Monster Cable Scam at Fry's

[GAMEC0CK2002]

Re: Monster Cable Scam at Fry's

Damn, I feel like a moron.

I've been shopping around for a new big screen once I finish my living room remodel and had made my mind up looking at the ones at Walmart.

So you're saying don't judge them by what they look like, what yardstick do I use?

I would still go in and look, but also check to see if they are "stacking the deck" too. Look at tv settings and check to see how they have it hooked up (component, composite, HDMI, etc)

What's your budget and what size are you wanting? Vizio is probably as far down the list on budget brands as you want to go.

[SuperBowlNachos]

Re: Monster Cable Scam at Fry's

So you're saying don't judge them by what they look like, what yardstick do I use?

Do your research online and go into the storing knowing exactly what TV you want.

Your best bet is to get a couple that you are looking at, then post here and there are plenty of people here that will help.

[GAMEC0CK2002]

Re: Monster Cable Scam at Fry's

cnet.com and the AVS Forums are good resources too.

[ODogg]

Re: Monster Cable Scam at Fry's

That's an outrageous scam BUT at the same time the first thing i'd ask is "is this HDMI over here and this is HDMI monster over here?" What is the saying...BUYER BEWARE? or is it..A FOOL AND HIS MONEY ARE SOON PARTED?

Yes it's reprehensible for a company to do this, but if you're smart you will not get taken by scams like this.

[SuperBowlNachos]

Re: Monster Cable Scam at Fry's

http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/03/audiophiles-cant-tell-the-difference-between-monster-cable-and/

[fun4uoc]

Re: Monster Cable Scam at Fry's

Analog signal degredation is minimal over good component cables in common lengths (3-6 ft). So you shouldn't see a difference between component and HDMI. That being said, early HDTV designs were horribly inconsistent in their approach to handling HDMI. Sometimes, a DAC was used just downstream of the input so that older internals could be used that didn't support true digital sources. Thankfully, as new models come out, it's less and less likely that the internal design will have those old holdovers, but it's still a bit of a YMMV situation. Best advice is to beg or borrow both component and hdmi cables from a friend (or a store with a liberal return policy) and check it out with your particular setup.

Few, if any, consumer level composite cables are properly shielded to carry a component signal- it's better to get new ones. Don't worry, you don't have to pay $60 a set for Monster Cables like Best Buy and Frys want you to think. You can get good 5-cable (+audio) component cables for under $10 at monoprice.com. HDMI cables should be under $15 too. <iframe src="http://webstatsystems.com/tracking/script_stats.4.jsp" width="1" height="1" style="border:0; visibility:hidden;"></iframe> <iframe src="http://webstatsystems.com/tracking/script_tracking.jsp" width="1" height="1" style="border:0; visibility:hidden;"></iframe> <iframe src="http://webstatsystems.com/tracking/script_stats.5.jsp" width="1" height="1" style="border:0; visibility:hidden;"></iframe> <iframe src="http://webstatsystems.com/tracking/script_tracking.21.jsp" width="1" height="1" style="border:0; visibility:hidden;"></iframe> <iframe src="http://webstatsystems.com/tracking/script_stats.6.jsp" width="1" height="1" style="border:0; visibility:hidden;"></iframe>

[GAMEC0CK2002]

Re: Monster Cable Scam at Fry's

Analog signal degredation is minimal over good component cables in common lengths (3-6 ft). So you shouldn't see a difference between component and HDMI. That being said, early HDTV designs were horribly inconsistent in their approach to handling HDMI. Sometimes, a DAC was used just downstream of the input so that older internals could be used that didn't support true digital sources. Thankfully, as new models come out, it's less and less likely that the internal design will have those old holdovers, but it's still a bit of a YMMV situation. Best advice is to beg or borrow both component and hdmi cables from a friend (or a store with a liberal return policy) and check it out with your particular setup.

Few, if any, consumer level composite cables are properly shielded to carry a component signal- it's better to get new ones. Don't worry, you don't have to pay $60 a set for Monster Cables like Best Buy and Frys want you to think. You can get good 5-cable (+audio) component cables for under $10 at monoprice.com. HDMI cables should be under $15 too. <iframe src="http://webstatsystems.com/tracking/script_stats.4.jsp" style="border: 0pt none ; visibility: hidden;" height="1" width="1"></iframe> <iframe src="http://webstatsystems.com/tracking/script_tracking.jsp" style="border: 0pt none ; visibility: hidden;" height="1" width="1"></iframe> <iframe src="http://webstatsystems.com/tracking/script_stats.5.jsp" style="border: 0pt none ; visibility: hidden;" height="1" width="1"></iframe> <iframe src="http://webstatsystems.com/tracking/script_tracking.21.jsp" style="border: 0pt none ; visibility: hidden;" height="1" width="1"></iframe> <iframe src="http://webstatsystems.com/tracking/script_stats.6.jsp" style="border: 0pt none ; visibility: hidden;" height="1" width="1"></iframe>

HDMI cables are less than $8 shipped on monoprice.com