Connecting audio & visual from PC to TV

bigtom71

I have set up my PC with my new Samsung 32" LCD and it is so sweet.
I am now tidying up the setup and want to hide the computer box in a cupboard in another room. I have an RF keyboard and mouse which will do the job for that nicely; my question is about the visual and audio cables.

The visual is DVI to HDMI and will be anout 8 metres, therefore I need a 10 metre cable for this. I also need a 10 metre cable for the 3.5mm audio out from the PC to the two phono inputs on the TV. What qualtiy do I need for both cables and will their be much loss in quality due to the impedence? of either cable (audio or visual)? How important is the quality of the audio cable given that it is coming out of a 3.5mm jack from a standard soundcard in the first place? As regards the video, I have seen reviews of others saying digital is digital and once you get the signal you are ok (i.e. all or nothing), whereas others say it is not as simple as that. I saw, what I think are, really good video cables from 'Blue Jeans Cables', which were not too pricey. On E-Bay there are audio cables such as the following for the audio:
http://cgi.ebay.ie/10m-32ft-3-5mm-Jack-to-2x-RCA-Phono-Audio-Cable-Lead_W0QQitemZ300138825545QQihZ020QQcategoryZ116850QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Is this completely crap or does it not make any difference? Would it work fine over 10 metres or do I need an adaptor from 3.5mm to 2 phono, and then a good lead from there for 10 metres?

I use the PC and TV setup for watching DVDs, downloaded films and browsing the Internet, but I don't want to spend a fortune unnecessarily on cables if it's a waste of money. Anyone got any thoughts on this?
Tom...

8T8

Digital is digital any old cable will do, the max length can be 15m with HDMI but over that you would need some sort of specialist cable as it's outside of the limits of the specification.

As for the audio cable again anything will do.

A DVI cable of 10m and then a HDMI adapter on it will also suffice.

bigtom71

Thanks 8T8

artvandulet

Dude, I'd double check that DVI run. 10m is the absolute max without repeaters. If you can reach it with 5m then all the better.
Someone else can confirm this but I also hear that the higher the res you are running, the shorter the DVI run. So XGA might be fine in 10m but UXGA may not be.

mossym

the hdmi spec has no maximum length defined. it never had. what it defines is a minimum signal level. some cables that are fine for sd stuff at 10m will pass a 720p signal, but not anything higher. others will pass a 1080p no problem

cheaper cables will not be as good as better made cables over longer distances, i work in a lab where they test cables all the time. your best bet of getting it to work over your run is buy a decently made cable, and test it


8t8, i know you're a mod and all, but you've posted this 15m max length as part of the hdmi spec before, but it aint true...

The HDMI specification does not define a maximum cable length. As with all cables, signal attenuation becomes too high at a certain length. Instead, HDMI specifies a minimum performance standard. Any cable meeting that specification is compliant. Different construction quality and materials will enable cables of different lengths. In addition, higher performance requirements must be met to support video formats with higher resolutions and/or frame rates than the standard HDTV formats.

bigtom71

Thanks lads. That's a little more enlightening. I have run the cable through the attic from the PC to the TV, made up of a good lead of 3 metres (DVI to HDMI), coupled to a cheapy 5m HDMI lead and I am getting nothing at all. I will have to take the cable back out again and start checking connections and testing things. To make things more frustrating, I thought I would have loads in 8 metres and it turned out to be 1 foot too short! Aargg!

Anyway, I may have to shell out for a complete 10m DVI to HDMI lead of good quality, from what you're saying. The resolution from the PC is 1360 x 768 (widescreen format WXGA, I think) and I would be playing standard DVDs and browsing the 'Net. Would this be ok over 10 metres, or even 9 metres but where are you going to pick one of those up?? Can anyone recommend a decent, not crazily expensive, lead that will do the job? How about the following from BlueJeansCables or E-Bay:
http://www.bluejeanscables.co.uk/store/dvi/index.htm (30 foot version)
http://cgi.ebay.ie/10m-HDMI-to-DVI-Cable-Lead-Get-the-top-performance_W0QQitemZ270154845706QQihZ017QQcategoryZ32837QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

Both are around the STG£40.00 mark, so which is the better, or maybe neither?

It would be a shame not to be able to stretch the connection over 10m as I have found the perfect hiding place for the PC box.

Frustratingly,
Tom...

mossym

i have a 10m cable from bluejeanscable. their stuff is excellent, very well made. I haven't tried 1080p at this length, but if you look up avsforum.com their stuff comes well recommended.

bigtom71

Nice one, thanks Mossym.

artvandulet

I hear what Mossym is saying about HDMI cable lengths, they can be run further then DVI but I've seen 'high quality' HDMI cable give up after 20m and even less so its just good practice not to. Use repeaters instead.

Tom, your case is different though. As you are using a DVI to HDMI cable also, base your max cable distance on DVI, not HDMI.

bigtom71

I've finally got it working with the cable I had and am typing away here now on my screen. It was a bad connection in the cables. Everything is perfect now except that the cable is trailing down the wall at the moment. I will have to get another metre of cable somewhere, whether it be DVI or HDMI although it may still be cheaper and easier to just get a whole new cable.

Thanks for all the input.

artvandulet

who cares how long it is, as long as it works aye??:D