the cable question (1 Viewer)

[Brent_H]

I am using 12' component cables made by I think Acoustic Research. I opted for these over the Monter's at BestBuy because of a HUGE price difference. (After buying my $1700 tv and $500 DVD player I didnt have any extra money for cables). I guess my question is, how much of a differnce in picture am I going to see by using shorter cable as opposed to longer ones?? I kinda of notice a discrepency in picture when watching lower bitrate material (like weird horizontal lines for a split second during camera angle changes) and I wonder if this is cable related. Anyways, also, could you guys recommend a few decent component cables for me??

thanks

 

[Bob McElfresh]

I dont think you are going to notice any difference with a shorter cable. A better cable perhaps, but not a shorter one.

The cable makers roll out 100 ft of coax and brag about how little it affects the frequency. Just make sure your cable:

- is not tightly coiled
- is separated from power cords and speaker wires

The weird lines during scene shifts I believe are caused by your TV's internal up-conversion of the signal. Since the scene suddenly shifts, it has to re-analize the video and this causes some artifacts.

Now, I'm assuming you have a HDTV, right?

I like to remind people to budget 10% of their electronics cost for cables. This means it's not out of line for you to invest $220 in a good HD rated cable. (Gee, the Monster Zx300 Component cable sells for ... $220, hummm).

The AR cables are find for ordinary video feeds on modest systems. But they are not rated for HD signals. When you start pushing progressive or HD signals, (12 Mhz and 35 Mhz), that cable designed for component signals (4 Mhz) may cause issues with the signals.

While I understand the sticker-shock some cables give, you are dealing with a whole-new standard of video with a HD system. The internet is a good place to try and get value for your $$$. Try clicking the link for BetterCables at the top of the fourms and you will find great cables for less than the $220 Monster offerings.

Good Luck.

 

[Brent_H]

Bob:
Thanks for the input! You are the only one who has even had an answer for the "weird lines" question. Yes, I have an HDTV, Panasonic 53WX42 to be exact. So theres nothing I can do about the up-conversion the TV is doing? I am assuming it is only doing this when the source video is below a certain resolution, correct?
Anyways, I will plan on investing in some better cables in the coming months
~Brent

 

[Bob McElfresh]

I am assuming it is only doing this when the source video is below a certain resolution, correct?

I think this is because the TV is constantly doing things like a 3:2 pulldown and upconversion. It has to re-analize with each scene change.

Does that TV have separate settings for each input? I'm wondering if there are some options you can turn off so the TV does not constantly analize the signal from ordinary cable. You DO want the de-interlace feature, but perhaps you can tell the TV to only line-double to 720p instead of 1080.

BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING: go through the menu system for that TV and write down what all the options are. If the things like brightness/contrast/etc have number values, write these down. This way you can re-construct the settings if you mess them up.

Look for something called SVM - Scan Velocity Modulation and turn this off. It is often a source of artifacts.

The other thing to do: Read the manual to see what it suggests about settings for ordinary TV, and try calling Panasonic tech support. These guys sometimes know their stuff, or have access to tech-reports and "suggested settings" that may not be in the consumer manual.

Any ISF guy know more about solving the glitch during screen changes?

 

[Brent_H]

Bob -

I did a little research, and with my TV, I have to take off the back panel and pull a few plugs to turn off the SVM. A good portion of the folks at panny.tv have done this, and say its no big deal...improves picture a lot. Is this what you were talkin about?? I am a little leary to open up my set, but they provide pictures and say its no big deal.

 

[Bob McElfresh]

That sounds like the thing to do. Just unplug the TV first and remember that there is still stored voltage in the capacators so dont touch anything unless you must.

Warning: how old is this TV? Sometimes you can void the warrenty if you take the back off. Check for stickers that might give you away before doing something that you might regret later.

 

[Kevin. W]

The AR cables are find for ordinary video feeds on modest systems. But they are not rated for HD signals. When you start pushing progressive or HD signals, (12 Mhz and 35 Mhz), that cable designed for component signals (4 Mhz) may cause issues with the signals.

Does this go for all AR cables or only the Reg/Pro series? How about the Master series? I use these to hookup my RP62 to Panny 47 in progressive mode and have had no problems. Picture looks great.

Kevin

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Well your picture will look good even with component cables. It's not very noticible unless you know what to look for or have a colormeter hooked up. And then, you are likely adjusting the colors to compensate.

But the goal of using the right cable is so you dont have to tweek the electronics to compensate.

I cannot reach the AR site to look at the master series cables description, but I do know of many others who use them with their HDTV's so my guess is that they are the 'high-end' for the AR brand intended for HDTV use.

 

[Kevin. W]

Bob,

I emailed Recoton an got this response.

Master Series is Ideal for HD and DVD connections, progressive scan or other wise. The bandwidth of the Master Series Component Video cable is extremely wide,
beyond 300MHz.

Any thoughts.

Kevin

 

[ScottA]

My experience with AR cables has not been good. Granted I have just tried the ones you can buy just about anywhere, but the ones I have tried all had an inferior picture to just ordinary cheap stock cables. I think you'll definitely see an improvement with higher quality cables.

Scott

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Yep, the Master series is intended for HD use. But with respect to Scott, many people in the "Tweeks and Connections" fourm have used the Pro series even for HD use and have been very satisfied.

But the price: I just found that a 12 ft AR Master Series component cable runs about $140. In that price range, I'd spend the extra $30 and go to BetterCables.

 

[ScottA]

Bob,
Thanks for the info. As I said, I have only seen the low-end AR stuff so I stand corrected. That's why I am here, to learn AMAP! I just ass-u-me-d that's what the original post was referring to since he mentioned that the AR cables were much cheaper than Monster Cables at Best Buy.
Scott

 

[Kevin. W]

I'd spend the extra $30 and go to BetterCables

Unfortunately for myself living in Canada and having a crappy exchange rate, options are limited. AR master series are price much cheaper here in Canada for a well made cable.

Kevin