Chances are, you’ve cut your own coaxial cable at some point.  It’s a nice easy job, since it’s a single wire, and popping a connector on is as simple as it sounds.  Phone lines and Ethernet cables are harder, but still doable. 

High cost HDMI cables have been called pointless at best and fraudulent at worst, and many companies have responded by creating lower end HDMI solutions.  The latest release from Tributaries is designed with both value and performance in mind, and is priced to move.

Just under a year from now, on December 31st, 2010, manufacturers will no longer be introducing any new hardware with alternate HD video outputs.  From that date on, it’s HDMI or nothing.  You’ll still be able to buy older component products until the end of 2013, but after that, it’s gone.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve got at least one old computer laying around that’s not being put to good use.  Older computers can’t do much for anyone who wants to experience the latest in content, especially with the lack of HDMI, but they do have some uses.  Rather than picking up a whole new HTPC for example, you can pick up Atlona’s ATView, a USB powered VGA to HDMI converter, and use an old box.

There’s a common misconception, especially in the audio world, that more is always better.   Cable companies seem to know that too, and ratchet up the specs and the prices on their cables dramatically.  Pangea’s new cables focus on necessity instead of just packing everything they can into one cable.