Type of cable used for Component Video in Home Theatres?

Question

I am pre-wiring a house and want to know what type of cable to buy for Component connections. I want to buy the cable on a roll and make to proper lengths. I would like specs of the cable and places to buy in Australia.

Answer 1

Component video cables are used for the transmission of component video, often referred to as YUV, YPbPr or YCbCr. The most common component video cables consist of three phono / RCA connectors each end with 75ohm coaxial cable used as the interconnect. Component video cables aren't limited to phono connectors each end, they are also available with a scart plug on one end, BNC connectors on either or both ends etc. One thing all component video leads have in common is they always have three coaxial conductors, one for the Luminance channel Y, one for the Blue colour difference channel (U / Pb / Cb) and one for the Red colour difference channel (V / Pr / Cr). Component video cables only transmit the video signal, separate cables are needed for audio signals.

There may be some degradation in quality over long runs especially if the wire is of poor quality. Secondly, there are slightly different kinds of cables available for pre-wiring (hidden in walls). Do check them out.

For places to buy in Australia, I suggest that you find out at some nearby electronics store.

Answer 2

You want a electronics store that sells Belden coax. You want Belden 1695A .

This coax is plenum coated (fire resistant for in-wall use) and has above 90 Mhz bandwidth which you will want for HD video.

Make sure to pull enough cable for an un-broken run from source to TV/projector.  Ignore the cute wall plates with RCA connectors - these are horrible for high-frequency signals.  Using "F" or "BNC" connectors are what professional gear uses.  For home, just pull enough wire for a un-broken run.

Canare and Mogami are two other professional brands of coax. Make sure the coax is rated for HD analog video with a 90 mhz or more bandwidth.  (Or something about the -3db point is 90 Mhz or more).

Cannot help you with suppliers in Oz, but call your local TV station and ask to speak to one of the engineers and find out where they buy their bulk coax from.