where to get HDTV wire? (1 Viewer)

[Ken]

I need about 30 ft of the triple video wire that runs from the HD cable box to the TV. Where can I get this?

thanks,
ken

 

[Jake Johnson]

I would think at any electronics store. Radio Shack, perhaps?

 

[Don_Berg]

You can get custom lengths from a lot of online sources. In the stores I think 25feet is the biggest they carry. Its just regular coax cable.

 

[ChrisWiggles]

I'm assuming you are referring to component cabling.

Regardless, any 75-ohm coax should do just fine. It needn't be labeled expressly as "component" but it DOES need to be labeled 75ohm, or ba a video cable of some sort (as video cables will be 75ohm).

You can get three regular video cables separately that long, and be just fine. You can even get a big spool and terminate them yourself.

If you want uber-cheap, get long runs of the TV-cable type coax, and get some F to RCA adapter things, and you're good to go.

 

[Bob McElfresh]

This link to the What Cables should I buy thread might help.

Ken, you need a set of Component video cables. These are 3 RCA cables in a bundle.

I'm afraid I'm not a fan of the "..any 75 ohm coax cable" will work. Coax is like asphalt on a road - they are all covered with the same stuff, but the road is designed for different speeds.

With that in mind, here are some numbers:

Component Video: 4 Mhz max
Progressive Video: 13 Mhz max
720/1080 HD Video: 35 Mhz max

So if you buy "...any 75 ohm coax" or even a Component Cable set, you are buying something designed for no-more-than 4 Mhz frequency.

(This was state-of-the-art in 1940's and has not increased until about 1999).

But with a HD cable box, you may be pushing 35 Mhz signals.

The proper cable for these signals starts about $50-$60. Not out of line at all. Use the link above to find various sites that sell the proper coax.