I've never notice any marked differences in picture quality, and I've used both inexpensive ones (<$7) and expensive ones (>$50). As long as the impedances are close, the picture quality will be about as good as you're gonna get. The signal level is generally what causes poor quality.

Thanks Bill!

I'm currently using a pair of $7.00 baluns and the picture quality is pretty good. I was wondering if there was anything to gain by buying the more expensive ones.

You've answered that for me.

http://www.radioshack.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=video%20baluns&origkw=video%20baluns&sr=1

I have used cheap baluns very successfully but I was not pushing the limits of length and bandwidth. If you require high horizontal resolution over longer cable lengths you may need the more expensive baluns. Likewise the common mode rejection may be less good so you may need more expensive baluns in high interference environments.

I have no specific data to back it up, just anecdotal experience, but it has been my experience that a lot of "high end" audio and video products are more snake oil than real. I and an electrical engineer who works for a NASA contractor, publicly challenged a guy here in town who was touting special gold plated oxygen free litz wound monster speaker cables with a special insulator and all kinds other mystical bullcrap to a double blind listening test comparing his fancy 100$/ft monster wire to common 12 gauge romex. We invited the public to attend along with the press. At first he made noises as if he was going to accept the challenge, but then he shut up and went away and we never heard anything out of him about it again. (he just happened to own a high end stereophile store in the high rent district, catering to people who had far more money than sense.)

You are right on the money. Snake oil - that's all it is. Just another reason for manufacturers to convince the public to make upgrades. I gotta snicker every time I pass thru the Auto Sound Section of Fry's.

A distortion meter may detect the difference in a test room but who is going to hear the difference when the tires are generating 110dB of road noise when traveling at 60mph?

Here is the challenge i mentioned.

http://blogs.chron.com/sciguy/archives/2007/10/hear_hear_james.html