70 cable vs. $200 cable.

I have a Panasonic SA-HE200K receiver that does all of my video switching (HD box and the Denon 2200).

Right now, I'm using Acoustic Research component cable for the DVD to the receiver and some 10ft component cable that I got from my local cable company for the receiver to the tv.

Mogami Cable is an option, but I'm not sure that they will give me a better picture.

 

[Chu Gai]

Well it doesn't say what the bandwidth on the receiver is, so I'm guessing it's 50 MHz tops.

Well you probably can and to a certain extent you're entirely corrrect. You see, when lengths are short, a few meters, the differences between cables with respect to losses only amount to a fractional part of a dB (3 dB loss is just another way of saying 50% loss).
Now I've no idea what the cable company gave you and you could always ask them to tell you what the gauge is. I'm betting it's probably around the same gauge as the Mogami's. One thing you can try, which will cost you a little time and not too much money, is to head over to your local Target store. They've got GE component cables for around $20. Like em keep em. Don't like em, get your money back. I believe their gauge is around 24.
I recognize that the DVD player is an upgrade for you and you're quite pleased with the Faroudja chip. Regardless, an output of 5MHz or 13.5MHz (720 resolution) is the same regardless of the DVD player.

 

[Tim Jin]

The Denon 2200 doesn't use the Faroudja chip. It uses the Silicon Image chip. I am impressed with the player.

 

[Chu Gai]

I stand corrected! 5 MHz is 5 MHz though.