Need electronics person or AV guy/gal

Don't use S-Video if you want HDTV. You will just get standard definition, though if it is over the air it will look a little better than an cable tv since it's all digital and the over the air signals aren't over compressed like with cable tv.

Anyway you need to use one of 3 connection methods. DVI, Component, or HDMI. DVI gives the best quality and speed. But for both DVI and Component, you need to connect the DVI cable and the audio seperately. The DVI cable is the same as the technology used for most LCD computer monitors and some high end CRT's; a good quality cable is about $6 online, ~$20 at RadioShack. Component is a set of three color coded cables, just match the colors on the decoder to the ones on the TV. The cable obviously doesn't need to use the same colors, but it is useful if it does and good quality coaxial cables with color coded plugs are available for ~$20 at your local TV store, ~$50 at RadioShack. HDMI is a combo cable containing both DVI and audio for easier connecting, just plug this into the decoder and TV and all the data will be transferred. Unfortunaly if a Cable TV decoder box sees an HDMI cable it might encrypt the signal which will slow everything down and make the TV use more power.

There are three types of audio cables that you might want to use. If you are just using a two speaker system, then you can just use the red and white phono plugs on the back of your decoder and plug it into the red and white connectors on your TV. If you only have a one speaker system use the left channel (labeled with an "L"). Then there are two digital mediums one uses a black coax plug and accepts the same type of plug as component video, this plugs into the same type of plug on your 5.1 dolby decoder or sometimes your TV. The other digital medium uses a fiber optic cable and works the same way, these ports will glow red. The sometimes have black dust blocking plugs that you must remove. The fiber cable transmits the same data as the black plug coax, but allows you to place the audio decoder further away from the ATSC (HDTV) decoder; say if you are using it for your stereo as well. Fiber also electrically isolates the devices, so if one gets wet and blows up it doesn't take the other one with it. You can use any VIDEO cable with the right plugs for the copper cable (the red and white audio cables have the same plugs but will scramble the data). A short 6' run of fiber will set you back $12 in china town, $50 at RadioShack.

BTW Cable HDTV is much inferior to the stuff you get over the air in New York City. If you can afford it get someone to install a small UHF antenna on your roof and run a cable to the TV. The quality of the Over-The-Air signal is much higher, and you get many more ATSC channels.

Posted by: danielk at August 3, 2006 6:24 PM