A question about Digital Coax...

[Captainhawk1]

My receiver has the option of digital coax or optical for audio. My TV only has the option of digital coax. What I did was take a standard RG6 Coax Cable and put two adaptors (one on each end) on it and and connected it to the coax digital out on my tv and the coax digital in on the receiver.

Will this suffice or do I need to actually by a digital audio coax cable for best results?

[Sammy]

I'd go with the coax RCA myself. The more connectors and adaptors you use the more you can degrade the signal. What output does your Blu Ray player have? That's the one that should be connected directly to your receiver rather than passing it through the T.V. first.

[Captainhawk1]

Originally Posted by Sammy

I'd go with the coax RCA myself. The more connectors and adaptors you use the more you can degrade the signal. What output does your Blu Ray player have? That's the one that should be connected directly to your receiver rather than passing it through the T.V. first.

Hey, thanks for the response.

Let me rephrase that: it's just an RCA connector the screws on to the end. We're talking wire to RCA with nothing in between. Instead of crimped on, like a commercial digital audio coax, it's screwed on. The concern I had was the cable itself, not the connection.

I have a PS3 and I get what you're saying about going direct in but the problem I have is that my receiver is about 6 years old and has just the two inputs and if a source is plugged into one, the other won't work. So I basically only have one digital input (in two flavors).

Hence the 3 HDMI's (Cable/PS3/HD DVD) in to the TV and the coax out because I don't want the hassle with the 3 way optical switch that I had to with my old HDTV which only had a DVI interface (c. 2004).

So, until I get a new receiver with multiple digital inputs (which won't be for a very long time considering we just had a new baby and we had to unexpectedly replace the old TV to the tune of $1,300) I'm going to have to keep using this old workhorse for a while.

It's a nice RCA (the brand) unit, nothing fancy like the high end receivers that guys around here have but it gets the job done and I know how to set up surround sound so it really does sound very nice (for my non-audiophile ears).

So, all that being said, as far as the cable itself is concerned (connectors notwithstanding) would you say that they are the same thing? I'm not opposed to just ordering from monoprice because they are only $2 but what's the point if I don't need to.

Thanks again for the help.

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by Captainhawk1

My receiver has the option of digital coax or optical for audio. My TV only has the option of digital coax. What I did was take a standard RG6 Coax Cable and put two adaptors (one on each end) on it and and connected it to the coax digital out on my tv and the coax digital in on the receiver.

Will this suffice or do I need to actually by a digital audio coax cable for best results?

You will be fine. Most digital COAX cables are actually RG6 cables with RCA connectors at both ends. They are also used as subwoofer cables. You won't hear any sound difference. Don't waste your money.

[Captainhawk1]

Thanks!

[Sammy]

I misunderstood you and Big Daddy is correct.

[zicmubleu]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

You will be fine. Most digital COAX cables are actually RG6 cables with RCA connectors at both ends. They are also used as subwoofer cables. You won't hear any sound difference. Don't waste your money.

Big Daddy why did you chose a left handed thread for your avatar? Very unusual.

When you say RG6 cable I think of antenna coax which is usually a single wire, good for high frequency, but generally the cabling used for RCA cables is multistrand wire which is more flexible. Is there RG6 multistrand wire and that is what we should use or is it just that there is little movement of the wires so little concern about flexibility?

Thanks and thanks for closing the thread about DTS/PCM ... codecs I never did fully understand it, but then I have a crystal receiver ear anyway.

[Captainhawk1]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think when we are referring to RCA we are only referring to the plug doo-hickey connectors at the ends of the cable.

Coax is coax and the only kind I've ever used is Standard Heavy Gauge RG6 or the weaksauce garbage RG59 (the lightweight one they used to throw in with VCR's).

I used to work for my father-in-law as a tech for his telecom business. Among other things we installed and maintained DirectTV Head End Systems for weekly rental hotels so I have a lot experience with the coax (although mind you it's been a couple of years) coming from a Head End System and then on a loop system going into rooms but I have no experience beyond that.

So I could be completely full of crap and wouldn't know.

[jomari]

Originally Posted by Captainhawk1

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think when we are referring to RCA we are only referring to the plug doo-hickey connectors at the ends of the cable.

Coax is coax and the only kind I've ever used is Standard Heavy Gauge RG6 or the weaksauce garbage RG59 (the lightweight one they used to throw in with VCR's).

I used to work for my father-in-law as a tech for his telecom business. Among other things we installed and maintained DirectTV Head End Systems for weekly rental hotels so I have a lot experience with the coax (although mind you it's been a couple of years) coming from a Head End System and then on a loop system going into rooms but I have no experience beyond that.

So I could be completely full of crap and wouldn't know.

the only time you'd need to change an RG59 cable with a RG6 would be if you needed a bigger bandwidth to handle the hidef signals. prime example would be using them for OTAs connection from your antenna to your display unit. thats why most people see delays or pixelation at times watching OTA. you can receive HD signals, but some channels go higher than 520mHz.

A RG59 cable can be used tho, for audio purposes, and not necessarily a 'weaksauce garbage' cable. heck you can even use them for multichannel analog inputs as well.

heres an interesting article for reference.

why RG59 vs RG6

in a nutshell he can still use an RG59 cable for audio, but id prefer to use a RG6 if we are using it for video connections to handle both audio and video capacity.

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by zicmubleu

Big Daddy why did you chose a left handed thread for your avatar? Very unusual.

When you say RG6 cable I think of antenna coax which is usually a single wire, good for high frequency, but generally the cabling used for RCA cables is multistrand wire which is more flexible. Is there RG6 multistrand wire and that is what we should use or is it just that there is little movement of the wires so little concern about flexibility?

Thanks and thanks for closing the thread about DTS/PCM ... codecs I never did fully understand it, but then I have a crystal receiver ear anyway.

I liked the picture of Uncle Nutty and it was left handed. I had no choice.

People usually use two kinds of antenna or video cables: RG59 and RG6. Stay away from RG59. For long runs, your video signal will be degraded.

RG6 usually comes double or quad shielded and works great for both video and audio. Almost all RCA audio cables from Monoprice are RG59. They work fine for audio. Their digital coaxial and subwoofer cables are RG6 with RCA connectors at both ends. All RG6 video cables have solid cores.

The TrueHD/DTS had almost 500 posts. People were just repeating themselves without bothering to read any other posts and things were getting a little hot and personal. The thread was closed to cool things down. People sometimes forget that this is all about enterntainment.

[Captainhawk1]

Originally Posted by jomari

the only time you'd need to change an RG59 cable with a RG6 would be if you needed a bigger bandwidth to handle the hidef signals. prime example would be using them for OTAs connection from your antenna to your display unit. thats why most people see delays or pixelation at times watching OTA. you can receive HD signals, but some channels go higher than 520mHz.

A RG59 cable can be used tho, for audio purposes, and not necessarily a 'weaksauce garbage' cable. heck you can even use them for multichannel analog inputs as well.

heres an interesting article for reference.

why RG59 vs RG6

in a nutshell he can still use an RG59 cable for audio, but id prefer to use a RG6 if we are using it for video connections to handle both audio and video capacity.

RG59 is completely ineffective for any cable or satellite HD or not, mostly due to the lack of shielding. That's really what I meant by weaksauce. Also, even though it works with VCR's, use RG6 if you can as quite often there is a big difference again, due to the shielding (if you still have a VCR).

As I said, RG6 I used for audio/video and for the purpose of that was for the DirectTV. Don't waste your time using RG59 for that. The RG59 is fine also for CCTV applications.

I just happen to have RG6 coming out of several orifices so I just attached the connectors. In my mind, with the prevalence of RG6, why bother with RG59 if you don't have to?

I realize that I could us RG59 for the audio but what I was just trying to make sure that wasn't another alternative between RG6 and RG59 that I was unaware of that those digital coax cables that I've seen at Monoprice have. Like I said, I've been out of the loop for a while (since like 2005).

Thanks for all the help, guys.

[jomari]

if its an EXISTING connection, it should work, but not to the optimal performance we'd want it to be. if its a new install, id definitely prefer the RG6 instead.

in regards to sheilding, id reconsider reading the article once again. as im not necessarily as knowledgable with these cabling issues, id leave it at that point.

[quest88]

Originally Posted by Captainhawk1

RG59 is completely ineffective for any cable or satellite HD or not, mostly due to the lack of shielding. That's really what I meant by weaksauce. Also, even though it works with VCR's, use RG6 if you can as quite often there is a big difference again, due to the shielding (if you still have a VCR).

As I said, RG6 I used for audio/video and for the purpose of that was for the DirectTV. Don't waste your time using RG59 for that. The RG59 is fine also for CCTV applications.

I just happen to have RG6 coming out of several orifices so I just attached the connectors. In my mind, with the prevalence of RG6, why bother with RG59 if you don't have to?

I realize that I could us RG59 for the audio but what I was just trying to make sure that wasn't another alternative between RG6 and RG59 that I was unaware of that those digital coax cables that I've seen at Monoprice have. Like I said, I've been out of the loop for a while (since like 2005).

Thanks for all the help, guys.

you know whats funny are all these old building e.g. apartments, condos, old office, and track homes still have RG59. The local cable companies pump HD signals and internet threw that weaksauce RG59 cable.