Can somebody tells me if I need to get a better picture quality on my LCD TV, do I need
a component video cable for my 32" LCD TV?

Now I am using RCA cable.

Somebody told me component video cable does not make any difference from RCA cable
for the picture quality on LCD TV, he said buying a component cable is just wasting money,
he also said just use RCA cable is good enough. What do you guys think?

Thanks

This post has been edited by andrewH: Oct 28 2008, 08:00 PM

I doubt you have a LCD TV because you don't even know what HDMI is.

Because my DVD player does not have a HDMI feature.

If I play a normal DVD on a HDMI DVD player and with a HDMI
cable, will I get a better picture quality if comparing to RCA cable?

I thought HDMI is perfect for Blu-Ray discs only?

This post has been edited by andrewH: Nov 2 2008, 10:22 PM

I did a FAQ quite a long while ago http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=773015&hl=

Thanks for the link.

But should I get a component cable for my DVD player?

I went to Carrefour yesterday, I noticed 3 types of component
video cables sold in Carrefour:

(1) Carrefour brand with a a very thin cable type, selling for RM 9.10
(2) Another type of mid range component cable, selling at RM 60
(3) Fiber optic type, selling at RM 129

Do you think Carrefour brand (RM 9.10) is good enough?

Thanks

This post has been edited by andrewH: Aug 29 2010, 12:40 AM

If you bother reading I don't think you'd be asking whether to get component cable or not.

Anyway, is any of them gold plated? It's better to get a gold plated one, but I wouldn't pay anything more than RM30 if it's less than 2m.

Yes, I did read the link from the beginning to the end.

For Carrefour one selling at RM 9.10, it is not gold plated.
For RM 60 type, I am not sure if it is gold plated.

For component cable, is it the longer the better?
I need only 1 meter..

Where to find gold plated component cable for less than RM 30?
Jalan Pasar?

I'm not sure where you can find them.. I bought mine for RM5.50 3m gold plated, but I'm from KK. As for the length, the shorter the better. If your eyes aren't that sensitive the RM9.10 should do the job just fine.

the most important question first is does your LCD have COMPONENT INPUT? the component input is the 3 RCA type input with the Red-Green-Blue colour. and then you have to check your tv support what DISPLAY MODE. 480p? 720p? 1080p? all?

back to your player, you also need to know your player support what DISPLAY MODE. DVD disc are only 480p, but if the player support upscaling (720p / 1080p), the picture WILL look better.

now back to your question, if you only running 480p, normal RCA will still be acceptable, just try use those red-white-yellow cable that you got and and plug into the red-green-blue place and see the quality.

btw: you still need to enable the setting in the player menu, don't just CUCUK and expect the player to think by itself.

and your explanation helps in what way??
and i doubt you know about LCD TV because you don't even know there's LCD TV without HDMI input.


it's not really gold, it's just colouring. the expensive one is real gold because gold is the best conductive material.

This post has been edited by xxboxx: Oct 28 2008, 11:58 PM

Thanks for your valuable info.

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Added on October 29, 2008, 12:36 amThe expensive one is real gold...??? I see....
But the coloring (gold plated) component cable can help to get for a better picture quality?
Or the "coloring gold plated" just make the component cable looks like more "high tech" cable only?


What do you guys think of this Philip component cable? It is RM 29.00

Under what condition we should use Fiber Optic component cable?

This post has been edited by andrewH: Aug 29 2010, 12:41 AM

Composite can't do 480p as far as I know, so component is the only way to get the full potential from the DVD if your DVD player supports progressive scan and the DVD itself is "Full DVD". Resolution aside, another reason to choose component over other display output is the picture quality itself:

Composite


S-Video


RGB (which isn't much different from component if you aren't picky)

since I close the thread and read here about the RGB, what is the different between RGB and Component cable? is Component cable got the audio(red white) cable and RGB dont have? am I rite?

I am sorry, what is a composite?
Is it something to do with a component cable?

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Added on October 29, 2008, 12:50 amTo my understanding of RGB, RGB is where we use VGA cable for connection.
RGB does not have audio function, so we will need to get a sound function from
other devices. Like sound card for computer.

This post has been edited by andrewH: Oct 29 2008, 01:08 AM

ooo. so RGB is RGB only
Component is RGB + Audio. something like that.

You mean RGB is not VGA??

err dunno
what I mean by the colour of the cable. lol

component = red green blue + white red lol

This post has been edited by kazasho: Oct 29 2008, 01:02 AM

I'll explain again here (done that in my FAQ), composite is the yellow RCA cable that you get along with red & white (stereo sound) which comes normally with your console purchase. RGB and component are different in terms of the amount of green output (if explain in very general term). In Malaysia it's near impossible to get RGB capable equipments, so people hardly get the chance to enjoy the purest form of video display here. Component comprised of 60% or more green, but it hardly differ from RGB if you can't compare them side by side (since human eyes are much more sensitive to green color than red and blue put together).

VGA(or to be precise, the D-sub 15 pin) is just one of many ways of displaying RGB, so you are right andrewH.

thanx again

Huh.... today I have learned a lot.... Thank you...

1) Composite Video (Single Yellow cable for Video, White/Red for Audio) is the worse quality. This is because all the colour signals are passed through only one single cable (Yellow).

2) Component Video cables uses three different cables for each colour signals so it is much better Video quality than Composite. Normally the three separate cables are coloured Red, Blue and Green. There must be a component output from your DVD player and a Component Input on your LCD TV in order to use the Component Cable. You must also match the colours from Input to Output in order to get the correct video. (Btw you can also use three different normal Composite cables to function as Component Cables, but make sure they are of good quality).

3) HDMI video is the best quality. It is a single cable used for both digital video signal and sound. (Take note that the signal is Digital as opposed to Composite and Component which are Analog. Digital signal, as long as the cable is decent enough to carry the signal (even a cheap one will do) will output the same quality as a very expensive one. That's the beauty of Digital.

Normally HDMI can not ony be found on Blu-ray players but also DVD players which can upscale normal DVDs to 720P,1080i, 1080P . These upscale DVD players are of course more expensive than the standard DVD players without upscale function.

This post has been edited by Ngto: Oct 29 2008, 01:37 AM

I think HDMI is not practical to use now due to its high cost of Blu-Ray discs
and HDMI DVD player.

I will get a component cable which I think is more practical to use for this time being.

Thanks...

This post has been edited by andrewH: Oct 30 2008, 06:45 PM

Composite use one single RCA cable for video.

Component uses three different RCA for Video.

Upscale DVD players with HDMI are quite cheap now. The HDMI cables are also quite cheap. No point buying a very expensive cable because the video quality will be exactly the same since it's digital signal.

This post has been edited by Ngto: Oct 29 2008, 01:57 AM

Upscale DVD player with HDMI...!!

I assume component is running on analog signal?

Component uses three different RCA for Video. You can even use your normal composite cable (Yellow/Red/White) to function as Component cable. Instead of plugging the Red/White cable to the audio, plug them to the Component Video instead. Get another set of cables for your audio if you need it.

Example :- Plug the Yellow cable to the Component Green Input/Output. Plug the Red cable to the Component Red Input/Output. Plug the White cable to the Component Blue Input/Output.

Note, Since it's anolog signal, the better quality cable will give a clearer Video Quality.

---

Added on October 29, 2008, 2:17 amI have already said Composite and Component uses Analog signals.

HDMI uses digital signals. All upscale DVD players has HDMI output to carry the upscaled Digital Signal.

This post has been edited by Ngto: Oct 29 2008, 02:18 AM

Wah... like that ah.?
I do not dare to do this, maybe will get short circuit on my TV...
I have to admit that I am a "jungle man" in this area..

I just get a regular component cable to play safe.

Thank you for your help...



This post has been edited by andrewH: Oct 29 2008, 02:23 AM

Please also take note that your LCD TV also has a built-in upscale function. If you do not have an upscale DVD player, the video will only be passed to the TV at 480P resolution through Component Cable and the TV itself will updcale to your TV resolution.

But normally the TV upscale quality is not as good at that from the Upscale DVD player which uses a better chip (depending on which Brand) to upscale to 720P/1080P before passing to the TV.

---

Added on October 29, 2008, 2:35 amThe component cables they sell are also the same Composite type cables. They only colour it differently so you don't plug wrongly that's all.

Even the LCD shops sometimes use Composite cables to fuction as Component cables.

This post has been edited by Ngto: Oct 29 2008, 02:35 AM

i never heard of anyone short-circuited their equipment by plug-in the cable wrongly.
just make sure you plug the colour accordingly, otherwise you see the tv colour disoriented.


usually the component cable has a thicker layer of rubber coating to give a better shield against signal interferences.

Thank you. I appreciate for all your help.

I will get one component cable soon...

---

Added on October 29, 2008, 7:57 pmThank you!!

---

Added on October 29, 2008, 8:03 pmAfter I bought the component cable, I will show you guys the picture...

Thanks again....

This post has been edited by andrewH: Aug 29 2010, 12:42 AM

COMPOSITE<S-VIDEO<COMPONENT<HDMI
usually composite n s-video only being able
to carry Standard Definition (SD) 480p or lower.
but the Component n HDMI can carry av signal up to 1080p.

Finally I bought a component cable for RM 15.00 (1.5 meter long).
Please see attached picture for the component cable that I bought.

I want to tell you guys a joke:
I pulled out the RCA cable, and I installed this new component cable into
my LCD TV's component output and to my DVD player's component input.

I was very excited about to see how good the picture will be after changing
this new component cable on my LCD TV..., all right, after I configured a correct
component detection setting on my LCD TV, all right..., picture came out from
my TV........yeee??? How come no sound?

Oh...I was thinking maybe I connected the component cable wrongly, double checked
again, it seemed no problem with the component cable connection setting, yeeee?
Okay, checked the TV setting with my TV remote control, oh.. I did not find any problems
with my TV setting....why still no sound..?

Okay, I changed the DVD movie, still no sound...why aah...?

Then I turned on my PC and came to this thread again, and I found the answer here...
, the component cable is for video only, it has no sound. I quickly connected
my RCA (red and white) cable back into my TV, the sound worked....
Ha..ha..

Funny ..huh....


Okay, after I have changed my RCA to component, I am not sure if any significant improvement
of the picture quality, unless if I have two TVs side by side with component and RCA respectively,
then probably I can tell the difference.

But I noticed more reddish on the picture when use component cable, so I have to reduce the level
of the picture mode on my LCD TV.

And I noticed my LCD TV is running at 576p, is it good? normal? or bad?


Thanks....

This post has been edited by andrewH: Aug 29 2010, 12:43 AM


Attached thumbnail(s)

576p mean your DVD player running on pal format, nothing to worry about. And it's on progressive scan mode, good for you, you are maximising the DVD usage now

Oh...Thank you...!!

In Malaysia, are we using PAL format?

---

Added on November 1, 2008, 4:55 pmIf I want to get a better sound quality from my TV, do I need to buy a better quality audio cable? Or RCA cable (red and white) is good enough?

Thanks...



This post has been edited by andrewH: Nov 1 2008, 04:55 PM

Yes, Malaysia uses PAL format officially, but NTSC is very common too nowadays. Stereo output is what most TV can do, no need to change that. Unless you are getting home theater system then you might want to shift to sorround sound.

Oh..Thanks..!

I do not have home theater system (I hate the wiring).

My conclusion of this posting:
There is no doubt component is always much better than RCA, since I understand that component is using 3 different thick cables to deliver
Red Green Blue; meanwhile RCA is only using one Yellow thin cable to deliver Red Green Blue. This is no comparison at all in between these 2
cables in terms of delivering good quality picture.

I am glad that I have changed to component cable.

I will use HDMI when Blu Ray discs are cheap... like RM 15.00?

Thanks again...everybody...

---

Added on November 1, 2008, 5:30 pmOh...Thank you.

I have learned a lot from many professionals here...

Thanks again..!



This post has been edited by andrewH: Nov 1 2008, 05:30 PM

Either your DVD player is set to PAL mode or it is set to Auto but your DVD disc itself is PAL movie.

Set your DVD player video mode to Auto and try another DVD movie which is in NTSC format.

I set my CMC DVD player in 3 different modes and came out with the following results:

(1) Pal (under progressive) -- 576p
(2) NTSC (under progressive) -- 480p
(3) Multi (under progresive) -- 480p

How do I get 720p?
Do I need to change to a better DVD player to get 720p?
I think my JVC LCD TV can support 720p...

In order to get 1080p, I need a full HD LCD TV and DVD player with HDMI..?
and also need to use Blu-Ray disc? Right?

Thanks

This post has been edited by andrewH: Nov 2 2008, 04:22 PM

to get 720p, you need dvd player that can upscale the resolution to 720p.
or check the tv setting, whether it can upscale the resolution.

if dvd player with upscaling ability is too expensive, you can try look for 2nd hand old xbox 1 with installed XBMC. XBMC can upscale it to 720p or 1080p.

to get 1080p, you need to make sure your tv support it, if not have to buy new tv.
dvd player with upscaling, or XBMC can give you 1080p, but the quality won't be as good as true 1080p source.

or you might want to do what i'm doing. if your pc graphic card have dvi output, buy a dvi-to-hdmi converter. then you can run 720p or 1080p from your computer to tv.

Wah.!!!.. Like that aah....???!!! very interesting....

To buy a DVI-to-HDMI converter....

In fact, I want to use my LCD TV to connect to my computer to watch movies online.
My computer has a 8X AGP 128MB with DVI output.

I am going to use this solution.... Thank you so much....

This post has been edited by andrewH: Aug 29 2010, 12:45 AM

Like I said before an upscale DVD player will output 720P/1080i (and/or 1080P, depending on player) via HDMI. Standard DVD can only output at 480P via component.

Anyway although your display shows 480P , it just means the input signal from the DVD player is 480P. But like I have also mentioned before, your LCD TV will in fact upscale it to it's own resolution which is 720P. It doesn't show this information though only that the input from your DVD player is 480P.

This post has been edited by Ngto: Nov 2 2008, 07:38 PM

I have a lot of things to learn in this area....

Last time when I used CRT TV, I just straight plugged in the
RCA cable and watch DVD and VCD only.

Will I get 720p or 1080p if I play normal DVD movies
on a DVD player with HDMI feature?

I will not buy Blu-Ray due to its high price now.

If I do not use Blu-Ray disc, is a DVD player with HDMI necessary for me?
Or a component cable is good enough for playing normal DVD..??

Thanks..

This post has been edited by andrewH: Nov 2 2008, 10:25 PM

1st of all, you might want to stop mentioning about pirate dvd, or anything related to pirate for that matter. this forum does not condone piracy. the only pirate you can mention is Jack Sparrow, Se7en is a big fan of the man.

dvd dics, no matter which one, only max to 480p. you can upscale it by player that support upscaling, but the quality can't compete with true 720p / 1080p video.

you have to understand what HDMI is. it is just a way to connect to your tv. the only different of HDMI and component from composite (Yellow RCA) is this 2 connection can carry signal until 1080p while composite can only carry 480i.

you might want to read this thread to understand better of HDTV
HDTV FAQ

The purpose of an upscale DVD player is to upconvert ALL types of DVDs from the standard 480P to 720P/1080i and upwards using HDMI. This is for those who have not yet upgrade to Blu-ray but want something in-between for the time being. HDMI is not exclusive to just Blu-ray. It's just a digital component standard for transmission of HD quality signals.

The quality of the upconverted picture depends on the Brand of the player and the quality of the processing Chip used in the player. Of course the quality won't be as good as the real thing from a Blu-ray player.

Sometimes a really bad upscale player can be worse that the upscale done by your TV using a standard DVD player through Component. But this rare.

(Note:- FYI, Upscale players used to be able to upconvert to 720P/1080i through Component video also in the early days, but they are not allowed to do that anymore nowadays because of some regulations/protection and other issues. So the current upscale players only upconvert using HDMI now)

This post has been edited by Ngto: Nov 2 2008, 10:44 PM

Yeah loh.. . I really need some tution...
Thanks again for the link and everything...

---

Added on November 2, 2008, 11:13 pmThanks for the great info.
This helps me a lot...!!

I want to try how to get to 720p...
Any big difference in between 1080p to 720p?

Besides the comfort and enjoyment, I believe watching on a better picture quality from TV is better for our eyes.

Thanks again!!!


This post has been edited by andrewH: Nov 2 2008, 11:13 PM

If your TV is only 720P/1080i and not not full HD (1080P), your TV wont be able to accept the 1080P signal from your upscale DVD player. You will probably get a blank screen. You will have to make do with a 720P/1080i signal which is sufficient for upconverting normal DVDs. You can choose the upconvert resolution from the Upscale player options.

Take note, 1080i is not full HD, only 1080P is full HD. 1080i is more like 720P in terms of quality.

To take full advantage of 1080P you need a Full HD LCD TV and a Blu-ray player playing a Blu-ray movie.

This post has been edited by Ngto: Nov 2 2008, 11:31 PM

Huah...

1080i and 1080p...??
What is the difference in between :i" and "p"??

I guess 1080P is true full HD?
Meanwhile for 1080i is something like from a upscaling? right?

This post has been edited by andrewH: Nov 2 2008, 11:34 PM

1080p is a progressive signal. 1080i is an only interlaced signal.

Technically speaking 1080i is worse in quality than 720P. But some people find it looks slightly better than 720P. It depends on the combination of your LCD TV and upscale DVD player. Sometimes it's also in your mind.

Fyi 1080i mode can be displayed and is a common feature on 720P LCD TVs because it is not full HD.

Of course both 720P and 1080i will be nothing close to 1080P.

1080i vs 1080p is the same as 480i vs 480p.

480i (the normal display from our tv channel)
480p (when you use dvd player with component cable and enable Progressive Scan)


if you count by lines, 1080i is much better than 720p. if you count by flickering (less) then 720p is better.
btw all the "Full HD" is useless if the tv only 32" and you're sitting like few meters away.

btw, if HD only considered as FULL when is 1080p, then what if they come out with 2160p? TRUE HD?? REAL HD??

Thank you for your extra clear information.

I think I will be happy if my LCD TV can get 720p.

---

Added on November 3, 2008, 3:32 pmThank you for your useful info. Thanks

---

Added on November 3, 2008, 3:48 pmSeriously, I think all of you can combine your professional knowledge and publish a book.

I do not think sales persons from any electrical shops (like HSX, Senx HenX, XenQ, CourX MamotX, OnkinX) have this kind of knowledge.

Thank you very much for the tuition. Really appreciate it.



This post has been edited by andrewH: Nov 3 2008, 03:48 PM

beside the link i given earlier, if you got time you might wanna read this thread, if i'm not mistaken the first 20+ pages has a lot useful information on HDTV.
HDTV v1

We were talking in terms of upscaled 1080i input to a 720P TV.

When a 1080i interlaced signal is fed to a 720P LCD TV (which is progressive in nature) the signal is de-interlaced and scaled back to 720P (or rather 768 progressive lines to be exact) by the TV itself. Don't think that you really get 1080 lines of interlaced video.

You can only input 1080i to a 720P LCD but ultimately they will be displayed in 720P. (The info shown on the LCD menu might indicate the signal as 1080i, but that's only the input signal).

Because the original DVD 480P (true information) is upscaled to 1080i (true + upscaled info) and then re-scaled back to 720P by the TV , you have a double scaling, which can potentially lead to a worse picture than just upscaling to 720P and passing it to the LCD without much further re-scaling by the TV.

But for most people 720P and 1080i looks almost the same because ultimately they are both displayed in 720P by the LCD.

This post has been edited by Ngto: Nov 4 2008, 03:20 AM

oh, ok... because in your previous post you never mention about the original source is from dvd video upscaled to 1080i.

but how come on your last paragraph you say 720p and 1080i looks almost the same?? shouldn't 1080i looks worse because it has been upscaled then downscaled back, as what you says in the previous paragraph?

I said for most people it looks almost the same .

Technically although it might be worse, the difference is not too noticeable because whether it's 720P or 1080i , the final output on the TV will still be in 768P (doesn't apply to full HD TV of course). At a distance the difference might not be obvious.

Anyway other factors also come into play, which can affect the quality, like the combination of the upscale DVD player and the LCD TV itself. Different pairing and enhancement features can even cause a double scaled 1080i picture to look even better than a single scaled 720P picture at times from a distance. It's a matter of chance and also the eye of the beholder

That's why sometimes some people find that 1080i looks better than 720P and vise versa. But for most people who are not too critical , they won't notice the difference.

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Added on November 5, 2008, 9:59 amI think I should stop posting anymore of this boring upscale stuff because I just realised this topic was originally about component cables.

My apologies

This post has been edited by Ngto: Nov 5 2008, 09:59 AM

Take it easy. This is not boring at all.
Ngto does not need to apologize.

But this a new and interesting knowledge to learn
since we have switched into popular digital signal and LCD TV.

For me and for other people who are new in this area, we need time to
digest and learn step by step slowly. And for me, I have learned a lot here.

And for the rest of you who understand better, you guys can exchange information and learn from each other.

Thank you for all of your contributions and valuable information here. I hope we can carry on... Thank you

This post has been edited by andrewH: Nov 5 2008, 01:10 PM

Update to Blu-ray soon

at first i gave up my hope on DVD when i first watch bluray movie..
howwever, i was pleasantly surprised.. when i pop in DVD9 movie into ps3..
and thru HDMI it upscale it to 720p..
the outcome is really really huge step of upgrade as compared to dvd without upscale..

and juz like andrews said.. its combination n pairing of devices that will make a difference..
remember only HDMI can allow upscaling, not any other connection will allow it no matter which 1080p dvd player u use..

I know about PS2 mouse and PS2 keyboard.

What is PS3?