How is component cable better than all the other connections (except HDMI)?

Question

I know that component cable is superior to coax, composite, s video, etc. I'm about to upgrade my connection from my cable box to HDTV from coax to component. How will I notice the improvement? In what areas? Thanks!!!

Answer 1

Component video was the first connection capable of transmitting high-definition video signals. It is an analog connection, so it is often slightly inferior to DVI and HDMI, which are all-digital, because the analog signal requires a D/A conversion. However, if your source and television have high-quality D/A converters, component video signals may be virtually indistinguishable from their digital counterparts.

Component video derives its name from the method of transmission it employs. "Component video" actually refers to many different connections (VGA, RGB, YPbPr, YCbCr, etc.), but nowadays typically refers to YPbPr. Component video is superior to composite and S-video because it splits the signal into "components" and transmits the data via three separate cables. YPbPr cables transfer luminance data via one cable, and color data via the other two. This removes bandwidth limitations imposed by composite and S-video by dedicating cables to one purpose. Composite video transmits everything in one cable, whereas S-video (while only one cable) carries two separate signals in the pins. Component carries three. Coax is the lowest of the low, period.

Upgrading from coax to component will be night and day for you on your HDTV. Color accuracy, overall clarity, detail, depth, and contrast will be vastly improved. Put simply, up until now, you have not been getting HDTV. Note that to get true HD content, you must pay the cable company for HD programming and get an HD cable box.

Answer 2

Hi.COMPOSITE video cables are the lowest grade of all the video cables because they contain the luminance ,hue and saturation data on a single cable.

S-VIDEO cables are the next step up in signal quality because they separate the luminance part of a video image from the colour part.

COMPONENT video cables are high grade video signals that separate the three basic components of a video signal,namely the luminance,hue and saturation.Component video connection is capable of accepting full high-definition signals up to 1080i.

RGB (VGA) is one of the purest forms of component video with separate color and luminance signals for each of the Red,Green, and Blue components. RGB is the standard signal type used on most computers

DVI video is the highest quality video signal available.Digital Video Interface (DVI ) was created to accomodate analog and digital monitors with a single connector.There are three different DVI configurations (1) DVI-A,designed for analog signals,(2) DVI-D ,designed for digital signals and (3) DVI-I (integrated) designed for analog signals.

HDMI cable is the first and only digital interface that is able to combine uncompressed audio and video over a single cable.HDMI is fully backwards compatible with DVI.It also provides an interface between any compatible digital audio/video source,such as a DVD Player,. a PC, a Video Game System, or an A/V Receiver, and a compatible digital audio and/or video monitor,such as a Digital Television.HDMI cables support all HDMI formats

It is important to know that it is impossible to predict whether DVI and HDMI cables will perform better than an analog video connection.There are significant differences in the way digital and analog are handled that are heavily dependent upon the characteristics of the Source device and the Display rather than on the type of video connection used. There seems to be the misconception among many that digital is always better.Many assume that while analog is always subject to an element of degredation,digital transfer of information is error free.DVI and HDMI do not use error correction.Once information is lost,it is lost for good.

Answer 3

Well if you want to see the biggest change, put on an HD channel with coax, and then swap to component. Component and HDMI are the only cables that can carry a HD signal. You should notice a much more detailed picture and more vibrant colors when you use the component as opposed to the coax.

Answer 4

The performance of one (analog) video interface over another cannot be assured (at least to a consistently high degree of certainty.) There are a substantial number of factors, in addition to cabling (construction and length,) connectors, etc., that will influence the overall video performance of your equipment including various—often redundant—encoders, decoders, transcoders, ADCs, DACs, video processors, etc. The best method for determining which interface will provide the best performance is to read as many product reviews as possible from reputable sources and, most importantly, take the time to personally evaluate the audio/video performance of your equipment using each of the various interfaces. (The product reviews should help you avoid many of the more undesirable interconnection choices beforehand.)

To assist you in evaluating the video performance of the various video interfaces I highly recommend that you use Silicon Optix’s (HD) HQV Benchmark DVD.

    Silicon Optix (HD) HQV Benchmark DVD
    http://www.hqv.com/benchmark.cfm

A bit more thorough (and expensive option) is to supplement the HQV Benchmark DVD by purchasing one of the diagnostic and calibration discs listed below.

    Ovation Multimedia Avia II or Avia Pro
    http://www.ovationmultimedia.com
    Digital Video Essentials: High Definition
    http://www.videoessentials.com/DVE_HD.php

Like every analog video interface intended for consumer applications, whether one-wire (aka, composite or CVBS,) two-wire (aka, Y/C or S-video,) three-wire Y'PbPr (or Y' R'-Y' B'-Y',) etc., the various video (interface) standards specify that the RF ANALOG VIDEO signals should be transmitted across coaxial cables that have a reasonably precise 75Ω characteristic impedance. This is especially important if you will be using interconnects longer than a meter or two for 1080p video signals.

It is also very important to note that component video is more than just a type of connection or interface - it is a type of video signal format, which also includes recording systems. In accordance with the optical video disc standards all video content on DVD-Video, HD DVD, and Blu-ray video discs is digitally encoded as Y'CbCr component video. Under IDEAL CONDITIONS it would be optimal to transmit the decoded and uncompressed Y'CbCr digital component video—with an absolute minimum of processing—directly to an appropriate display. This would require using a well-designed and properly implemented digital component video interface, of which there are only two choices currently available to consumers - DVI and HDMI. Unfortunately CE manufacturers are coming-up short when it comes to standards compliance and proper implementation of HDMI but hopefully that will improve with time.