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Analog audio cables differ from their digital friends in purpose alone. The same cables that work well for your coax digital connection works just as well for any other audio/video connection, provided it is a 75-ohm cable. Unlike digital signals however, the cable used can color analog signals.

The changes made by analog cables are subtle at best and with most systems, no difference can be detected. Audiophiles spend years finding the perfect cable match for the sound they desire, be it warm, flat, expanded bass or any number of other characteristics. For those of us on a budget however, spending a thousand dollars a foot on cables won’t noticeably improve your sound.

You do want quality interconnects however but you don’t need to spend a lot of money, you just need to make sure the cables are well constructed, 75-Ohm, shielded models. I prefer the custom cables from Blue Jeans Cables, and in case you were wondering, I have no affiliation with these good folks, I just love their products and for the money feel they are the way to go.

Monster Cable, as I have stated before are well built and reliable but you pay a heavy price to cover their marketing and they are simply, very overpriced. Don’t spend any more than necessary on analog cables, just make sure they are 75-ohm and well shielded to avoid signal crossover to other cables and avoid picking up noise from power cables and RF signals in your home.

Speaker cables are where I am willing to spend a little more but I don’t go crazy.  I only use 12 gauge, oxygen free cable in my main system. That may sound expensive but the bulk cable found at Home Depot is high quality and inexpensive.

If you must go to a smaller gauge, never go below 16 gauge. If you have a large room where cable runs go beyond 20 feet, I wouldn’t try anything below 12 gauge unless there is simply no way to use it.

Choosing Digital Cables

What cables do I need? This is one of the most common questions in home theater and it is one surrounded in myth and marketing deception. This article will focus on digital cables, HDMI, Coax and Optical cables to be precise.

Digital cables have the simple job of passing along a signal, and this is the important part, it is a digital signal. Digital signals make it to the destination or they don’t, the cable can’t add warmth or bass, it can’t bring out the high end or improve the image on your HD Television. Digital either works, or it doesn’t.

Bandwidth is the only factor that matters when buying digital cables like HDMI, Coax or Optical. HDMI cables carry both the audio and video in a single, easy to use cable. Marketing by stores and manufacturers (I am looking at you Monster Cable) implies that you need an expensive cable to make that new Blu-Ray look and sound right on your new 1080p display.

This is where they begin to flat out lie to the public, as I said above, a signal either makes it or it doesn’t, any HDMI cable will work, you get a picture or you don’t. HDMI cables are self-checking for errors so they work, period. There is no magic cable that improves the picture or sound, so one last time for those in the cheap seats, YOU EITHER GET A SIGNAL OR YOU DON'T, it is digital.

Digital audio cables are a little different however the general facts remain true, the cable doesn’t improve or change the sound of a digital signal, they simply pass on the ones and zero’s which cannot be colored or changed by the cable. The only thing that is different here is that you need to ensure the cables are 75 ohm, which gives more than enough bandwidth for digital audio.

Not all cables are 75 ohm, the skinny cords that came in your DVD player box are NOT 75 ohm, they should not be used for anything. Coax and optical digital cables do not error check but again, as long as you are looking at a 75 ohm cable you don’t need anything else.

Radio Shack offers these cables at a reasonable price, Monster Cable  is outrageously priced but there is not anything physically wrong with them, they are a good cable brand. I prefer Blue Jeans Cables, they are hand made and look great, all for a very reasonable price.

Blue Jeans Cables can be ordered in different colors to make component identification behind a rack easier. They also carefully match the ends so you know exactly which cable in a bundle does what without tracing it back to the source. I use them for my digital cables so that all my cables match but I could easily save a few bucks by going to Radio Shack.

Analog cables require a bit more consideration than digital, I will be discussing them in the next article.

Choosing Analog Cables

Organizing a large DVD and Blu-Ray collection is more than just putting the movies on a shelf. You need a tracking system and an orderly way of arranging the movies so you can find what you want quickly.

When I was living alone and had less than 500 DVDs, I was able to maintain them with less effort than I am able to now, I always knew the movie was there, I just didn’t always know its exact location. Then my good friend and neighbor got his first DVD player and I started loaning movies out.

Loaning movies out must be done with extreme caution, I only have two people I loan movies too and I don’t feel a bit bad about telling everyone else no. Loaning movies complicates things unless you keep careful track of your movies but there is a solution that makes keeping track of your current movies easy. It also keeps track of your wish list and best of all, the movies you loan out.

DVD Profiler comes in a free and premium version. The free version does everything you could want but the premium version is inexpensive and includes a few bonus features. Adding your DVD, Blu-Ray or HD-DVD discs is as easy as entering the name, UPC, reading the disc in a DVD drive or by using a hand scanner. The DVD Profiler database is kept up by enthusiasts and includes every region, version and variable you can imagine, so you always have the exact information that applies to your DVD or Blu-Ray.

DVD Profiler allows you to sort by genre, actor, media type and more making it easy to find exactly what you feel like watching. It also has excellent reporting capabilities, all of which can be printed out. In addition, they have a mobile and online version so you can check your wish list at the store or make sure you don’t already have a disc and trust me, when your collection starts to get big, you can easily forget what you already have.

Now that you have your collection loaded up it is time to organize your shelves. I use alphabetical, which is the easiest but there are other options I will discuss below. I print out a report in DVD Profiler and start loading the shelves, it makes alphabetizing faster. I go through all of my collection once a year to check for out of place or missing movies. Large collections, especially with a teen in the house, have a way of getting unorganized.

I also take the time to go through my list to identify any discs that failed to make it into the database or have vanished, usually into the depths of a bedroom. I track everything down and make corrections if necessary.

Alternative organization methods are as numerous as movies themselves, I have seen by director, year of theater release, and even by the style of case. I would suggest keeping it simple, genre is a good option that makes sense. I also separate my DVD, Blu-Ray and HD-DVD collections, more for appearance than anything else.

Now that you know how to find the best prices, store your collection and keep it organized the sky, well ,shelf space is the limit.

Collecting DVD and Blu-Ray Movies    DVD and Blu-Ray Storage