1. As you shop for cables, remember that the shorter the cable run, the better the signal. This is true for all cables, regardless of quality. Try to arrange you're A/V components to allow for the shortest cable runs possible.
2. Beyond length, pay attention to the cable connectors you need for your components. While some electronic devices provide options for input/output interfaces, others have limited options. Be sure the cables you buy are compatible with your components.
3. Traditional cables use analog technology. These are less expensive, but cannot carry signals as efficiently as digital cables. Analog cables are also vulnerable to signal degradation. While these are acceptable for older A/V components and televisions, only digital cables allow the latest technologies perform to their potential.
4. Typical cables are comprised of a conductor, shielding, and connectors. The conductor is the wire, usually copper, through which the signal runs. Shielding is the outer shell that protects the conductor and reduces interference. The connectors are where the cable attaches to your A/V components.
5. All cable transmissions are vulnerable to interference. The best cables feature braided copper shielding to intercept and block out radio frequency and electromagnetic interference (RFI and EMI).
6. High-quality cables often feature oxygen-free copper conductors and gold-plated connectors to the reduce corrosion that naturally occurs during typical exposure.
7. Because fiber optic cables use pulses of light instead of electrical impulses, they are not prone to interference. What separates one fiber optic cable from the next is the quality of the connectors, shielding, and conductor.
8. Composite video cables are a step up from the common coaxial cables used to connect A/V equipment. However, these use a single conductor to carry the signal. S-Video cables carry two signals (brightness and color), which yields a higher-quality image.
9. Component cables use three separate cables- typically color-coded as red, green, and blue. These break down the video signal into three component parts, resulting in a clear, sharp, analog picture.
10. Digital Video Interface (DVI) provides the best digital quality possible, relaying the true digital signal from the source to the receiver. High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) also transmits uncompressed digital signals. These two interfaces are compatible.
