Properly routing USB, DVI and Ethernet signals over long distances (30 to 40 cm) on a PCB seems to be relatively challenging (skew, characteristic impedance, cross-talk, etc.). Yet using the appropriate cable appears to allow proper signal transmission over meters without putting too much thinking into the design. (see for example USB tech doc suggesting 18inch as max trace length on a PCB http://www.usb.org/developers/docs/hs_usb_pdg_r1_0.pdf but most cables easily going beyond this value).

Do our colleagues here with experience in high-speed signal routing agree? Are USB/DVI/Ethernet cables a trivially easier solution for tens of cm? Intuitively shielding of a cable against EMI and cross-talk seems easier than achieving the same performance with a 4-layer PCB. But then skew control seems easier with PCBs than with twisted pairs. Are we overdoing it by trying to route USB, DVI and Ethernet over 40cm instead of just using cables, even if somewhat untidy inside a production quality enclosure?

How would a top tier deginer team approach the PCB routing versus cable decision for 40cm signal paths inside an enclosure?

thanks in advance for your comments