HMDI and High-Def Cables

Cables are needed to transmit video and audio from your content source such as TV programming, disc player and game console to your HDTV. The "yellow-white-red" cables of old are not meant for HDTV; you'll want to use an HDMI cable to deliver high-resolution video and multi-channel audio at the highest quality possible.

Fewer cables, higher quality. HDMI combines many cables into one complete connection, and HDMI supports things like uncompressed audio and 1080p video that you need for the ultimate HDTV experience. Ideally, you need tol use 4 HDMI cables. Three of them plug into the receiver (digital cable/satellite box, high-def disc player, and game system). The fourth HDMI cable then connects from the receiver to your television, and standard speaker wires finish out the job by connecting surround speakers to the receiver.

Audio and Video Cables

Below is an overview of the various major types of video and audio cables:

Using High-Def Cables

HDMI or component cabling is required for a high-def picture. If you aren't using those cables, you aren't watching High-Def! HDMI wins out in terms of convenience and quality, as it is the only cable to simultaneously deliver 1080p video and uncompressed surround sound audio. However, many high-def components don't come with HDMI cables, and some don't even include component cables. Check to see what's included before you buy.

HDMI is sensitive to length, but in ways different from traditional analog cables. When using a short cable, the sensitivity isn't severe, and because the connection is digital, there's no fuzzy middle-ground: it either works or doesn't. If your cabling doesn't need to run for very long, you can save a lot of money by purchasing lower-priced HDMI cables--with very few exceptions, these will work just as well as their overpriced peers. However, as your cable length increases, so do the opportunities for the cable to be damaged in specific installations--particularly through and behind walls. For best performance in these instances, look for cables that are HDMI certified.

DVI is another high-def video cable, and its wide connector plugs into a trapezoid-shaped jack that is usually white. DVI was only used on consumer gear for a few years and has since been replaced by HDMI. If you run into any errors trying to connect this sort of cable, don't replace the entire TV set; you can use adapter cables that convert DVI to HDMI and vice versa. Generally, such adapters do not affect the resulting video quality.