New to Voom... need advice on what video cable to use

[Devil24]

Hey guys, I'm a new Voomer ... and man, I'm loving it. My service was connected on March 1st, 2005... and I'm just praying to the Sat Gods to let me enjoy the service for a very, very long time.

Anyway, here's my question:

I own a Toshiba 51H84 51" Diagonal TheaterWide HD Monitor Projection TV. I've been using it with a Dish Network HD receiver, the very buggy 811, via component video using a set of Monster Video 3 High-Resolution component video cables. The image is really, really good. I never really thought about adding a DVI cable to the setup as my current receiver only supports component, but now that I've seen how incredibly good the image is with Voom, I'm really thinking about buying a nice DVI cable and connect the Voom box directly to my TV.

I did some testing with the DVI cable included in the receiver box by Voom, just out of curiosity. The image was 'good', but it really didn't compared to the image produced via the component interconnect with the Monster cables. I know Monster is 'overrated' but still, I'm a little confused.

Is the DVI cable included by Voom really that crappy??? if I go with a brand-name cable (say, another Monster, just for the sake's of it, as I can get them at a great price through a neighbor that works at a CompUsa), will the image be better than with the component cable I'm using right now??? or should I simply save my money, keep using the component cable I have and be happy with it???

Thanks in advance for your time.

Regards,
The H

 

[The Stone Man]

I use DVI and to me, it looks better than component. Normally, I would advise against spending the money for Monster cable as it is usually priced too high. Comparable cables can be found for much less, but if your friend can get you a great deal through CompUSA, go ahead and try it out. I believe there is a 30 day money-back guarantee, so if you don't think it is worth the money, send it back.

If the money-back thing doesn't apply because of the special deal through a friend, go buy a Monster cable at BestBuy. I know they will take it back, no questions asked.

And....a hearty welcome to satelliteguys.us and to Voom.

 

[Devil24]

Thanks, TSM.

I can get it for like $40 (it retails for $99 + tax), so the deal is really good. I'm going to ask my friend about the money-back guarantee.

About my other question, is the DVI included in the box really that crappy??? the image was grainy and I noticed a lot of pixelation (which wasn't present when using the component cables).

Thanks again for your time.

 

[The Stone Man]

$40 is reasonable. The jury is still out on the cable that Voom includes with installation. I've read lots of complaints, but there have been others who say it is fine. They must be decent cables, but I'm sure there are better cables available.

Seeing the $40 price for a $100 cable, I'd go for it as long as there is a MBG. Before you judge the cable, be sure to change the resolution setting on your STB to see the picture under different resolution settings. You cycle through the resolutions by pressiing the little red button that is concealed behind the trap door on the lower right side of the STB. I use 1080i, which is indicated by the top bar being lit up in orange. Others use native, indicated when all 4 bars are lit up in orange. Your resolution setting makes a BIG difference.

 

[Andrew B]

As a recording studio owner, my Monster Cable experiences have been incredibly positive. A friend let me borrow a pair of 6' rca-rca cables about 15 years ago. I thought he was NUTS for spending $280 on one pair of cables! After hearing the difference they made, I bought 16 pairs for myself. Of course, this was a commercial studio environment, so I had a nice budget to work with.
I didn't buy them because they were expensive, or because my friend was using them. I bought them because I heard a huge difference and thought they were worth the price.
The bottom line...trust your eyes and your ears. If YOU think it makes enough of a difference to spend the money, then do it! Want to run 10 gauge speaker cable instead of 12? If you can hear the difference, then do it. Pay no attention to the critics in the cheap seats. It's not THEIR home theater, right?
Seriously, some people can't hear the difference between cassettes and CDs. But I can't imagine any of those folks perusing these forums!

 

[Devil24]

TSM:

Thanks for your reply.

My STB is currently set up 1080i with the Monster component cables and it looks gorgeous. I've tried the other resolutions but text is a little blurry and the general image is not as sharp as it is with the 1080i. I may try them again once I get the cable, but we'll see. I'll keep you posted on the results.

Andrew:

I know what you mean. I've never had any problems with my Monster cables, and though I know they are a bit overrated, I've tested quite a few different known brands and none deliver the sharpness and clarity of image that the Monster's give me and the same applies for audio cables. I know there are other options, but if Monster is keeping me happy, why bother? (I'm picky with this kind of stuff, but the only other brand I know is better than Monster is more expensive too, so, I may go with that option for whenever I decide to make the jump to LCD in the not so distant future).

 

[screech]

DVI on Projection TV

For what it's worth I have an Elite Pro RP set. It has multiple HDMI inputs as well as component etc. I have Monster cables and the component input is still a bit brighter and has a little more detail than the DVI/HDMI inputs. Some people have said DVI helps a lot on LCD and Plasma sets but not on RP sets. The theory was that by using DVI you were going through an extra digital to analog conversion process. I don't know why but I use component inputs for Voom. Maybe if the set were calibrated I could get the other inputs to work well but I doubt it. There is definitely less detail present when using those inputs. Good luck and welcome to VOOM!

 

[SeattleVoomer1]

Andrew, you mean to tell me there is a difference between...

As a recording studio owner, my Monster Cable experiences have been incredibly positive. A friend let me borrow a pair of 6' rca-rca cables about 15 years ago. I thought he was NUTS for spending $280 on one pair of cables! After hearing the difference they made, I bought 16 pairs for myself. Of course, this was a commercial studio environment, so I had a nice budget to work with.
I didn't buy them because they were expensive, or because my friend was using them. I bought them because I heard a huge difference and thought they were worth the price.
The bottom line...trust your eyes and your ears. If YOU think it makes enough of a difference to spend the money, then do it! Want to run 10 gauge speaker cable instead of 12? If you can hear the difference, then do it. Pay no attention to the critics in the cheap seats. It's not THEIR home theater, right?
Seriously, some people can't hear the difference between cassettes and CDs. But I can't imagine any of those folks perusing these forums!

"cassettes and CDs"! And all these years I've been spending big bucks on audio cables and never heard the difference. Of course, some people swear they can't hear a difference between the sound of CDs and SACDS or vinyl either. Even my friends $27K speaker cables made a difference.

An audiophile watching and enjoying HDTV under mostly clear Seattle skies, Gill

 

[dougmcbride]

Have you checked the settings on your DVI input? Assuming your TV has separate settings for each input, the difference in setting can make a huge difference. Many folks overlook this as they assume that the setting are global (apply to all inputs) when in reality, only some or none are.

If you have a DVD player, have you calibrated your display with one of the popular calibrations discs out there like Avia or Digital Video Essentials? If you have, copying the settings for your DVD player to your DVI input could be a start.

Good luck,

Doug

 

[Devil24]

dougmcbride,

Thanks for your reply. I already knew about the different settings for every input in my TV. I checked the DVI ones and did a quick comparison using very similar values to the ones I used for my component input.

And about your question about calibrating my set, nope... I'm ashamed of myself ... but I will get one of those DVDs tomorrow. From what I've read, the Avia one is the most complete and useful one, but it appears to be a bit dated now. Which one do you recommend? My primary TV, as previously mentioned, is a rear-projection unit from Toshiba.

 

[dougmcbride]

The popular opinion still seems to be Avia, and personally, I concur. I believe the main reason is ease of navigation (Joe Kane's Digital Video Essentials [DVE] navigation scheme make my head hurt ), and the fact the audio calibration section is better (roaring debate over the subwoofer calibration section in DVE due to the level it was recorded at). The only thing Avia is missing from my perspective is 6.1 audio calibration but that can be easily overcome by setting 5.1 correctly then using internal test tones to match the rear(s) to the surrounds.

That being said, I own Avia, the original Video Essentials, DVE, and Sound & Vision Home Theater Tune Up (by Ovation, same folks that do Avia). However my use of Avia far outweighs any of the others for both Video and Audio. Guy Kuo of Ovation (authors of Avia) also posts quite extensively on the theories and best use of the Avia calibration tests.

Good luck,

Doug