by R James Cook
To Get the Best Video Quality Possible, You Need HDTV Cables.
You have your brand new HDTV (high definition television) set, and figure you are well on your way to watching television shows and movies in glorious high definition. What you do not know is that there may be a problem that will prevent you from watching 1080p content, and instead your brand new $2,000 television will not look much better than the old standard-definition one it just replaced. What many people do not realize is that they also need HDTV cables to watch their favorite content at full resolution, because they are using old cables which just do not cut it any more.
From Your HD Box to Your TV
Just because you have a high-definition cable or satellite box, or a Blu-ray Disc player, does not mean that you are watching it in beautiful, vivid 1080p resolution. The signal your box receives, or that which is included in Blu-ray Discs, does not necessarily get transferred to your television. First, you will need HDTV cables. Why? Simply put, older cables were quite ample for transferring video at the old standard of 480i. Higher resolutions need more bandwidth, and that is where HDTV cables come in.
Standards to Decide Between
When it comes to HDTV cables, there are several options you can choose from. HDMI (high definition media interface) and component HDTV cables are both great choices, although the latter is slowly being phased out in favor of HDMI. They both transmit 1080p content, but the way they do it is slightly different. HDMI cables transmit the data all in one stream, while component cables split the picture into three streams: red, green, and blue pictures which help split the bandwidth requirements up. Together, those three RGB pictures are pieced back together by the television to form the picture you actually see.
DisplayPort is a new standard that is the biggest competition for HDMI right now. There are no significant benefits to using DisplayPort over HDMI, and the competition between two competing standards has caused some consumer confusion. Fortunately, most electronics that support DisplayPort also support HDMI, as HDMI is the most prominent. When you are looking at the purchase of the electronics themselves, just make sure that all (e.g., the HDTV, the cable or satellite box, and the Blu-ray Disc player) support the same HDTV cables, either DisplayPort or HDMI.
However, HDTV cables are not limited to video alone. While some HDMI cables also transmit audio, most audio enthusiasts feel that separate cables sound batter. To get crystalline sound for you audiophiles out there, you will also need to get high definition audio cables. Most cables can deliver great sound in two channels (most commonly left and right, although surround sound will also likely include one cable for the center channel and the subwoofer), and these are often delivered over analog cables although digital cables are becoming more popular. Both will deliver great sound, but you will need several of them for a surround sound system.
Keep it Clean
With all these cables running behind your HDTV set and over to your stereo system, you will want to organize them. Use twist-ties or zip ties to group the like ones together, which will keep the area behind your HDTV and other electronics cleaner. This will also help whenever you move components, since you will not be left with a big mess to sort through.
