[QUOTE="biribis"]Hi guys. I came here for some of your advice. When I bought my ps3, I bought a component cable and I used to play on a 21 " CRT. Three days ago, I bought a 720 p LCD HDTV and when comparing the video output of RCA Vs component I was amazed. The difference between 480 i and 720 p is big. Now I'm wondering if the difference between component Vs HDMI on this 720 p native resolution screen would be so notorious to be the excuse to invest on a HDMI cable which is somewhat expensive. Is there any substancial difference between HDMI and component cables playing at 720 P? I really appreciate your advices? thank you :)oymd

Ok now...everyone take a chill pill and cool down...

You never mentioned the size of your 720p screen...and it's native resolution...

Anyways...here's a quick overview of the A-V connections hierarchy....from worst to best...

1. 75ohm Coaxial cable...we all used these back in the days when we used regular antennas that were connected directly to the TVs...those thick white cables with copper wire nets shielded from a central copper wire. Now they are used for DVB, from LNBs to your decoders.
2. Regular RCA connections (Composite), the industry standard for almost ANY AV connection, yellow for video, red for right audio channel, and white for the left. LOWEST acceptable quality.
3. S-Video, the one with the five pins (like on your laptop). Quiet a LOT BETTER than RCA.
4. Component: 3 RCA connectors, RED, Green & Blue for VIDEO ONLY. If its a CONSOLE component cable, you get the additional red and white RCA cables for AUDIO.Component is sometimes called RGB connection. (SCART in Eurozone, but has a different connector...weird). MASSIVE improvement in quality over RCA and even S-Video. Many regard it as STILL THE STANDARD for high end videophiles.Which brings us to component's audio companion for home theatres:
5. Optical cable\Toslink: Audio transmitted digitally\optically. Carries all audio standards within the track through one connection (Dolby 5.1\DTS\THX etc..., 5.1,6.1,7.1, and so on..) without the need for multiple audio inputs. Coaxial audio does a similar job.
6. HDMI: the latest. Higher bandwidth. Main advantage is the CONVENIENCE, as the 5 connectors of component video PLUS Optical audio are replaced by ONE cable. Was MASSIVELY EXPENSIVE when introduced. now much much cheaper. Slight next to NO BENEFIT over Component on 720p displays. You MAY start noticing a difference on 1080p, but size will matter here. Actually, many Home Theatre specialists STILL prefer component over HDMI. There's also the issue of HDCP.

In your case...I can imagine the MASSIVE improvement from Composite to Component. The jump to HDMI would not be worth it IMO, even if you have a cable for free. You will not notice it, especially on 720p

Cheers...hope this help anyone who was thinking about what those damn connections are about. This is by no means the whole story...just the commonest

As for the guy who insists that HDMI would help a lot...you r definitely not a NOOB here on GS forums...but in A-V stuff...sorry my friend...you are...

read some over here:

AVforums

AVS forums

High Definition forums....

and many more...

I have no idea where my comments went after I used the quote, but to sum it up:

Why do you guys keep saying Darth is insisting that HDMI is way better than component? He's not.

Anyway, I'll point out that you're number one is wrong biribis. 75-ohm coax can actually be used to make your own component cables that have the exact same quality as store bought component cables. You can take 75-ohm coax and put F to Phono plug adapters on them and use them as component cables. Don't believe me? Do some research, it does work. It works because component cables are made with a 75-ohm cable.

I'm with DarthMatt. I just bought Sony's new KDL-26M4000 and have watched some videos and played some GTA IV on it, and I do have to agree that using HDMI does give you more vibrant colors. I do not know if this is standard with 360's, or just shows up, but it shows me that I'm outputting at 1280x768p using HDMI. Correct me if I'm wrong, but component cannot handle a progressive signal greater than 720p, right?

I'm not trying to add to the flame, but come on, Darth was just adding a viewpoint on the conversation that the TC can try if he decides. I've done it already and I agree. If you don't agree, grow up and respectfully give an opposing opinion. Flaming won't help the TC.

Hi. You guys might remember the thread that I made about my previous tv. Well, it turns out I had to return the tv for the 2nd time because it was defective.

I was wondering if anybody could reccomend any of the newer 26" LCD's that are coming out. I'm primarily looking at Sony, Samsung, and Toshiba. there are a couple of last years models that are pretty nice, but I'm looking for something new. One of the ones I'm looking at is Sony's new KDL-26M4000. I'm looking for in the $600 price range as you can see. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!

I'm thinking of having K-Mart get in this TV. (i tried linking to sony's website at first, which gives more information on the tv, but it would not let me since the website is flash based i believe or something)

It seems like it would be a good trade from the one I have

Granted I would have to wait a couple days because it isn't out yet, but K-mart would be able to get it for me. What do you guys think? Think I should try out Sony's new 08 series of TV's? I read up on it and it's boasting some new technology that their current tv's do not have. Or do you think I should go with a different brand like Toshiba?

Again, you guys have been extremely helpful!

Guess what guys? Another update!

So, today I took my Wii in K-mart and tried it on the display model of the same tv that I have and it works perfectly through the component. One thing I did notice though was that the inputs on the display model of the tv seem like a much tighter fit for my Wii's component cables than the version I have at my house. This tv was also manufactured in a different month, (August 07 compared to November 07).

Thinking back to when I tried the DVD player experiment, I did use Monster component cables on it and they fit very tight. Unlike the multiple Wii component cables I have tried.

Is it possible that the component inputs on my tv, which has a different manufacture date, are just a hair too big and do not fit snuggly enough to transmit a constant signal through to my tv?

Keep in mind that I even tried the Monster component cables for the Wii and they did not fit as snuggly, but the display at K-mart seemed to fit better.

To be sure, you need to haul your Wii to someone else's TV which supports 480p. That's the one combo you haven't tried yet, right? Either you need to take it to a friend's house or you need to take it to a store.

Sancroff

Right, I haven't tried that yet. I'm going to try it on my friends tv and I'm going to have him try his Wii on my Sony tv. I won't be able to do that for a couple days probably, but I will update this thread when I am able to try it out.

Thanks again for the input guys. It's nice to know I'm not the only one with a problem very similar to this.

Unfortuneately, this problem just got worse than it was.

My previous post says that I hooked a dvd player up and played it just fine with 480p enabled. Well, I just hooked my Wii up to a different tv, (didn't realize the tv in the living room has component inputs), and the component on 480i work perfectly with no flicker, but 480p just gets a scrambly screen. I'm guessing since this tv is at least 6+ years old, that it can't do 480p, and that the component inputs are just for a better picture than composite. Even so, that wouldn't explain why my Sony tv didn't work on 480i with component and the tv in my living room does.

So, what the hell do I do? Right now I am at a complete and utter loss.

Wouldn't my Wii be absolved of any component signal problem, but then again so wouldn't my tv?

please somebody beat me with an intelligence stick or something. I have no idea what to do or think now.

Well I basically just finished, (about a half hour left), watching Eragon hooked up through my dads RCA dvd player that has component out. Although not the best picture ever, it hasn't flickered. I say not the best picture because I believe this player, which came out around 05 - 06, can only do 480p max. Not sure though.

Looks like I have to give Nintendo a call tomorrow and send my poor Wii into repair :(

Well, you said you have a friend with Sony TV and a Wii, is it possible to have him bring his Wii/cables over to test it on your TV? If so you can narrow down the problem to the Wii, TV, or the cables.

BlueTsujin

Beat me to the punch while I was typing up my reply. lol.

I wish I knew how to double quote.

Sancroff, that is exactly what I am going to do if my tv proves to do the same with my friends Wii.

Thanks a lot guys. I really appreciate it!

Just called Nintendo. The guy I talked to was a lot better than the Sony guy. He actually knew what he was talking about. Anyway, the Nintendo rep said that they've never had that problem, and the closest thing resembling that problem was a scrambled picture which had to do with the resolution reseting itself. He also mentioned he believed it would be the tv and not the Wii because the composite inputs did work and the problem lied in the component. He still said he couldn't be positive though. He did reassure me that my warranty is good until september though, and that if it did happen to be the Wii that they'd repair it and it would be covered! yay! (i thought it was up)

I'm going to try to get together with one of my friends asap. He has a Wii with component cables. Playing his Wii on component through my tv should resolve this problem, right? I mean, if it flickers, it's definitely the tv. His work just fine on his.

Thanks for all your input guys. It helps a lot.