how much better is hdmi over composite cables?

Question

i got my 720p tv that supports up to 1080i(with hdmi and component cables) hooked up to a dvd player/ surround sound (that upconverts standard 480p dvds to 1080i) with composite cables. How much better will the picture look when i hook it up with an hdmi cable?

no, im definitely talking about composite cables. I remember these cables i used came with my nintendo 64 way back in 96

Answer 1

Composite cable cannot carry a HD signal, so, at best, you're only getting 480i (not even 480p!) from your DVD player.

While your TV will upconvert this anyways, it's always better to feed your TV the best possible signal you can. Standard DVDs are encoded in progressive scan, so by using a composite cable, you're forcing the DVD player to downgrade the video to 480i, and then asking your TV to upconvert that to 1080i. It'll look worse than when you have your HDTV watch a non-HD channel from your cable box.

Even if you were using a normal DVD player that puts out 480p, this would result in a MUCH better picture (more data for the TV to deal with.)

Most upconverting DVD players can process the upconversion better than your TV. As a result, it's always best to have your DVD player output at the native resolution of your TV.

If your TV supports HDMI, there is no reason you shouldn't be using it for your upscaling DVD player. Don't get suckered into buying those $50-100 cables from Best Buy. There are cheaper cables on the internet and smaller electronics stores that are just as good (if not better).

Answer 2

I don't believe you can get your DVD player to upconvert on composite cable. You need at least component cable to upconvert and do progressive scan. You should see a major difference from composite cable to component or HDMI.

Also, when you get things hooked up, my recommendation is to upscale to 720p and not 1080i. Why? Well unless your set's native resolution is 1080 when you upconvert to 1080i, the set will downconvert that to 720p so you end up manipulating the digital signal twice instead of once.

Answer 3

Your real question is where the video up conversion takes place. The video processor of the DVD player is where most of the action should take place and using component or HDMI will insure that. The TVs video up conversion will not be as good as your DVD so hooking to it and asking to interpolate the signal will give you a less desirable result.

Make sure to set the output of your DVD player to the closest you can to the native display of the TV for best results.

Answer 4

reliable high quality cables do not could desire to be high priced, and if its a valid bar your connecting then you certainly do not decide for HDMI, primary audio cables will paintings properly, in the experience that your soundbar has Optical enter it is the final wager in the experience that your Blu ray has optical out. do not spend $one hundred money on a cable! it is pointless something that has protective would be greater effective than unshielded yet cables merchandising issues like oxygen unfastened copper are charging top rate costs for a distinction which could purely be measured in a lab, not via the human ear...

Answer 5

You obviously don't know much about HD.
but HDMI cables carry an HD signal
and composite don't....ever.....and never will.
720p is really better than 1080i
why?
even though they will look the same.
720p can handle fast motion better.
like a baseball game.
This will become a stupid question when you get
the HDMI cable or even a COMPONENT cable!

Answer 6

There is 4 main types of cables
-HDMI
-Component
-Composite
-Optical


HDMI is the newest and best technology for HDTV PICTURE and it looks awesome on my 42" LCD 1080i Television

I recommend getting an HDMI cable and an optical cable (if you can use one) for sound it will blow your mind trust me.

Answer 7

Composite does not carry HD. So it's going to look crappy.

Do you mean component (Y, Pb, Pr)? There may be a small difference between HDMI and component. Some people can see it, some cannot.