HDTV Reviews

HDTV Cables Required for HDTV Setup

Your HDTV will provide you with the ultimate viewing experience with your favorite television shows and movies in high definition. But you’ll also encounter some obstacles to viewing 720p or 1080i/p content unless you have proper cabling to go with it. The older versions of connecting cables that were supplied with your standard television won’t do the job once you’ve set up an HDTV system. Without the proper cabling to handle the increased data to be transferred, commonly referred to as bandwidth, your HDTV will not replicate the quality audio and picture streams it was designed for.

Cable box to HDTV.

If you are getting Dish Network or high-definition cable supplied to your home, or you are playing the next generation HD-DVD or Blu-ray disks, the transfer to your HDTv WILL require HDTV cabling. Transfer of the 420p picture is only adequate for the transfer of that resolution. The increased bandwidth required to tranfer the increased data stream to your HDTV means that you’ll need cables that can do the job.

New Standards for HDTV

Cabling for your HDTV includes several options. High Definition Media Interface (HDMI) is the newest standardized format, and will probably dominate the market in the future. Fortunately, HDMI is backwards-compatible with older versions, so you can use them with a standard television set. That means they’re also the best choice for your purchase of cabling. HDMI cabling can transfer 1080p content in a single stream, while component cable split the picture into the three primary colors, red, green and blue to split the bandwidth for tranfer. The three RGB pictures are then put back together by the television to form the picture you see on the screen.

HDTV cables are required for transfer of video data, but you’ll also need to get high-definition audio cabling for the sound that goes with modern HDTV. Most cables deliver sound in two channels (most commonly left and right). If you want to reproduce surround sound you’ll also need an extra cable for the center channel or subwoofer. This can be accomplished with analog cables, but digital cable are becoming available as well. Cables that can handl the bandwidth are required to get the maximum in video and audio reproduction, so count on purchasing HDTV cable for quality reproduction of audio and video properties of your HDTV.

Once your cables are connected, make sure to use ties or clamps to keep them organized and out of the way. They’ll be easier to keep clean and sort through if you ever need to replace or move them in the future. They will also be easier to conceal from view once the system is set up.