Getting my first HDTV! What cables & other stuff do I need?

Collectordragon

Collectordragon

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I waited as long as I could but I'm finally getting a HDTV. I'm looking forward to finally having one. I'm also moving into my own place and didn't want to lug my CRT around. ;) Since I'm new to HDTV I want to make sure I get the right equipment.

I ordered the LG 42LV5500. Now I need to get HDMI cables. I have four devices with HDMI I want to connect to the TV at the moment. A PS3, an LG Blu-Ray player, a region free DVD player, and a laptop. Now the first three devices will all be either next to or underneath the TV on shelving. What type and length of HDMI cable should I get? For the laptop I may need to use it further away and move it around more so recommend a cable for that too. Is Monoprice still the go to place? Since the TV only has 4 HDMI inputs what type of selector is good in case I need more HDMI inputs?

What's a good stand to get? I'd like to get something that's all metal and glass. I like the fact that type of stand is relatively light weight and easy to clean. The only problem is the ones I've seen seem a little too low but I like the general form factor: TV on top shelf with at least two lower shelves for devices. Would appreciate suggestions.

What's good for surge protection and a UPS? The UPS would be for the PS3 and additional consoles as well as a future DVR.
 
The first and pretty much only thing you should know is that HDMI cables are the biggest markup item in electronics. One that's $20 makes no difference compared to one that's $100, and, as such, yes, you should order all cables from monoprice.com where they're about $2 or $3 a pop. They work just as good as all other cables. I don't know about selectors.

I do have a question, though. Why do you have two blu-ray players next to each other? The PS3 is arguably the best blu-ray player, so why the need for a second one? It just seems a little redundant, especially if you plan on adding more items.
 
I recommend a green energy surge protector if you have all those supplies AND intend to get a HT setup in the future.

Get cheap HDMI cables for everything close to your TV, but you will have to research and buy a good HDMI cable for anything 15 ft. or greater if you intend to hook up your laptop from very far away. This is usually when quality begins to be suffer in the cheaper cables.
 
[quote name='Naplex']I recommend a green energy surge protector if you have all those supplies AND intend to get a HT setup in the future.

Get cheap HDMI cables for everything close to your TV, but you will have to research and buy a good HDMI cable for anything 15 ft. or greater if you intend to hook up your laptop from very far away. This is usually when quality begins to be suffer in the cheaper cables.[/QUOTE]

God no! Why do ppl like HDMI? It doesn't work. In fact my cable company strongly recommends against using it for HDTV! I used it but the sound cuts out when using it too frequently. Use HD component cables! I bet you will save yourself trouble it fixed my tv for several months now.
 
[quote name='serenitygod']God no! Why do ppl like HDMI? It doesn't work. In fact my cable company strongly recommends against using it for HDTV! I used it but the sound cuts out when using it too frequently. Use HD component cables! I bet you will save yourself trouble it fixed my tv for several months now.[/QUOTE]

Can't tell if you're kidding. I hope so. :/

Also, OP, I recommend just going to monoprice for everything. Not only do they have the HMDI cables and selector you want (and good quality too, I own a bunch), but they have stands and mounts too. I have no experience with their TV stands, but if you're looking for a wall mount, I wouldn't suggest anywhere else. My $35 mount is 100x better quality than the $150 mounts I see at B&M stores.

EDIT: Guess I forgot about shipping at Monoprice. Might want to use a B&M store for a TV stand. Unfortunately, we can't really give you too much advice on that as it mostly depends on where you're putting it and what style you want.
 
I bought all of my HDMI cables and wall mount from mono price. They even helped me when the mount instructions were a little unclear on something.
 
I got my hdmi cables off ebay for like 3 bucks each shipped and they work perfect. Friend I have works security at bestbuy and they were throwing out stuff as fired boss had opened and one was a monster 80 dollar hdmi cable, we switched them out and couldnt not tell a difference.

And get a surge protector, a good one, with a brand name, the heavier the better. Dont buy a cheap no name surge protector.

Stands? Pick whatever you like. Just dont bother getting one from bestbuy or anything, they sell incredibly over price shit since its all just like put together stuff that costs 3 times as much as its worth. I got mine from meijer for 40 bucks. Its essentially just a glorified night stand. has a small pull out drawer that I can put controllers not in use in, remotes or other assorted things.

I got a 5 tier glass shelf setup from walmart for like 30 and it works great sitting next to the tv and it looks really nice. Its open all around so ps3, 360, cable box/dvr, reciever and so on get plenty of airflow and not like sitting inside of anything. Plus they sit up away from the floor so they never get more than little surface dust on them easily wiped off and are really easy to access.
 
Another option for good quality and well priced HDMI cables would be Amazon's AmazonBasics line. Also, anyone that tells you that HDMI isn't the best way to go has no idea what they're talking about.
 
[quote name='serenitygod']God no! Why do ppl like HDMI? It doesn't work. In fact my cable company strongly recommends against using it for HDTV! I used it but the sound cuts out when using it too frequently. Use HD component cables! I bet you will save yourself trouble it fixed my tv for several months now.[/QUOTE]

You're doing it wrong.

HDMI is the DEFINITE way to go. One cable that carries both (up to) 1080p video and full digital audio vs. component cables?! You must be high. Lay off the pipe.

EDIT: Monoprice or Meritline ftw.
 
[[[God no! Why do ppl like HDMI? It doesn't work. In fact my cable company strongly recommends against using it for HDTV! I used it but the sound cuts out when using it too frequently. Use HD component cables! I bet you will save yourself trouble it fixed my tv for several months now. ]]]]

that is not true. HDMI is by FAR way way way better looking than compnent. audio and video. component doesnt even carry a full 1080p signal... WTF?
 
[quote name='Scorch']The first and pretty much only thing you should know is that HDMI cables are the biggest markup item in electronics. One that's $20 makes no difference compared to one that's $100, and, as such, yes, you should order all cables from monoprice.com where they're about $2 or $3 a pop. They work just as good as all other cables. I don't know about selectors.

I do have a question, though. Why do you have two blu-ray players next to each other? The PS3 is arguably the best blu-ray player, so why the need for a second one? It just seems a little redundant, especially if you plan on adding more items.[/QUOTE]

The LG player was free with the TV. I figured I'd use it to watch movies and to save extra wear and tear on my PS3. I remember reading something about watching movies on consoles wears them out faster since they're reading more from the disc. Is that false? Is there any way to get a US PS3 to play region 2 DVDs?
 
[quote name='gargus']I got my hdmi cables off ebay for like 3 bucks each shipped and they work perfect. Friend I have works security at bestbuy and they were throwing out stuff as fired boss had opened and one was a monster 80 dollar hdmi cable, we switched them out and couldnt not tell a difference.

And get a surge protector, a good one, with a brand name, the heavier the better. Dont buy a cheap no name surge protector.

Stands? Pick whatever you like. Just dont bother getting one from bestbuy or anything, they sell incredibly over price shit since its all just like put together stuff that costs 3 times as much as its worth. I got mine from meijer for 40 bucks. Its essentially just a glorified night stand. has a small pull out drawer that I can put controllers not in use in, remotes or other assorted things.

I got a 5 tier glass shelf setup from walmart for like 30 and it works great sitting next to the tv and it looks really nice. Its open all around so ps3, 360, cable box/dvr, reciever and so on get plenty of airflow and not like sitting inside of anything. Plus they sit up away from the floor so they never get more than little surface dust on them easily wiped off and are really easy to access.[/QUOTE]

Do you have a link for that Walmart item? I can say I don't want to mount my TV. I'm going to use its stand so I can take advantage of its swivel.
 
[quote name='DurbanBrown']Get hdmi 2.0, i always go for the gold platted, but that might not make a huge difference[/QUOTE]

HDMI only goes to version 1.4a. Looks like the main difference between 1.4 and 1.3 is 3D support and ethernet. I don't have a 3D TV but the ethernet might be useful. Can the PS3 take advantage of HDMI 1.4?
 
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[quote name='DurbanBrown']that is not true. HDMI is by FAR way way way better looking than compnent. audio and video. component doesnt even carry a full 1080p signal... WTF?[/QUOTE]
Yes it can, but not every device will support 1080p over component. HDMI is the best insofar as it's our only option for lossless audio and 1080p (sometimes), but as a standard it's kind of shitty.
 
HDMI cables for sure. From Monoprice, they're cheap as hell and very great build quality.

I have a pretty raggedy stereo, but it's nice to just have one optical from your TV's audio-out to your receiver. Then you can leave your receiver on the same input and ALL your content played on the TV will be fed to your speakers, games, blu-ray player, TV, etc.
 
I got a cord from them for my guitar and even those are nice. Better than the shitty ones I bought at music stores.
 
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