Quote:
But you can't find a $5 RCA cable that meets the minimum requirements to carry a signal any more.

I've noticed that happening over here in the UK as well. I was in a high street consumer electronics store (Dixons) the other day and the only cables they sold were the premium extra super expensive ones. It was about £30 for a 2m SCART cable because it had gold plated plugs and was branded. They didn't sell any others at all.