Video Asylum

Posted by tvr2500m (A) on December 22, 2009 at 13:37:00

I just had Verizon's FiOS fiber optic service installed. I spent the installation time with the install guy, who let me shadow him and he answer my endless questions.

At different points of the installation process he used a handheld device to test the signal performance. Connecting the TV from the wall jack, I had him use, and test with, a run of nice Canare L-5CFB coax cable terminated with nice Canare ends (I don't recall at the moment what cable termination spec is called).

The tests all failed, and failed badly. The generic cable provided by the installer passed all tests. Here I was thinking that this apparently good-quality Canare cable had to be better-performing than whatever the installer might use, but no.

What am I missing? Is the Canare L-5CFB just the wrong spec for the application? Are the terminations the wrong spec? What?? I'd been using and enjoying this cable for analog and digital audio. Inexpensive, nicely finished and nice-looking (so I think, anyway), rather nice quality terminations, and I think it sounds pretty good. It clearly wasn't working for this particular video application!

- SJ

Edits: 12/22/09