My dedicated HT room - almost done

[ThA tRiXtA]

Time for an update! A little late, as I am still painting my whole house and about to install hardwood throughout but here we go!

Time to open this big beast up. Step by step of what's inside the box.

continued on next post...

 

[ThA tRiXtA]

This is by far the nicest (and thickest!!) owner's manual I have ever seen from any piece of electronics I have ever owned. It's like a phone book from a small city.

Continued on next post:

 

[ThA tRiXtA]

The same day that the Kuro arrived a package from BJC also arrived. I received 2 sub cables, 3 HDMI cables, 160 feet of BJC ten white speaker cable, a sub splitter and a digital optical cable.

All the cables look great, the only little tiny complaint I have is that all the cables except for the HDMI and the sub splitter were not bagged inside the box, and seem to be extremely dirty. They are covered in cardboard fiber pieces and general dirt.

I don't mind for the most part, but every other digital optical cable I have ever owned always had little plastic/rubber end caps on the cable to keep the optical end clean. This cable did not, and it is filthy dirty. Will this harm the performance of a digital optical cable? It's hard for me to believe it won't, like I said, every other of these type of cables have tip covers built in to keep them from damage. Why would they put them on if they didn't need them?

Anyways, on with the show:

Last, but not least, the wall mount bracket that will hold the plasma.

Well, that's it for now. Stay tuned, next week I will have updated pics of the dedicated room with the carpet and couch, the TV mounted on the wall and the surround speakers mounted too.

Thanks for looking!

 

[mperfct]

awesome...I'm jealous. I wouldn't mind getting a Kuro, my neighbor has an older 720p Kuro and I still think it's the cat's meow.

 

[ThA tRiXtA]

Thanks Mperfct... I'm going to wait and pass my judgments after the TV is on the wall and I get a few blu rays under my belt. I'm certainly hoping the 6020 lives up to it's precedent. It's currently being broken in as we speak. My very first impression is "this TV is absolutely massive."

It's one thing to look at a 60 inch tv in a giant store, but get it home and face to face with you and your perception of it's size changes a lot.

Might anyone have some comments regarding the digital optical question I had above?

Thanks guys.

Edit: I know there is a thread already going on the main page about racks and stands, but I checked it and there wasn't really anything that filled what I am looking for and caught my eye.

I am looking for a tall rack, with a glass front/door with shelves that are at least 20 inches deep. Anyone know where I can snag one that won't burn up a ton of cash?

 

[Alex2507]

Might anyone have some comments regarding the digital optical question I had above?

I admit that I went right to the pic's and missed that.
Get them to send you another. I'm sure that they will appreciate you providing them with the opportunity to make it right and somebody in the warehouse is gonna get it. I'm sure BJC doesn't want that kind of crap being let go. I'm sure of it.

Edit: How come you didn't get an LCD? Sorry, had to slip that in there. It looks awesome. Can you imagine what the TV's will be like in 10 years?

 

[ThA tRiXtA]

Thanks Alex!

Regarding the cable, I really don't want to have to waste my time and theirs. I'd rather just keep it if it will be fine, I just need a few people to weigh in on the subject to settle my mind.

I've never seen delicate cables shipped so haphazardly, but on the other hand these guys do this for a living so one would think they would know what they are doing.

If I could just vacuum it off, wipe it down and clean it off and it would have the same performance as a new one I would keep it... I just am not familiar with just how picky these digital optical cables can be. I have heard the tips have to be kept clean and the cable itself is not supposed to be abused in any way but what you read on the net is not always something to take to the bank, you know? I just hate when something like this gets potentially compromised, because then it is always in the back of my mind.

I know, I'm probably crazy!

I admit that I went right to the pic's and missed that.
Get them to send you another. I'm sure that they will appreciate you providing them with the opportunity to make it right and somebody in the warehouse is gonna get it. I'm sure BJC doesn't want that kind of crap being let go. I'm sure of it.

Edit: How come you didn't get an LCD? Sorry, had to slip that in there. It looks awesome. Can you imagine what the TV's will be like in 10 years?

 

[Alex2507]

these guys do this for a living so one would think they would know what they are doing.

No dude. Something went wrong. Somebody made a mistake. Let them correct it. I'm pretty sure that they will be thrilled to make this right. You didn't just buy a $27,000 CANp) television to have a wire even be a concern. Call them or email them and let 'em know. I would be stunned if you didn't have a new cable by Friday.

 

[ThA tRiXtA]

So you're saying that my assumptions are correct in that it should have came with the end caps? Well at any rate I am going to take your advice and call them or email them and ask what their thoughts on the situation is.

I am still wondering if it really even matters though, with digital cables the signal either gets there or it doesn't, correct?

 

[jostenmeat]

I can't answer your questions, but I did just order BJC for the very first time. Speaker wire is here, and interconnects + HDMI come tomorrow most likely.

I forgot to add speaker wire to the cart, when checking out, and so ordered that immediately afterward. Within one minute. I replied to my "confirmation", asking them kindly and specifically to package my "two" orders together, if only that I not be charged double for shipping.

I guess no one read the email. It's only 3 dollars, but I wasn't incredibly excited about the CS either. Now, you can say it's just cables, but it's around $200 or so.

Whatevs. I am excited for cables. Funny. I'm excited to color code, and do something about the festering octupus behind my AV rack.

 

[Alex2507]

It's only 3 dollars,

C'mon. Really. We need better smilies.

I have something to add about their CS. A couple of years ago when I was still trying to figure out the difference between my @$$ and a hole in the ground, I emailed them with a stupid question about some stupid thing that I was trying to do. They actually responded and explained a thing or two to me and gave me the info I needed to do my stupid thing.

I love BJC and I don't care who knows it.

TrIxTa or however you spell that,
Be sure to let us know the result of your dealings with them. I got a fin that says they do what's right.

 

[ThA tRiXtA]

I received a prompt reply from BJC via email.

I guess we can conclude the cable should be fine.

From: Rob
Sent: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 6:32 AM
To: sales@bluejeanscable.com
Subject: Digital optical cables

Good morning,

I recently ordered a box of various cables and speaker wire from you which arrived the other day. I have a question regarding the digital optical cable I purchased.

All of the HDMI cables I bought were bagged, as well as the sub splitter, but the subwoofer cables and the digital optical cable was not. Nor did it have the little plastic/rubber end caps to protect the optical tip from dirt / damage that all the other digital optical cables I have ever owned feature.

Both the unbagged sub cables as well as the digital optical I bought were quite dirty, it appears that they are covered in a fine cardboard dust or something of that nature, and the terminated ends of the optical connector are somewhat clogged with the dust as well. I was able to clean off the sub cables and they are working just fine. I'm concerned about the digital cable however.

I'm wondering, was not bagging or including the end caps on the digital optical cable an oversight, or are they not even necessary? I only ask because as I said above, all of those type of cables I have ever seen before have caps on the end of them.

If I were to vacuum and wipe off the digital optical cable, including the optical ends would there be any harm to that? I have heard/read that these cables can be delicate, I don't want to harm the cable any further.

Will all that dirt impede the signal or connection to my CD player whatsoever?

Thank you very much for your time.

Rob

It really is totally unnecessary, even poorly cut and unpolished fiber will pass signal perfectly. Being a digital signal with no error correction, any loss of data will result in no signal being passed. So if you plug the cable in and get a signal, you can be assured that you are getting a perfect signal.

The more extraneous packaging we use the more cost we would have to pass on to the customer- so we try to keep it to a minimum.

So there we have it... all the other companies are just adding extra fluff to their product via extra packaging and unnecessary protection.

Makes sense if you think about it.

 

[Alex2507]

I owe you 5 bucks.

 

[ThA tRiXtA]

If I had 5 bucks for every time someone said they owe me five bucks, I'd be a rich man!

In other words, don't worry about it

 

[Alex2507]

I'm just disheartened to see that they downplayed the sale of dirty cables.
If I was worried about cost I would be looking at Monoprice.
That response was ridiculous.

What is the extra cost of a zip lock?
Does it cost extra to keep the dirt out of the box?
I just hope meat and me are still good after I razzed him. My bad.

 

[ThA tRiXtA]

I don't think the cables were dirty when they left BJC, I think they got dirty by rubbing unbagged/unprotected cables all over the inside of the cardboard box while en route from Seattle to the other side of Canada.

Let's face it, they did travel a long long way and what happens when you rub soft rubber against a cardboard box for a few thousand miles? it's like the rubber insulated cables acted like smooth grit sandpaper against the inside surfaces of the box and hence the cardboard grit/dust.

As for guaging the response, I'll let you guys draw your own conclusions... I'm not going to inject my opinions. I merely just reported back the answer as requested.

YMMV.

 

[mperfct]

I have to say that I would be disheartened if they shipped my cables to me like that. At least wrap it in some saran wrap if you're that worried about costs. Jeesh. You could even use an off-brand if you don't to pay the Saran company for a brand-name product.

And I'll have to disagree about the fiber getting dirty. Anyone who has worked with fiber knows that you have to be relatively cautious about keeping the ends clean and not bending the fiber in too tight of a radius. I've never once seen an optical cable shipped without ends. That just seems like laziness to me.

 

[ThA tRiXtA]

I disagree with not capping the ends as well, everything I have ever read suggests against allowing the tips to become dirty or soiled... and every other digital optical cable I have ever seen, online and in store has had those covers in place. Why would companies bother with installing those if they are of no consequence?

Anyways, I'm certainly no expert on the topic... I can only choose to believe or not believe what I read, and I'm more inclined to believe it.

Care and Handling of Fiber Optic Connectors

A number of events can damage fiber optic connectors. Unprotected connector ends can experience damage by impact, airborne dust particles, or excess humidity or moisture. The increased optical output power of modern lasers also have the potential to damage a connector, an often overlooked factor in discussions about handling and caring for optical fibers and connectors. Most designers tend to think of the power levels in optical fibers as relatively insignificant. However, a few milliwatts at 850 nm will do permanent damage to a retina. Today, optical amplifiers can generate optical powers of 1 Watt of more into a single-mode fiber. This becomes quite significant when one considers that the optical power is confined in the optical core only a few microns in diameter. Power densities in a single-mode fiber carrying an optical power of 1 Watt (+30 dBm) can reach 3 megawatts/cm2 or 30 gigawatts/m2! To put it in everyday terms, sunlight at the surface of the Earth has a power density of about 1,000 Watts/m2. Most organic materials will combust when exposed to radiant energies of 100 kilowatts/m2. Clearly, power densities of 30 gigawatts/m2 deserve attention.

Cleaning

Another important thing to remember in handling fiber optic connectors is that the fiber end face and ferrule must be absolutely clean before it is inserted into a transmitter or receiver. Dust, lint, oil (from touching the fiber end face), or other foreign particles obscure the end face, compromising the integrity of the optical signal being sent over the fiber. From the optical signal's point-of-view, dirty connections are like dirty windows. Less light gets through a dirty window than a clean one. It is hard to conceive of the size of a fiber optic connector core. Single-mode fibers have cores that are only 8-9 µm in diameter. As a point of reference, a typical human hair is 50-75 µm in diameter, approximately 6-9 times larger! Dust particles can be 20 µm or larger in diameter. Dust particles smaller than 1 µm can be suspended almost indefinitely in the air. A 1 µm dust particle landing on the core of a single-mode fiber can cause up to 1 dB of loss. Larger dust particles (9 µm or larger) can completely obscure the core of a single-mode fiber. Fiber optic connectors need to be cleaned every time they are mated and unmated; it is essential that fiber optics users develop the necessary discipline to always clean the connectors before they are mated. It is also important to cover a fiber optic connector when it is not in use. Unprotected connector ends are most often damaged by impact, such as hitting the floor. Most connector manufacturers provide some sort of protection boot. The best protectors cover the entire connector end, but they are generally simple closed-end plastic tubes that fit snugly over the ferrule only. These boots will protect the connector's polished ferrule end from impact damage that might crack or chip the polished surface. Many of the tight fitting plastic tubes contain jelly-like contamination (most likely mold release) that adheres to the sides of the ferrule. A blast of cleaning air or a quick dunk in alcohol will not remove this residue. This jelly-like residue can combine with common dirt to form a sticky mess that causes the connector ferrule to stick in the mating adapter. Often, the stuck ferrule will break off as one attempts to remove it. The moral of the story is always thoroughly clean the connector before mating, even if it was cleaned previously before the protection boot was installed.

On a side note, I'm thankful at least that they bagged the HDMI cables. I'm sure their connectors wouldn't fare well with being chocked full of dust.

 

[jostenmeat]

I'm just disheartened to see that they downplayed the sale of dirty cables.
If I was worried about cost I would be looking at Monoprice.

I am only even more convinced of the value of Monoprice. BMX already said it before, he's never found any benefit, any reason, to spend more than Monoprice for all cabling needs. Anyhoo, I'm thinking of maaaybe relocating my rack, and in which case I'd probably buy 250 ft of Mono 12 gauge, CL2 inwall, wrapped in white, for $70. At BJC that's $160.

What is the extra cost of a zip lock?
Does it cost extra to keep the dirt out of the box?

Rather negligible. Remember that BJC isn't exactly cheap. My guess is that maybe they're doing tons of business, and simply are understaffed? Just get it out being the mantra? Just a random guess . . .

I just hope meat and me are still good after I razzed him. My bad.

Of course. You'd have to do a lot worse than that, man, and on multiple occasions. And I DO think your experiences with them says very good things about them.

Ok, that all said, not in my thread either, I do like my cables!!! Oh, it's so much neater now, gosh, I effectively removed double digit feet of cabling from the back. Sure, it costed me, but . . . hey, anyone know of affordable HDMI cables that have unique colors?