What cabling do I need for DVI and HDMI? (1 Viewer)

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

We recently move to a new place (new to us at least) and unlike our old place, this one is turning out to be something of a home theater challenge. The only place to put the “front of house” is on an outside wall with windows and a patio door. To minimize blocking the view from the windows, the TV and speakers will be the only equipment at the front of the room. The rest of the gear will be in a custom equipment rack off to the side of the room. Needless to say, I have to get a lot of cabling from there to the TV - somehow.

Since it will be difficult to retrofit once the new floors are put in, I need to get this right the first time. My only question is what I’ll need to future-proof for whenever we upgrade to HDTV.

My plan was to run for S-video (since that’s all my current TV supports) and put cabling in place for future component video. What I’m unsure of is the new DVI and HDMI protocols. Basically, I know nothing about them.

So - what kind of cabling - if any - do I need to have in place for that? Is it an “either, or” thing, or do I need both? Do I even need to worry about it at all? Is the kind of thing I can terminate myself? (Have no fear, I’m an expert custom cable builder!

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Kevin T]

i think hdmi is the new dog in the kennel. dvi (while still useable) is yesterday's digital video connection. hdmi is capable of transmitting both audio and video whereas dvi is only video. i don't know if you can make them yourself as i'm not sure what the "pin layout" looks like. search around online though and you may be able to find the pin diagram and connectors. if i had to chose one or the other, i'd go with hdmi. you can always use a dvi to hdmi adaptor if absolutely necessary (depending on what type of connections your gear has naturally).

kevin t

 

[Miles M]

Go with HDMI cabling. And I wouldn't make them yourself. As it is, there is testing done by TV/STB/cable manufacturers for interoperability. One test is cable distance. I'm not sure how long your run will be, but of course as short as possible is best. I've seen testing of 20m cables, the results vary. Good, Pixelization, loss of sync. Try to go with a good quality HDMI cable, 10m or less.

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Audio and video? I really don’t see the need to send audio to a display in most serious home theaters. In my system the display is simply that.

I’ve heard that the picture from HDMI and component are of comparable quality. Any comments on that?

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Shane Martin]

This depends on what type of display you buy. One thing to note is that with HD DVD and such coming, you may not be able to use component connections for that.

To my knowledge you can't DIY DVI/HDMI cables. Regardless I think you should run HDMI if you haven't bought a display yet as most all new sets will have HDMI on them(some Projectors will be the rarity). Don't worry about carrying HDMI audio.

There is also a thread(if you want me to dig it up) on avs where WM Phelps tested several of these type cables and found that only very few of them would do 1080P across a 10m run. There was the fiber optic ones that run several hundred dollars and he also found that the Ultralink brand did extremely well. The others he tested failed. The Ultralink was pretty affordable(to me atleast). I think it was around $100 or so. If you want to dig up the thread then look for Monster DVI threads in the $3500+ Forum at AVS. WM Phelps is the premier calibrator for JVC DILA FPTV's.