I redid my entire entertainment center (optical cables, HDMI cables, component cables, speaker wire, etc.) using monoprice.com cables. High quality stuff, works perfectly. Got about 15 cables for less than $50 total.
6 foot, black, category 2 certified HDMI: $3.56.
Remember, friends don't let friends buy Monster. 
You might check your Panasonic and make sure there is a setting to interpret HDMI correctly from the U-Verse box (see my calibration post for details). If your Panasonic does not have that adjustment, you should use component cables instead for a better picture.
6 foot, black, component 3-RCA: $2.38.
SomeJoe7777 wrote:
I redid my entire entertainment center (optical cables, HDMI cables, component cables, speaker wire, etc.) using monoprice.com cables. High quality stuff, works perfectly. Got about 15 cables for less than $50 total.
6 foot, black, category 2 certified HDMI: $3.56.
Remember, friends don't let friends buy Monster.
You might check your Panasonic and make sure there is a setting to interpret HDMI correctly from the U-Verse box (see my calibration post for details). If your Panasonic does not have that adjustment, you should use component cables instead for a better picture.
6 foot, black, component 3-RCA: $2.38.
Wow, that's a really good price. At the moment, I'm not going to use any HD cables to connect this TV with the service. I don't have the HD plan anyway (yet).
So I'll go with that HDMI cable above. I'm going to use it to connect the home theater (also a Panasonic) to the TV. That way I'll also get the Viera link features etc.
Thanks again!
That's funny...friends don't let friends buy Monster! 
HOW are they allowed to charge so much? 
The 24 AWG cables are meant for in-wall installation or really long runs (>25').
The 28 AWG cables are meant for entertainment-center connections, they are much more flexible.
Technically, the "1.3a" specification is a specification of the HDMI protocol, not the cable. The cables are rated by the frequencies that they can properly conduct while meeting HDMI waveform shape requirements. Category 1 cables are certified to properly carry HDMI signals up to 1080i with a 29.97 fps frame rate. Category 2 cables are certified to properly carry HDMI signals up to 1080p with a 59.94 fps frame rate (which is beyond what any broadcast or Blu-Ray player is capable of).
The HDMI cable I linked to above is category 2 certified.
Interestingly enough, there are $100+ Monster cables out there that do not have any certification at all. 
spd2demun wrote:That's funny...friends don't let friends buy Monster!
I heard that they're not doing so well now. Circuit City used to be one of their largest sources of sales, and since they went under Monster sales went down. Their prices are ridiculous though.
SomeJoe7777 wrote:
The 24 AWG cables are meant for in-wall installation or really long runs (>25').
The 28 AWG cables are meant for entertainment-center connections, they are much more flexible.
Technically, the "1.3a" specification is a specification of the HDMI protocol, not the cable. The cables are rated by the frequencies that they can properly conduct while meeting HDMI waveform shape requirements. Category 1 cables are certified to properly carry HDMI signals up to 1080i with a 29.97 fps frame rate. Category 2 cables are certified to properly carry HDMI signals up to 1080p with a 59.94 fps frame rate (which is beyond what any broadcast or Blu-Ray player is capable of).
The HDMI cable I linked to above is category 2 certified.
Interestingly enough, there are $100+ Monster cables out there that do not have any certification at all.
Thanks. That makes sense.
Monster is really a Monster then if they have the nerve to charge so much without a certification?
spd2demun wrote:
HOW are they allowed to charge so much?
Because people don't know any better. They buy a $1500 TV at Best Buy and the salesman says "Now, you don't want to watch your new $1500 TV through a cheap cable, right?" And then they pop $100 on the non-certified Monster cable.
Monster's marketing is the only thing they do well. The cables are actually neither bad nor good, they are Chinese-made but typically carry no certification at all.
Monster loves to put icons on the cable stating their capable bitrate, the "features" it supports (like 1080p, X.V.Color, Deep Color, Lossless Audio, etc.) none of which have a **bleep** thing to do with the cable.
It's nearly criminal how they market their stuff. Now you will find people who claim that because they spent the money on the Monster cable, that they are "ready" for any other new features that come out, like HDMI 1.4 or higher resolutions, or whatever.
To which I say: OK, let's suppose that HDMI version 13.7 comes out, and the Monster cable supports it and my $3.56 cable doesn't (won't happen, but let's just say). Since you paid $100+ for the Monster cable, that means I can purchase a new cable 25x over before I exceed the Monster cable's cost.
By the way, Blue Jeans Cable is another maker of high-quality, low priced HDMI cables, and I second any recommendation for them as well. They have a large HDMI Information center on their web site that explains in more detail why friends shouldn't let friends buy Monster.
I'm getting close to settling and really like the new LEDs, but too expensive. AND if they're anything like our LED traffic lights around here, forget it! Little lights burn out in random order.
Noticed prices have really come down though!
Biggest problem I have is we're used to having stuff on top of the TV, like the STB in the kitchen. If that gets replaced, the kitchen desk gets crowded and less line-of-site for STB. 
The one in the office is just covered with junk...guess it would be incentive to clean up.
SomeJoe7777 wrote:
spd2demun wrote:
HOW are they allowed to charge so much?
Because people don't know any better. They buy a $1500 TV at Best Buy and the salesman says "Now, you don't want to watch your new $1500 TV through a cheap cable, right?" And then they pop $100 on the non-certified Monster cable.
Monster's marketing is the only thing they do well. The cables are actually neither bad nor good, they are Chinese-made but typically carry no certification at all.
Monster loves to put icons on the cable stating their capable bitrate, the "features" it supports (like 1080p, X.V.Color, Deep Color, Lossless Audio, etc.) none of which have a **bleep** thing to do with the cable.
It's nearly criminal how they market their stuff. Now you will find people who claim that because they spent the money on the Monster cable, that they are "ready" for any other new features that come out, like HDMI 1.4 or higher resolutions, or whatever.
To which I say: OK, let's suppose that HDMI version 13.7 comes out, and the Monster cable supports it and my $3.56 cable doesn't (won't happen, but let's just say). Since you paid $100+ for the Monster cable, that means I can purchase a new cable 25x over before I exceed the Monster cable's cost.
By the way, Blue Jeans Cable is another maker of high-quality, low priced HDMI cables, and I second any recommendation for them as well. They have a large HDMI Information center on their web site that explains in more detail why friends shouldn't let friends buy Monster.
I'll third both recommendations. Remember, HDMI is 100% digital, so the same "digital cliff" as DTV applies--the signal is either picture-perfect or nonexistent, so all the llama-hair braiding, oxygen-free wire, feng shui, or whatever 
that made Monster's name in high-end analog cables is usually unnecessary, even if you're OCD on PQ.
Generally, only longer runs (50-100+ ft) have enough interference potential to need top-of-the-line quality; even then, Blue Jeans tests better than everyone else (Monster was second) due to its American-made Belden wire. (The cables themselves are made in China as every single plant certified to add HDMI connectors is in Asia.) If you need long runs or prefer "made in America" as much as possible, go there.
Other than that, as long as the cable meets HDMI 1.3a Category 2 standards it's fine. Monoprice's cables meet those standards and are totally unbeatable on price; their shipping is VERY fast for what they use (usually USPS, though now UPS Ground if over 2 lbs). Since all my HDMI cables are the run-of-the-mill 3-6 foot variety, they're all from Monoprice (except the free one that came with my Vizio TV); couldn't afford HDMI without them.
Uniblurb3 wrote:
Thanks for the education on the coax digital audio cable and I am unfamiliar with this type of cable. Guess the point I was trying to make that if the OP did not have an audio receiver that it would not be necessary to have any type of 5.1 DD cabling since he is connecting the STB to his HDTV using component cables. There is no coax digital audio (orange) output connection on the STB and there is no input for this type of cable on my Sony KDS HDTV. Believe this TV is very similar to yours. Think I remember in one of your past posts that connecting digital audio to this type of TV would not make much difference than connecting through analog inputs. This is due mainly to having only 2 speakers which are not real high quality.
Was surprised to find a coax digital input (orange) on the back of my fairly new Sony KS2300 receiver which matches my Sony S550 Blu-Ray player. And indeed there is a coax digital output on this player. Went into monprice.com and looked at coax digital cables and guess they have ones with black connectors instead of orange.
In looking at your chart below I have another question. I almost listed the sound as 5.1 DDS which I would assume stands for Dolby Digital Surround. Is there such a thing since I don't see it listed as this? I guess that 5.1 channel surround is better than Dolby surround since it is not compressed as much? Also wouldn't this be a multichannel signal that can be received through HDMI, optical and now coax digital audio cables?
Yes, you're quite correct, the U-Verse STB does not have a coax digital output, and most TVs do not have a coax digital input. Many AV receivers do, however (even older ones), and most Blu-Ray players do as well.
The cable colors don't really make a difference -- the color differentiation is more important on the device (Blu-Ray player or AV receiver) just for identification of the jack.
In the consumer world, the word "surround" is generally applied to any audio system that's giving you more than just stereo (2-channel) sound, regardless of the codec, transport, or number of channels. However, this can cause confusion because there are some audio systems whose proper name includes the word "Surround", such as Dolby Surround.
The following chart will show the various capabilities of the different forms of audio that can be used by the consumer:
Notes:
(1) The Back Center channel in Dolby Digital EX is not discrete - it is matrix-encoded on the SL/SR channels.
(2) The Back Center channel in DTS-ES can be either matrix-encoded on the SL/SR channels (DTS-ES), or can be a discrete channel in the bitstream (DTS-ES Discrete).
(3) Dolby Digital typical bit rate depends on the channel configuration and transport medium. 2.0 - 192 kbps, 5.1 ATSC/Cable/IPTV broadcast - 384 kbps, 5.1 DVD - 448 kbps, 5.1 Blu-Ray - 640 kbps
(4) Multichannel PCM bitrate is dependent on the sample rate and sample size. 48 kHz/16 bit - 0.768 Mbps per channel (6.144 Mbps for 7.1). 96 kHz/24 bit - 2.304 Mbps per channel (18.432 Mbps for 7.1)
Key:
Name: Name of the audio coding system
A/D: Whether the audio system is analog (A) or digital (D)
FL: Front Left channel
FR: Front Right channel
FC: Front Center channel
SM: Mono surround sound channel
SL: Surround Left channel
SR: Surround Right channel
BL: Back Left channel (used in 7.1 configuration)
BR: Back Right channel (used in 7.1 configuration)
BC: Back Center channel (used in 6.1 configuration)
LFE: Low Frequency Effects channel (the ".1" - subwoofer)
48: Supports 48 kHz sample rates
96: Supports 96 kHz sample rates
16: Supports 16 bits per sample
24: Supports 24 bits per sample
Discrete: Shows whether the audio system supports discrete channel separation of all the audio paths
TR - Analog: Shows whether the audio system can be transported on analog cables
TR - Optical: Shows whether the audio system can be transported on the TosLink optical audio connection
TR - Coax D: Shows whether the audio system can be transported on coaxial digital cable
TR - HDMI: Shows whether the audio system can be transported on HDMI cables. Also shows the HDMI version required for transport.
Lossy: For digital audio systems, shows whether the audio is compressed with a lossy technique.
Lossless: For digital audio systems, shows whether the audio is compressed with a lossless technique.
Uncomp: For digital audio systems, shows whether the audio is uncompressed.
Typ Bitrate: For digital audio systems, shows the typical bitrate used for this audio stream.
I've included Dolby Surround in this chart, even though that is actually not a consumer audio system - it was the original theater version of "surround sound". I included it because the Dolby Pro Logic systems all derived from Dolby Surround.
All the Dolby Pro Logic systems are matrix-encoded systems. This means that the actual wiring transports only two channels (left and right), and the remaining channels are derived from that in the AV receiver. Thus, these systems are not "discrete", where a separate channel of transport is used for each separate channel of audio. In these systems, the channel separation is not very good - e.g. some of the sound that is supposed to be in the front speakers bleeds over into the surround speakers, some of the sound that's supposed to be in the left channel only bleeds into the center channel, etc.
The Dolby Surround and Pro Logic systems work best when the matrix-encoding has been done on the source (and in fact, that is required for Dolby Surround and Dolby Pro Logic I ). For Dolby Pro Logic II and IIx, the source does not have to be matrix-encoded for the system to derive the other channels, but it works better if it is.
The U-Verse receivers output matrix-encoded sound on all 2-channel outputs, including the L/R analog, 2.0 PCM from optical, and 2.0 PCM over HDMI. If you route any of these signals into an AV receiver that has a Dolby Pro Logic (I, II, or IIx) decoder, you will get 4.0 (DPL I), 5.0 (DPL II), or 7.0 (DPL IIx) sound. In addition, the bass management logic in the AV receiver may intelligently route some or most bass frequencies to an attached subwoofer, even though the Pro Logic systems do not have a separate LFE channel.
oz wrote:
Uturnaroun wrote:
So you guys helped me with the HDMI, and now I might need an optical cable. I noticed monoprice has two types, a premium cable and a normal cable. What's the difference between the two? The premium is only a couple dollars more, so I don't mind paying for it, but I would like to know the advantage with it first. Thanks.Cosmetics
I guess that explains the "Metal Fancy Connector" in the description.
I purchased the premium cable because the cable jacket is a little more heavy (8.0mm vs 5.0mm) which is supposed to prevent damage and strain. There is a fine gray mesh on the outside of this prem. cable and I was afraid it may get kinked/bent on the std one since I have a small space to work with behind all my electronic equipment and need to push it back.
They are both very good cables and would not doubt they provide about the same audio signal quality.
Good luck.
