Cable box to receiver, what cables to use?

[hammerd63]

I'm a newbie to the board and need help on what cables to use from a Motorola DCT2500 cable box to a Onkyo TXSR875. I live in remote Alaska and have one cable provider that offers only digital cable, there are also no companies that offer dish service here either so I am stuck with what I have. On the back of the cable box there are outputs for RF coaxial, digital audio coaxial and composite video/audio, I have the digital coaxial hooked up to the audio inputs on the receiver and composite going to the video inputs on the receiver with HTMI from the receiver to the plasma My HD DVD and regular DVD players are connected via HTMI so they are not a problem. My question is on the cable box, is this the best solution? I am using high quality composite cables but I am hoping I can do something else that allows me to get a better picture. Thanks for any help.

 

[markw]

If you have options besides composite for the cable box video*, I'd use that. If not, you have to use that.

Oh, it's "HDMI". That's not a dig, just a correction.


* And, unless you have A HD cable box, that's pretty much the standard.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Yeah, if composite is the only video source, there is nothing you can do to improve that---not even if you spend hundreds of dollars on composite video cables. Unless you can get them to give you a HDMI cable box, you are stuck.

 

[patnshan]

If it's a leased box, you should be able to get something in exchange from the cable company that has at least component video. I use component on one HD box and HDMI on another, and I cannot tell the difference. Unfortunately, composite video stinks.

Pat

 

[mtrycrafts]

I'm a newbie to the board and need help on what cables to use from a Motorola DCT2500 cable box to a Onkyo TXSR875. I live in remote Alaska and have one cable provider that offers only digital cable, there are also no companies that offer dish service here either so I am stuck with what I have. On the back of the cable box there are outputs for RF coaxial, digital audio coaxial and composite video/audio, I have the digital coaxial hooked up to the audio inputs on the receiver and composite going to the video inputs on the receiver with HTMI from the receiver to the plasma My HD DVD and regular DVD players are connected via HTMI so they are not a problem. My question is on the cable box, is this the best solution? I am using high quality composite cables but I am hoping I can do something else that allows me to get a better picture. Thanks for any help.

As was mentioned, call the cable company and see if a better box is available with a better video out, component and or HDMI. If not, run the composite RF cable to the TV. This way you don't have to turn on the whole audio system if you want to watch the news or something very casual; however, with that digital to the receiver, you could get at least Dolby prologic or DD on some programs and have the receiver process it. That would be my take on this.