Component cables????

Question

I was thinking about buying component cables over my composite cables. Will it make a difference in the picture quality??

Answer 1

Home Theater magazine did a comparison of all 3 connection types from a standard-def DVD player to a reference quality big screen.  Below is the rough improvements they found:

Composite - baseline quality

SVideo - 20% better than Composite

Component - 25% better than Composite

So an SVideo cable is actually the best bang-for-the-buck improvement for standard def systems.

But - you must use either Component or HDMI cables to transfer Progressive or HD video.

The best place to buy component cables I feel is www.bluejeanscables.com

They use Belden coax and Canare RCA plugs which are normally sold to TV studios and the broadcast industry.  A decent cable will run about $60 but will match the performance of the higher-end retail cables (which do not publish technical specs).

Go to the BlueJeans site and READ.  There is a lot of good information on that site and the owner is an honest, no BS type of guy who will gladly return your money if you are not happy with his product.

Remember: "Component Cables" only have to be compatible with standard def video signals.  HD cables have higher bandwidth and you may as well buy HD rated cables now.

Answer 2

yes, components are better, but hdmi is the best

Answer 3

I think you should do what you prefer doing, as long as you have the budget to have it then there will be no problem upgrading your equipment. If you wish to have it upgraded then you better visit http://www.trvidcom.com.au

Answer 4

It would be helpful to know if you have a standard TV, an EDTV or HDTV.

If you have a standard TV, yes component will still make a significant difference because it separates the color information rather than running all video information through one cable. However, it would be cheaper and nearly the same quality to use an S-video cable in that case.

If you have an EDTV or HDTV, then getting progressive scan (480p) or HD (720p/1080i) is only possible with component cables, DVI cable, or HDMI cable. All 3 deliver almost exactly the same video quality (in fact DVI and HDMI are identical). If your TV has ports for DVI/HDMI, you should go with that because of its simplicity, and you can buy a cheap cable without worrying about any dropoff in quality. If you need to use component cables instead, you should purchase ones that are at least $25 to be sure they are good quality, but don't waste your money on Monster cables.

Answer 5

If you have a HDTV then yes, it will make a huge difference.  If you have a played out tube tv it will not look any better, at all.

Component cables can use signals upto 720p/1080i.

The composite cables you are using now can only do up to 480p but tube tv's can only produce a resolution of 480i.