[usc goose]

Just curious.

 

[bootman]

If you mean the connectors, then yes.
Video cables need to transmit a much higher bandwidth than audio cables. (Mhz vs khz for audio)
Component cables carry the idea of s-video out to three separate cables.

BTW, good video cables also make good coax digital cables.

 

[usc goose]

Quote:

Originally posted by bootman BTW, good video cables also make good coax digital cables.

thats what i was looking for. thanks.

wait is component better than s-video? cause i had component but switched to s-video cause someone told me s was better. both cost me a bit of bank too.

 

[hempcamp]

Good component video connectors & cables should be better than S-Video because each signal (R G B) is carried on its own insulated cable, whereas with S-Video each signal is carried on its own insulated wire within the same cable, and old coax just on different channels on the same wire.

Otherwise, each cable in a component video cable has the same connector as any other RCA cable, so good component video cables can be used as audio cables and vice versa, although they are often optimized for their intended use.

--Chris

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally posted by usc goose thats what i was looking for. thanks. wait is component better than s-video? cause i had component but switched to s-video cause someone told me s was better. both cost me a bit of bank too.

If the video is being carried on a single cable with RCA connectors, it's composite, not component video. S-video is indeed better than composite. Component video is carried on three separate cables, and is superior to S-video. The same cable can be used for composite or component video, but for component video you need three of them.

 

[usc goose]

psst. composite. that's so nineties.

but yeah, thanks everyone for the intel, much appreciated as always.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Quote:

Originally posted by usc goose psst. composite. that's so nineties. but yeah, thanks everyone for the intel, much appreciated as always.

I'm not 90's, I'm "low rent".

 

[Howie]

Yes if you have 3 composite cables then you have yourself a set of component cables!

You got to be careful with using video cables as digital cables. They're not exactly "tuned" to be digital cables. If a mainly video cable company that makes very good video cables markets a digital audio cable, don't exactly trust that the digital audio cable will automatically be good. At least it may not be good for it's price range.

 

[kelly]

Component is not necessarily better than s-video and s-video is not necessarily better than composite. Though the general wisdom is true of the delivery method itself, in practice what's on either end of that cable matters a lot.

For example, let's say you have a badass tv and an old laserdisc player. The TV will have a good 3d chrome filter that is likely only active via the composite input. And since LD is stored in composite anyway (and split only for s-video transmission), it could be better.

On the other hand, let's say you have a TV or projector that does deinterlacing and you also happen to own one of the cheaper progressive scan DVD players. Using the component cables in this case would allow you to use the deinterlacer in the DVD player, but if the deinterlacer of your TV is superior, you're cheating yourself.

As with everything, you have to look at the whole picture.

Most people agree, btw, that video cable (composite and component) should be 75ohm. Some people claim this to be true of digital coax cable as well, but there are a lot of people who claim this isn't true. *shrug*

 

[Howie]

One thing to add to Kelly's post and a counterpoint as well. Component is better than S-Video which is better than Composite. If you introduce other variables such as the quality of the hardware then you're not really comparing the method of connecting then. That's like saying a high end S-Video cable will most likely beat a low end component cable. You're not really givingt the two a fair fight. All things being equal Component is better than S-Video. Besides it's the only way to go for HDTV and progressive scan.

Now if you're talking about de-interlacers. Progressive DVD players should have the option of switching between interlace and progressive scan mode so you shouldn't connect through S-Video for this reason. I agree that component is not always better but it usually is. The best way is to try them out but I don't think any videophiles would recommend the use of S-Video over component except for some unusual circumstances like bad component output on a player for example that might not make the extra cost worth it if you were to upgrade or something.

 

[stereth]

Quote:

Originally posted by Howie Yes if you have 3 composite cables then you have yourself a set of component cables!

RCA may be component cables, but the yellow cable is composite video. Component video is three video cables - Y, Pb(Cb), Pr(Cr).

 

[soundboy]

Currently I am using three separate Radio Shack coax digital cables (75 ohms) as my component video cables. Been using these for about a year....excellent picture quality from my Sony DVP-NS500V SACD/DVD player to a 27" Panasonic TV. I haven't compared these Radio Shack cables to any other component cables, as I got these before inexpensive component cables started showing up. Maybe I will try Audioquest's new bottom of the line component cables for US$35.00/1 meter....

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Quote:

Originally posted by Howie One thing to add to Kelly's post and a counterpoint as well. Component is better than S-Video which is better than Composite. If you introduce other variables such as the quality of the hardware then you're not really comparing the method of connecting then.

Actually, I don't think you're disagreeing, I think you're just arguing different contexts. Sure the question may have looked like it was "in the general", I.E. "which is, in general, better?" but it's becoming apparent that when you take the advice in the general, to applying it to a specific purchasing decision, I think the answer becomes, "it depends on what all else you purchased", namely, the two components on either end of the cable.

And I agree, it does depend.

 

[Sol_Zhen]

Quote:

is component better than s-video?

Read this article. (it has pics, too).

Also, all component cables are standard video cables. It's just there's three of them. Any good video cables will work fine so long as they're 75 ohm. Same for digital coaxial audio cables.

 

[Howie]

Quote:

RCA may be component cables, but the yellow cable is composite video. Component video is three video cables - Y, Pb(Cb), Pr(Cr).

Huh? You lost me there.

Quote:

Actually, I don't think you're disagreeing, I think you're just arguing different contexts. Sure the question may have looked like it was "in the general", I.E. "which is, in general, better?" but it's becoming apparent that when you take the advice in the general, to applying it to a specific purchasing decision, I think the answer becomes, "it depends on what all else you purchased", namely, the two components on either end of the cable.

No no that's not exactly my point. Yes as always there are variables that throw everything out of whack. But I'm suggesting that it's not as much of a crapshoot as other things. This really isn't as "system dependent" as audio cables and gear for example. S-Video is almost in all cases better than composite and Component is almost in all cases better than S-Video. Unlike audio cables this isn't as much of a "IMO or in my system" thing. This is more of a universal "component is generally better than S-Video". Although I don't want anyone to go away with the idea that component is always better than S-Video I think you'll be hard pressed to find a component connection to look worse than an S-Video connection given the cable quality is the same.

Some magazines reviewing projectors for example measures the difference the different connections make. And some projectors don't present a noticible difference between their S-Video connection and Component but it is there although in some cases minor.