"Monster Cables"

ntlbell

I was looking at monster cables today in DID and I spotted a scart cable for 99e not having a net connection I had no way I've of working out what this cable does, so I ask the helpful guy in the DID shirt who explains it makes the picture "thousands times better man" and showed me a sample of a still on two lcd's which I did notice a bit of a difference in.

So I've done a bit of research on the cable now and I still can't see how this works, as it claims to help digital also which I assumes boxes like NTL which take attena in then scart to TV so surley it's dependant on the signal of the attena connection?

Sorry for my ignornace but can anyone tell me if these monster cables actually do anything? I would be using them to connect a 30e DVD and a nokia box to sony bravia

Ulsterman 1690

Very cheap cables (99p) have only some pins wired (So composite video -no RGB) more money (£2) gets one a "fully wired" SCART more money still (£5+)gets you thicker cables, gold plated plugs (supposedly give a better connection but only if what theyre plugging into is also gold plated) and better screening.

If you have more money than sense you can get things like 99.99999% oxygen free copper and all manner of psuedoscientific voodoo. but the law of diminishing returns comes into play here

brian_rbk

i was using a cheap thin scart lead i got with the ntl digital box and i was getting interference on most of the channels... I could see faint lines running across the screen and sometimes other pictures in the background. I bought a "gold plated" scart in lidl for €6 which is about 3 times thicker and it sorted it out. Much better picture quality. Dont see why you would need a scart for €99 !!

conax

Some higher spec scart leads use coaxial cable for the composite and RGB video and audio this offers lower losses and better screening, generally resulting in better picture. They also reduce or eliminate any crosstalk including return crosstalk from the video out of the TV (if the tuner stays active on video out when selecting AUX extentions).
99e is a bit expensive considering what you are connecting and you could argue that a 20e scart cable by a respectible producer would perform any better or worse. Try to stay away from the 5.99 yellow pack leads if you can.

PauloMN

conax wrote:

They also reduce or eliminate any crosstalk including return crosstalk from the video out of the TV (if the tuner stays active on video out when selecting AUX extentions).

This is very interesting. I have a small Philips LCD telly used as a secondary TV and it's connected to a hifi with a DVD player and a wireless video receiver (picks up the channel selected on my NTL digital box). I have the analogue NTL cable fed into the tuner of the telly.

When I play a DVD on the hifi (selecting the AUX or EXT as it's called on the telly), I can see ghosting/shimmering of whatever channel is being received on the tuner in the background of the DVD image. It drives me NUTS. :mad: I always assumed it was just a **** telly, but the SCART leads I am using are definitely el cheapo specials from the local Power City, and they are also long leads as I have them hidden behind the plasterboard.

So could changing those leads solve my problem with the ghosting?

conax

changing the scart lead to a better type will eliminate the problem you have described, alternatively change channels on your TV to a blank channel before selecting AUX.

I see you have the leads behind the wall, you could also physically disconnect the "Video out" wire from the scart pin 19 (17 video ground)