At what point do we draw the line between quality concern and paranoia?

[Anonymous4]

12

[aedipuss]

i think the tinfoil hat should go on your head, as it's certainly not needed anywhere else.

[freebird73717]

i think the tinfoil hat should go on your head, as it's certainly not needed anywhere else.

[redwudz]

OK, I'll try to answer all that. Of course, JMO, though I have a few years of electronics knowledge.

Magnetic fields only emanate a few inches at best from any speaker in a level that could cause problems. Don't worry about it.

Your two wire VCR cord probably doesn't need shielding as it's power supply would filter out most line noise. Ground loops are a different matter, but shielding won't help with that. Just make sure all your grounds are returned to a common source. Most often this is the ground stake for your house power. If you have cable or satellite, it should also have a ground stake.

If you have decent audio cables, you should be set. Audio is low frequency, low power. Unless you have a poor connection, not likely to have interference problems. I have 50 ft HDMI cables and VGA cable of the same length. And my audio is distributed through the house on unshielded cable. No problems with any of them. If you lived next to a strong radio or TV transmitter, Or near a large industrial site that uses some forms of very strong RF energy, then you may have more problems.

Audio cables transmit alternating current most times. Magnetic interference is not really a problem.

If your grounds are solid, I wouldn't worry too much about thunderstorms, unless they tend to hit the power lines or the telephone lines nearby. A surge protector would be a wise investment, though. And if you want to unplug everything during a thunderstorm, go ahead.

If your VCR has a metal case, not likely anything will get through that, though anything is possible.

Bottom line, check your incoming power and communication systems and see that the ground stakes are firmly attached to the power box, the cable and the phone system. Try to use the same outlets for your critical devices, to avoid the possibility of ground loops.

And find other things to worry about.

Actually this probably belongs in the Newbie/General Forum. No offense. Moving you.

[ntscuser]

For my media capture PC, do you recommend not installing a 2.1 speaker system (including subwoofer). Will the E&M effects of such a system be detrimental to capture?

Most definitely.

My VCR is a JVC HR-J591U and the power cable is basic plastic on wires. Should I got about shielding this?

Yes, I suggest using a metal conduit pipe to shield.

I have 3ft. AR Master Series interconnects which might be overkill but owell. These cables have Ferrite Noise Traps on one end of the cable. Should I plug those ends into the input or output end? Based on previous similar cables, the ferrite is closest to the output side.

Input side, definitely.

I have heard you shouldn't loop your cables because you can create additional Magnetic fields. Are they better curved into an s-shape or stretched straight out? Most likely based on how I set up my system the Composite/Stereo cables will be in a C shape from the VCR to capture device.

All interconncets should be cut as short as possible.

Also, in terms of the USB ports. I only have 2 on the back of my shuttle and one on the front. (one has burnt out) I will plug my keyboard and mouse via PS/2. The only other device that will ever enter the USB during capture is the UPS MAYBE. I will probably limit capture to days in which ther are not thunderstorms however the peripherals will be plugged into the UPS.

That's an excellent idea.

I believe I will not put my capture device directly on top of my VCR.

Ditto

So, if you've read this, thank you very much. If you have any safety precautions, or notice any logic or physical flaws, please point them out!

My only comment would be that it's not even possible to be too concerned about quality.

[Anonymous4]

12