Which cables to buy

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The Dark Knight

Beginner
I have the following systems

KDL-40EX720 : EX720 Series : BRAVIAâ„¢ LCD TV : Sony India
Archived DAV-DZ370 : DVD Home Theatre System : Home Theatre System : Sony India
An (almost) HTPC

I would like to buy an HDMI cable and a digital out (S/PDIF cable) to connect all the systems together.

-> The home theatre is currently connected to the TV by an HDMI cable provided by Sony along with the home theatre system.
-> I would like to buy an HDMI cable to connect the HTPC to the TV
-> The TV has a Digital Audio Output so, I am planning to buy an S/PDIF connector to enjoy the audio via home theatre (surround is always better than TV speakers)

Please suggest the appropriate cables to buy and if possible, any tips, tricks or suggestions to connect the aforementioned systems to have a better multimedia experience.
 
150+ views and no reply yet.. When one is desperate, you try and find it out for yourself..

Called up a Sony Expert and found out what was feasible and what was not..

So here is how I did it..

Bought two cables from CTC (Chenoy Trade Center, Hyderabad)

1. Belkin High Speed HDMI - 10.2 Gbps (without Ethernet channel)
More details on which HDMI cable to buy
HDMI :: Manufacturer :: HDMI 1.4 :: Finding the Right Cable
HDMI - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"High Speed HDMI 1.3 cables can support all HDMI 1.4 features except for the HDMI Ethernet Channel." And I liked the 'Compatibility with DVI' section too.

2. Belkin TOSLINK cable
TOSLINK - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The HDMI cable is for my HTPC. Simple plug and play (I don't need to explain more)

The TOSlink cable is a fiber optic cable for digital audio, they say its capable of handling upto 7.1 channel surround (not very sure on this one). 40EX720 happens to have a digital optical out and the DAV-DZ370 has a digital optical in. So, any sound that comes out from the digital out of the TV 40EX720 is transmitted to the home theatre DAV-DZ370. Care must be taken when plugging them into the ports as they go in one direction only. Please make sure that the cable must not be under stress (i.e. they must not be tightly bent). I did not prefer the S/PDIF (coaxial cable) as I wanted to eliminate EM interference (lots of cables running behind the setup).

Lord said, "Let there be surround" and there was surround. :P

Bought a TataSky HD STB and am enjoying Dolby Surround on the home theatre now. Though they broadcast Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 surround, my home theatre is capable of 5.1 only.

You may as well ask this later, so I better mention it here. Why take the trouble of having an HDMI cable and a TOSLINK cable connected to the Home Theatre and the TV. Well, that is because the home theatre DAV-DZ370 is pretty old and does not support the ARC (Audio Return Channel) facility provided by HDMI. Hence the second best digital (optical too) alternative - TOSLINK. (Courtesy: Sony Expert)

This is my first time writing something like this (a half baked tutorial :D) so please feel free to correct me if I am wrong / suggestions for improving written content.
 
Just buy any HDMI cable. They just work. There's no use spending a bucketload on them.

This is coming from someone whose main speaker cable costs over 1000 euro.

SPDIF is a tricky business when you have high end equipment but for a TV and HT receiver, any belkin or MX or entry level audioquest etc should suffice.
 
while I also am not a big fan nor can afford super expensive cables; but still feel that there's gotta be a minimum quality level when one is buying HDMI cables..

I am aware of "HDMI being a Digital signal" argument , Os & 1s etc..

But what would be the effects if the HDMI cable is of bad quality? 'blackouts" , No picture, intermittent pic loss? Just curious..
 
delhiboy1000 said:
while I also am not a big fan nor can afford super expensive cables; but still feel that there's gotta be a minimum quality level when one is buying HDMI cables..

I am aware of "HDMI being a Digital signal" argument , Os & 1s etc..

But what would be the effects if the HDMI cable is of bad quality? 'blackouts" , No picture, intermittent pic loss? Just curious..
Click to expand...

HDMI cable, will work or wont work.
 
surya_neo said:
nice write up for newbie :thumb:
Click to expand...
Thank you :)

Chaos said:
Just buy any HDMI cable. They just work. There's no use spending a bucketload on them.

This is coming from someone whose main speaker cable costs over 1000 euro.

SPDIF is a tricky business when you have high end equipment but for a TV and HT receiver, any belkin or MX or entry level audioquest etc should suffice.
Click to expand...

And I did not spend a bucket-load on them.. the HDMI cost me Rs.550/- and the TOSLINK Rs.275/- both 6' long. I bought them after reading lots of reviews and FAQs on how much to spend on an HDMI cable (which happens to be $10 on cnet.. I slightly overshot.. but its Belkin). The guy at the store did show me MX.. I liked Belkin better than MX.

pr0ing said:
I myself have a cheapo 150Rs 1.5 metre cable which works perfectly and recommend it to everyone over the branded stuff.
Click to expand...
Yes I did have a look at other cables and I am sure they would work fine.. However, I did not like the build quality (functionality is critical.. but presentation is also important). Infact, I was running out of patience and was going to buy them (almost) when at last I tried at one last store and luckily they were representing Belkin and got these cables there for a decent price. They do come with a three year warranty so I felt it was ok to buy them at that price.
 
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