Avico Electronics  say many consumers are unaware that cables play a vital role in the quality of both picture and sound in television and audio systems.

“Many consumers believe a cable is a cable – after all, to the uninitiated, they all look remarkably similar. So when selecting a cable for their new television or sound system they choose the cheapest,” says Gil Carver, Managing Director of Avico Electronics.

“Then, when they experience noisy or grainy television pictures, a flickering or pixilation of the picture (with digital television) or less than crystal clear sound, they blame it on the appliance or the reception unaware that a decent cable is the easiest and cheapest way to upgrade a system,” says Gil Carver.

And while cable has taken on a vertiginous level of complexity and sophistication over the past five years, Avico Electronics say there are a few basic guidelines that will steer consumers in the right direction.

“Basically, the thicker the cable and the higher the purity of the copper in the cable, the better the quality of picture and sound. However, beware of cables that simply use a thicker plastic coating to give the appearance of thicker cable!” said Gil Carver.

“A rule of thumb, reliably used within the industry, is that the consumer should be prepared to spend about 10 – 15% of the cost of the appliance on cables – this way they can be fairly sure of getting a cable that will do justice to the system they have just invested in.”

“A catchword to look out for on packaging is OFC (oxygen free copper) and numbers that show a minimum of 99.995 – this means the purity of the copper is 99.995%, the maximum being 99.9998%.”

“Another factor to bear in mind is that cable lasts a lifetime - it is a one-off investment that does not deteriorate over time,” he said.

Avico Electronics’ Origin brand of cables offers an extensive range of high end cables for all types of audio and visual connections - CD, DVD, turntables, set top digital boxes, television, plasma and projector and more.

The cables feature 24k gold plated connectors, high quality silver plated conductors and oxygen-free copper (OFC) wire with the highest purity.

There are three levels of performance within the Origin brand of cables, each one ensuring the transmission of signals is faster and with less distortion than conventional cables.

Put simply, the quality of the materials used in the manufacture of the Origin cables means they are able to transmit uncompressed multi-channel digital audio and high definition view with full bandwidth.

The Origin cables are available nationally from most electrical retailers, audio/visual specialists and department stores.