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Since the first issue of Electronic House back in the early 1980s, we’ve harped on the importance of prewiring. With the right low-voltage wiring in all the right places, your home will be ready for any cool electronics or home systems you want installed—now or in the future. It’s always good to be prepared, right? How Much Does It Cost? Prewiring a home for a 6-zone music system costs between $700 and $1,000. Prices go up from there, depending on the number of systems you… View this story
Audio Cables • Speaker Wire • Structured Wiring • Video Cables • Info and Answers

Never have the right cable when you need to integrate a new piece of equipment into your setup? I always have the right cable ... mainly because I’ve bought the wrong cable so many times that they end up being the right cable somewhere down the road, but also because I jump on deals when I see them. For example ... Today Buy.com has the Belkin My Essential HDTV Cable Kit on sale for $9.99 with free shipping. The kid contains 6-foot lengths of the… View this story
Cables, Wires and Tools • Audio Cables • HDMI • Video Cables • Deals • Product News

We first heard about Torrent and its eco-friendly HDMI cables back at CES in January. They were officially launched last week, giving us another chance to get a hands-on look at their unique properties. On the green side of things, it’s great to see companies ditching materials such as PVC, halogen, phthalate, and lead to make their products more environmentally friendly. From the tech side, we’re equally impressed after seeing the Torrent cables. Especially in light of problems homeowners and custom electronics professionals have with… View this story
Audio Cables • HDMI • Video Cables • Green Technology • Product News

We know how the back of your TV and A/V receiver can get cluttered with wires. Monster, of course, hopes that most of those wires in your system came from them, but it wants to aid in your cable management. How so? The company is working with silicon chip developer Redmere to create ultra-thin cables that still deliver super-high data rates for your system. The collaboration includes Redmere’s MagnifEye Active chip technology to help provide cables with data rates of up to 10.2 gigabit-per-second and… View this story
Cables, Wires and Tools • Audio Cables • Video Cables • Product News

If you’re among those who think that ultra-expensive cables and wire don’t add a whole lot more to your electronics system than the cheap stuff, we heard about some cheap-stuff HDMI you might like. And yes, when it comes to HDMI, we hear it all the time that web shopping can be a bit more prudent than the big-box stores. Meritline has you covered with an instant savings deal on its pair of 6-foot HDMI cables—only $5.99 shipped. Funny thing is, this deal is basically… View this story
Cables, Wires and Tools • Audio Cables • Video Cables • Deals • Product News

You don’t often think of audio/video cables when it comes to green electronics. But most cables are sheathed with PVC (polyvinyl chloride), which is a big enviro-nasty. So a new company called Torrent is making available HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface) and component cables that are free of harmful substances such as PVC, halogen, phthalate, and lead, all without compromising performance, safety or quality, says Torrent CEO and cofounder Craig Palli. I got a look at these cables at the recent CES in Las Vegas, and… View this story
Cables, Wires and Tools • Audio Cables • Video Cables • Green Technology • Product News

Last week, we heard about the hd EZ, an adapter that locks your HDMI cables into place. Now, PPC wants to cut out that middleman, with a self-locking cable. Instead of having to attach another piece into your mix, the PPC Locking HDMI Cable features patented technology that can hold it onto that port pretty tight—the company claims it’s “three times greater” than conventional connectors. Just attach the cable, and you can enjoy all of your HD/digital goodies with no worries of loose cables falling… View this story
Audio Cables • Video Cables • CES • Home Theater • Product News

Hate it when your cables get bunched up and don’t leave you much room behind your TV or electronics? Centronics is trying to stem the tide a little with an HDMI cable that drops down at a right angle if you want, or stays straight if needed. Yup, it’s flexible, and hence the “HD Flex” name for this Centronics HDMI product. These aren’t any flimsy HDMI cable, either. Among their attributes: Version 1.3b and HDCP compliant for full HD 1080p UL listed, single-link bandwidth of… View this story
Cables, Wires and Tools • Audio Cables • Video Cables • Enhancements • Product News

If you’ve got a high-end home theater with high-performance electronics and displays, you want to be sure the connections are top-level performers, too, right? Ethereal Home Theater wants to make sure its connectors are up to snuff in your theater room, so it’s become a participant in the Digital Performance Level Certification Program of independent testing laboratory DPL Laboratories. DPL evaluates and scores cables so they can be best matched to consumers, with final ratings on a 1 to 5 scale—your home-theater-in-a-box owners may be… View this story
Cables, Wires and Tools • Audio Cables • Video Cables • Product News

Belkin, the audio-video-PC accessory giant has joined Monster Cable and several other smaller cable manufacturers in delaying wireless HDMI. The long anticipated way of untangling the many A/V wires and cables necessary to connect HDTV to home entertainment systems was promising to be one of the biggest revolutions in technology accessories. Belkin’s Flywire system uses a transmitter/receiver combo to let users toggle as many as six A/V sources and wirelessly transmit the audio and video - up to full 1080p - from one side of… View this story
Networking and Communication • WiFi • Audio Cables • Video Cables • Networking • Product News

Controls and cables—they often go underappreciated within the electronics spectrum. Cables and wires are the nitty gritty that too often are an afterthought in your entertainment purchase and setup. Then you start scratching your head as to just how important these runs are as the central nervous system of your A/V. The old joke with controls was the basket of six remotes to control six different products. Now we have spiffy, versatile and extremely intelligent remotes. On top of that, we have automation systems that… View this story
Cables, Wires and Tools • Audio Cables • Video Cables • Remote Controls • Thermostats and Sensors • Products of the Year Awards 2008 • Home Theater • Home Control • Product News • Slideshows

Among the myriad connections, cables and equipment that make up a home theater, one remains misunderstood: HDMI. At times it gets a bad rap for being too expensive. Other times it’s praised for its ease of use and ability to de-clutter the back of your equipment rack. Even though in most cases HDMI works perfectly, there are some shortcomings to this wünderkind cable. High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) was launched in 2002 as a partnership between Sony, Panasonic, Hitachi, Toshiba, Philips, Thomson and Silicon Image.… View this story
Cables, Wires and Tools • Audio Cables • Video Cables • Industry • Home Theater • Info and Answers