what is the difference between hd composite wires and hdmi cords? which is better? sound wise too?

Answer 1

See the differences on Wikipedia.org...

Answer 2

Standard home video comes in six basic formats, in order of resolution (picture quality) from Standard Definition (480 Interlaced) to High Definition 720 Progressive/1080 Interlaced)

1) 480i - Plain old 75 Ohm coaxial analog cable from analog sources such as your VCR analog cable company, and Broadcast Antenna. Standard Definition (SD)

2) 480 - The yellow RCA jack for video input. Also analog. (SD)

3) 480i - S-Video, Composite Video (RGB), and Component Video on DVD players. (SD). All analog signals.

4) 720p 1080i and 1080p- Component Video (Yp-Yb-R)Component is analog version of HD

5) 480i through 1080p - Digital Video Interface or DVI. DVI is the first consumer digital TV interface. Video only

6) 480i through 1080p - HDMI. HDMI extends DVI to include digital audio and Digital Rights Management (DRM). In the next few years all TVs, DVD Players, and consumer set top boxes will have HDMI to comply with DRM.

Standard DVD player output 480i unless they have HD up conversion, in which case you have to use the HDMI connection.

If your TV has an ATSC receiver built-in you may be able to receive HD broadcast signals for free. Check out this website below to see if you are in range of HDTV broadcast antennas.

Answer 3

Ultimately, HDMI is gong to be your better connection. Reason being is that HDMI supports the very highest resolution standard there is...1080P, that is only now becoming available on HD-DVD and Blu-Ray DVD players. While the vast majority of people don't have displays that will show this resolution...5 years down the line, that will change. Composite video (single video cable) is the oldest and lowest resolution form of video hookup, it carries video only, not audio, and is not High Def capable. You are probably referring to Component Video, which is a 3 wire standard. Component is actually quite good, and it is arguable whether it is better or worse on most displays capable of 720P or 1080i. At this point, if you have the choice between the two, I'm recommending HDMI to my Home Theater clients because HDMI will ultimately be the better standard.

As for sound, HDMI has the capability to carry digital audio signals as well as Video, and there may be some forms of high res surround it will carry that may not be available on other types of digital audio connections...but at this point, there is no difference. Also, HDMI standards are in the process of changing. The standard that you'll need to get the high res surround signals is HDMI 1.3. Problem is, few components have HDMI 1.3 (they are just now being released) and few older units will be upgradable to the newer standard. 5 years from now, it will be nice to have a single cord that carries everything between equipment...but those days aren't here yet. The easy way to determine if your preamp/reciever will accept the digital audio stream thru the HDMI cable is to check to see if your Preamp/reciever has the option of selecting HDMI as the digital audio source for the input you are using...such as DVD. If it doesn't, you'll need to run a Coax or Toslink digital (I prefer GLASS Toslink for my digital connections) cable to your AV preamp/reciever from your source (DVD, Cable Box, Tivo, Sat reciever, etc).

Component video is strictly a video only standard. If you use it, you'll need to run an additional digital audio connection from your source to your preamp/processor/AV Reciever. That can be in Toslink Optical or Coaxial Digital form.

Answer 4

I unquestionably think of that for many folk the variations are negligible. the sole time which you certainly need an HDMI cable is that in case you have the two a 1080p in a position television and a blu-ray or HD-DVD participant. To my expertise, you won't be in a position to get 1080p over ingredient.

Answer 5

Component is Red Green Blue analog,, and your equipment has to convert the signal to analog send it out, the TV gets it, has to convert it back to digital, than it is displayed. that being said, the picture is still pretty crystal clear. HDMI is a digital cable dig into your equipment, dig up the cable, digital displayed (after processing of course). HDMI is theoreticly better, and eiser to hook up. I use an HDMI for my Upconverting DVD player, and a Component for my HD cable box, the Component is crystal clear so it's really really good. Theoreticly HDMI is better. Sound wise, if you want suround sound, people usually hook up thier S/S processors directly from thier cable box or dvd player. sound at the tv isn't really effected by analog or dig that much. You'd have to have an ear the size of an elephant top hear the diff.