What is the difference between component video and composite video?

Question

What is the difference between component video and composite video?

Answer 1

Basically, composite video (yellow cable) scrambles the 3 main colors RBG into one signal, lowering the picture quality, while compent video keeps the colors separate, creating a much more vivid color sequence.

Component video also has a MUCH higher bandwidth and unlike composite video, is capable of delivering HD signals to HDTVs, although I don't recommend using component video for 1080p TVs, use HDMI for that instead.

Answer 2

Composite video is a resolution of 480 lines of resolution.  Component video is capable of up to 1080 lines of resolution.  Composite video cables consist of only one cable for video.  Component uses three separate cables for video Red, Blue, and Green ( video's primary colors) to more accurately reproduce a video signal.

Answer 3

Basically a TV's picture is made up of the three primary colors (Red, Blue and Green) it also consists of what is called Chromium and Luminance and also the vertical and horizontal parameters.

With composite it mixes all those along one cable giving you a slightly better picture than RF cable (which includes all those along with audio), now Component which is three seperate cables.  The one cable carries the three primary colors, the other carries the Chromium and horizontal signal and the last carries the luminance and vertical signal.  Because the cables are all 75ohms they can also carry more bandwidth with results in it being able to transmit up to 1080p (not interlaces as most people think but yes progressive signals).

It is also the minimum cable you can use for HD signal.  It can also be used to transmit signals below 1080p, such as 480i, 480p, 540p, and 720p. so you will get a far better and sharper picture (without those annoying scan lines) using component.