Monster Cable Connections: Cable Tips For a Great Picture

 Many people ask me: "Does it really matter what kind of video cable I use in my home theater system? Aren't they all basically the same?" And to that I reply, "If you want a great picture, it definitely matters which cables you use. Let me show you the difference."

The reason to have a home theater system is to recreate the movie theater experience in your living room. Whether you're watching a classic 1950's flick or the latest blockbuster, it is critical to the home theater experience to maintain the high-resolution picture quality of the original film. You've probably bought the best VCR, the best DVD player and the best video monitor your home theater budget would allow, but in order for them to perform to their fullest potential, they need to be hooked up with video cables capable of equal performance. With recent advances in video technology and the clarity of today's sophisticated television monitors, high quality video cable is an absolute necessity for recreating the theater experience in your home.

There are many outside influences beyond your control that determine picture quality, such as the strength of the broadcast signal or quality of video transfer. By using high quality components and cables you can help ensure the best possible picture.

The Visibility Factor

You can spot a cheap video cable problem a mile away. Have you ever played with the cables behind your TV monitor or component stack to get rid of "snow" on your screen? That's a clear sign that you've got cheap video cables. Or, if you've ever bent a generic video cable around a corner, you probably noticed that the sharpness of your TV picture took a nosedive. More cheap cable.

Look at the comparison chart below. In this head-to-head test conducted with sophisticated lab equipment, You can see that some video cables, even so-called high performance, expensive cables, don't come close to carrying the signal in its original form. Selecting the "right" video cable is crucial to achieving maximum picture performance.

Many different things including outside interference, signal degradation and internal cable reflections often affect the video picture on your TV screen. Cables play an important role in keeping these problems out of your picture. The connections going between your video components and your A/V receiver and from your receiver to your TV monitor are critical to a "home theater quality" visual experience and require the proper selection and set-up of those cables.

Video signals travel at much higher frequencies than audio, and are therefore more prone to cable signal loss, resulting in poor color saturation and phase accuracy. Picture "ghosting" can be caused by cable reflections that occur when cable is poorly manufactured or bent. Snow, spots, and other outside interference often pollute the picture when your video cables are not shielded properly.

• Keep video cable lengths short. The less distance signal has to travel, the less loss will occur, keeping your picture vivid and sharp. Sometimes you can't avoid a long cable run. Monster Video Series 3 cable is designed to carry the signal over these runs with the lowest loss.
• Don't bunch up excess wire, and keep all cable runs away from AC electrical cords. Both situations can produce increased picture interference.
• Avoid sharp bends and kinks in your video cables to help minimize signal loss and ghosting. Use the best possible signal splitters for your cable TV or antenna system. Poor quality splitters are a prime source of signal loss and noise.

• Full coverage braid plus 5.0 MHz bonded foil shielding. A necessity for rejecting video noise and interference for greater picture detail.
• Ultra-wide bandwidth capacity. For optimum performance with the technologies of today, including baseband video and extended bandwidth cable TV - and tomorrow, like High Definition TV and Digital Broadcast Systems.
• Precision 75-Ohm, heavy gauge construction. A video cable must maintain 75-Ohm impedance throughout to ensure a clear, sharp, high-resolution picture without creating ghosting or phase delays.
• High conductivity and low dielectric constant. High purity metals like oxygen-free copper, carefully extruded within the proper dielectrics, are important for accelerated signal transfer and greater phase accuracy, which ensure naturally vivid, accurate color.
• 24K gold plated precision connectors. A cable is only as good as its connection. Not only do 24K gold plated precision connectors ensure the best video signal transfer for enhanced video performance, they provide a long lasting connection that won't corrode over time or become loose from fatigue.
• Durable, flexible cable jacket. A high quality cable jacket protects its contents from temperature extremes, moisture, etc., yet should be flexible for easy installation.

Hooking up your home theater with high quality video cables lets you see movies the way they were meant to be seen. With the proper components and cables, you'll be wincing at fiery explosions, warding off enemy attacks and wandering through lush green jungles as if you were really there. And isn't that what home theater is all about?