[Fizzmix]

I am COMPLETELY lost when it comes to cables, so I need your help. For Christmas, I'm getting a new TV (Samsung 20" flat screen) a DVD Player (Sony NS500V) a Satalite reciever, and some small speakers for my TV (http://www.hifi.com/store/category.c...tem=c1swxxxxx#).

I have NO CLUE what kind of cables I need to hook these up. I think SVideo Cables are what I want for the tv...? I want some decent cables for a decent price. I have no clue what this will cost me, so I don't want to give an estimate. Thanks a lot in advance for the help!

~!~ Fizzmix ~!~

 

[carlo]

fizzmix,

check to see what connections your television will be able to accomodate, then go from there. s-video is the common connection, you can go composite if the samsung allows it (although, fwiw, i'm finding that composite off my roommates' pioneer 343 dvd player - a budget unit that is now discontinued - better from s-video than composite). you could go normal rca videa if thats all the tv can handle.

for best value for your dollar, i suggest you go to a chain electonics store when ready to purchase and tell them you're prepared to buy the tv on the spot if they include a couple of monster s-video cables for free. don't let them negotiate with you, make it a take it or leave it deal: monster is carried by most major retail stores since the profit margin is favorable and they've built a name for themselves among the general market. i've heard best buy can't haggle but i've done it plenty of times at good guys and circuit city (major united states retail stores, don't know if they're in canada) - if the store you're at won't do it just drive down the street

i don't see switching capability as part of your speaker package, so you can just hook it up to your dvd player or your tuner and use the tv's speakers for the other ones. or you can pick up a switch box from radioshack or something. fwiw, i don't think that cambridge system is the best choice for movie sound (i'm not too its worth buying).

since you're asking about this now i'm assuming this is an early christmas present. now's a good time to talk down prices on something like this since not a lot of people are buying consumer electronics and its well before the holiday season.

best,
carlo.

 

[aeberbach]

Video: IF both your DVD player and your TV have component connections, you want to use that for video. A component cable can come in BNC or RCA terminations and you'll need to know which before ordering. If component isn't an option S-Video is next best. That's easy, there is only one kind. The last resort and worst quality is composite, which looks like an interconnect with only one cable.

Sound: sound from the DVD to the receiver should be digital. Either coaxial (again, looks like half an interconnect, RCA ends, but must be of the proper impedance - look for a coax cable designed for digital) or SPDIF, a single optical connector. If neither of these is an option (it would be a strange DVD or receiver if so) then plain old RCA interconnects are what you want.

When I got my setup I bought all the cables at Markertek.com and avcables.com. These are the kinds of cables used in the broadcast industry. Don't buy anything from Monster, they are no better, just more expensive. You should easily satisfy all your cable needs for under $100. Perhaps you could hear the difference between coax and optical or between cheap and expensive digital if you had amazing speakers but probably not in this case - surround speakers are rarely that analytical. Video however is critical. You will definitely see improvement going from composite to S-Video to component.

 

[Fizzmix]

Quote:

Originally posted by carlo fizzmix, fwiw, i don't think that cambridge system is the best choice for movie sound (i'm not too its worth buying).

What would you suggest for a better compact speaker system? They need to be quite inexpensive like the Cambridge ones.

 

[carlo]

Fizzmix,

personally i don't feel there's a speaker package anywhere close to that price range worth buying for a home theater application. i think you should save the cash or pick up a few movies or albums and just use the television speakers. if you can stretch your budget to maybe $250 for a used/openbox receiver/integrated amp and used/openbox speakers its a different ballgame, but if it was me i'd just enjoy the new toys and get more discs for my new dvd player

to put it another way, having auxillary speakers isn't necessarily better than using your television's speakers, especially on a budget.

i'm serious about getting the cables for free by the way.

best,
carlo.