[mythtv-users] [OT] coax vs. composite

[Meatwad]

Steven Adeff wrote:

> I'm a big fan of monoprice.com they have very well constructed, good
> quality cables for rediculously cheap. If you have some more money
> check out Blue Jean Cables or if you have even more, bettercables.com,
> and listen/look for yourself as to whether the increase in price
> brings an increase in performance that your willing to pay for.
> Remeber though, insulation is the biggest factor in noise rejection
> and gauge the biggest factor in signal loss. Strand design and size
> can also make a difference in the upper end of cables, but your
> equipment needs to be up to the job of taking advantage.

The monoprice stuff certainly is appealing to the pocketbook but you can 
be assured that these will fall short of your expectations after they 
begin to loosen and fall of your equipment :) Very poor quality 
connectors which are the weakest link in any signal chain. The importer 
will even have the Chinese assembler change the cable manufacturer 
mid-production run as the copper/oil market jumps and falls and 
competition gets frantic.

I'm going to have to step up and recommend Blue Jeans Cable. In 1986, I 
began stocking Belden and Canare bulk cable and connectors in order to 
assemble custom cables on the jobsite. After a few visits and phone 
calls with engineer buddies at the local network affiliates and 
recording studios, we discovered that they were all using very specific 
Belden and Canare bulk products. It was a tough decision as this was a 
major investment back then (prep dies and compression tools sets were 
and still are frightfully expensive) but it was truly the only way to 
deliver projects as promised AND have the installations be reliable.

I still have the tools but I began ordering A/V specific cables from 
Blue Jeans when I found out they use the same industry components and 
that they have assembly equipment that can do the job far better than we 
can. For our particular situation, a no brainer really.

I hate to endorse a particular company so strongly in a public forum but 
there is just way too much mis-information out in the marketplace and 
this crowd deserves all the help it can get in these grey areas. On 
their website are some most excellent articles which describe what goes 
into a "hard science" cable as opposed to a "fairy-dust" or "smoke and 
mirrors" cable.

I'm certain there are other de-bunking sites out there so google around. 
The bottom line is that science and math can only boost a corporation's 
profits so high. The marketing gurus are required to take earnings to 
the next level.

--
mw