RCA component cable - does length matter?

[SebC]

Here's the situation:

I need to hook my PVR to my computer with a 5-RCA component cable... how much does it matter how long the cable is? I'm trying to decide if I should get a long cable and go around the room or a shorter one and just have another wire going across my living room floor.

Thanks.

[Hack&Lube]

Depends on what length. Under 10m, there should be no attenuation issues. Why are you doing component into your computer? Are there any other options? Component will only give you 1080i but then again, TV you watch on your PVR is probably 720p anyway.

I just got a PVR as well actually and was wondering about the logistics of recording off it to PC for conversion to other formats but it's probably not worth the hassle.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Depends on what length. Under 10m, there should be no attenuation issues. Why are you doing component into your computer?

I need my computer to convert side-by-side 3D from the PVR into checkerboard for the TV. Mainly because Samsung dropped support for my TV, and when Mitsubishi made an adapter they locked it to their TVs. I think I'd be looking at either 35ft or 15ft. Or a short component cable into an HDMI extender, but that's really goofy to use an HDMI cable to carry analog signals, I think.

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Are there any other options? Component will only give you 1080i but then again, TV you watch on your PVR is probably 720p anyway.

Yeah, no 1080p is fine. HDMI is copy-protected so it won't work. I could use a really short component cable and a long USB cable if I had bought a different input device, but the USB ones are more expensive.

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

I just got a PVR as well actually and was wondering about the logistics of recording off it to PC for conversion to other formats but it's probably not worth the hassle.

There's a few ways to do it, but they all use component... I think.

[Vulcan]

I always go to Monoprice to see what they and their customer reviews say. For 35' they use RG59 and RG6 for video and they both get excellent ratings so they should work. $31.24 for RG6 and $14.94 for RG59.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/su...02&cp_id=10235

[SebC]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

I always go to Monoprice to see what they and their customer reviews say. For 35' they use RG59 and RG6 for video and they both get excellent ratings so they should work. $31.24 for RG6 and $14.94 for RG59.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/su...02&cp_id=10235

That's a good idea but I can't find a cable that people say doesn't work... even the 50 ft gets good reviews and the 100 ft only has one. Good idea though.

[onetwo_threefour]

I will provide one cautionary tale, but it may have been a unique situation or due to a splitter rather than cable length.

On my old Bell 6100 (or was that 6120?) satellite I tried to run a 50ft component upstairs to my second TV as a split signal with the component also going to my main TV a few feet away. The signal on the 50ft connection was crap, while the signal on the short connection was okay.

Now having said that, I am now using that same 50ft cable to run my Wii to my new TV and the PQ is fine, so I think it may have been because of the splitter rather than the cable length. Having said that, the Wii signal is a lot lower resolution (480p I believe) than the signal that was coming out of the Bell receiver. I don't know if that would make any difference on an analog signal or not.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by SebC

There's a few ways to do it, but they all use component... I think.

For the Shaw boxes used for the last couple years, users figured out ways to use Firewire from what I've seen but I'm too lazy to do it and it probably doesn't work with the very latest hardware which is what I have.