concerning HDTV, how much better is HDMI from component inputs?

[Lloyd Braun]

im looking to buy a quality HDTV screen and found a good deal on one but it doesn't have a HDMI input, just component jacks. is this a big deal? it displays at 1080i in HD and the price difference to get one with HDMI is more than $50. can someone advise me on what to do?

 

[rbV5]

It could be a big deal if all your media gets downconverted to 480p. For $50, its a no brainer..get the HDMI input (without a clue as to the quality of the display you are looking at)

My set has not DVI or HDMI, and it works great with HD-15 or YPbPr, but I've also had it going on 3 years now, today I would not consider a digital display without HDMI input.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Lloyd Braun
im looking to buy a quality HDTV screen and found a good deal on one but it doesn't have a HDMI input, just component jacks. is this a big deal? it displays at 1080i in HD and the price difference to get one with HDMI is more than $50. can someone advise me on what to do?

No doubt about it, get the one with HDMI. The component-video one probably doesn't have the digital protection that will be used in the future, while the HDMI one most likely does. Do some research and see if that set you're looking at has HDCP, then you're all set. In a couple years when the protection is uesd you will regret saving $50 now. 🙂 That is unless the cheaper one has DVI with HDCP support.

 

[Lloyd Braun]

thanks guys, I gave my connection a call and now he said he doesnt even have the one with HDMI in stock now, but that it wouldve been more like $100 in difference anyway. i guess i don't understand what the big difference is, how much better would the image quality be in HDMI? i dont plan doing anything special with it, just want to see movies and my favorite sports teams in HD. 🙂 should i wait for them to be in stock now?

 

[xtknight]

Nah, the image wouldn't really be better with HDMI than with component (or not significant). Well to be honest I don't really know. It's just that HDMI is newer, and I assumed it would also consequently have the HDCP protection with it. HDCP is available in DVI and HDMI form, so the $100 cheaper one might have HDCP and you'll be fine for years to come.

 

[kylebisme]

Image quality isn't nessacarly going to be any different between component and HDMI, it can go one way or the other depending on the hardware but nothing makes one inherently better than the other. However, if the $50 more with HDMI supports HDCP (high definition copy protection) I'd say it is well worth the extra cash. Without HDCP, things like BlueRay players and many future HD devices including cable boxes and the like will force you to down convert to 480p which is an awful waste of an HDTV.

If the HDMI doesn't support HDCP, I'd probably still consider it worth the extra $50 just to have more input opitons, but if you don't think you will need that then I suppose you might as well save the money and get the one without.

 

[hans030390]

google "hdmi vs component"

 

[kylebisme]

Heh, the top link explains exactly what I did with regard to image quality so I think your advice is a little late. 😉

 

[Lloyd Braun]

this TV is going in my bedroom for now so all I plan to hook up to it is a DVD player and my cable box. i never even heard of blueray players 😱 but do you suggest i atleast look up what outputs my cable box comes with so i can make sure it supports YPrPb or something so i dont need to down convert? an online HDTV FAQ would be nice too if you could provide a link to one. 🙂

oops didnt see the last 2 posts when i wrote this lol.

 

[kylebisme]

BlueRay is one of the two competeting formats for HD movie disks, we should see it coming out around next summer with the PS3. They have already anounced that HDCP will be required for HD playback and the other standard, HD-DVD, I don't think has anounced that requirement yet but I am sure they will.

As for your cable box, unless you have HD-cable, it probably won't have YPrPb; and if you don't have YPrPb then you don't have to worry about down conversion becuase its just going to be a 480i signal anyway. Regardless, if you do have an HDCP enabled cable box wtih YPrPb it will only output 480p over component anyway as that is a function of the copy protection. So HDMI with HDCP can come in really handy if you plan to watch HD content on your HDTV.

 

[Lloyd Braun]

i would definately be getting an HD cable box.

 

[Sonikku]

HDMI does little over component when dealin with CRT Tube displays. Only with fixed pixel displays are the digital inputs worth it.

 

[Lloyd Braun]

Originally posted by: Sonikku
HDMI does little over component when dealin with CRT Tube displays. Only with fixed pixel displays are the digital inputs worth it.

good point, i should have known that relation after reading so much on CRT vs. LCD monitors.

 

[kylebisme]

As long as the digital to analog conversion is up to snuff and the analog to digital on the other end as well there isn't going to necessarily any difference with straight digital. Straight digital sounds cleaner but the is the scaler in the TV will likely resample the image anyway so the advantage of an untouched signal is gone right there. Heck digital could wind up looking worse depending on the hardware involved.

Here check out that top link from google, he goes into more detail on the subject:
http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/34579/122868.html

 

[RaMz121]

 

[rbV5]

Originally posted by: Sonikku
HDMI does little over component when dealin with CRT Tube displays. Only with fixed pixel displays are the digital inputs worth it.

The difference between watching 480p and 720p+ can be pretty noticable. The point is HDMI will deliver all the content in full resolution going forward, where not all other inputs will. Its not really a PQ issue, if you have a choice you should always opt for HDCP supported inputs even if there is a small premium.

 

[dug777]

Originally posted by: rbV5

Originally posted by: Sonikku
HDMI does little over component when dealin with CRT Tube displays. Only with fixed pixel displays are the digital inputs worth it.

The difference between watching 480p and 720p+ can be pretty noticable. The point is HDMI will deliver all the content in full resolution going forward, where not all other inputs will. Its not really a PQ issue, if you have a choice you should always opt for HDCP supported inputs even if there is a small premium.

listen to this man 😉

 

[Lloyd Braun]

actually, i was also under the impression it had an HD tuner built in, which is does not, does not having a tuner matter if i hook up my cable box to it?

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Lloyd Braun
actually, i was also under the impression it had an HD tuner built in, which is does not, does not having a tuner matter if i hook up my cable box to it?

Nope it doesn't matter, if by "cable box" you mean tuner.

 

[kylebisme]

Originally posted by: rbV5

The difference between watching 480p and 720p+ can be pretty noticable. The point is HDMI will deliver all the content in full resolution going forward, where not all other inputs will.

That isn't ture in itself, HDMI can be supported without supporting HDCP, so even if the TV has HDMI it still might be stuck running 480p with HDCP devices.

 

[rbV5]

Originally posted by: TheSnowman

Originally posted by: rbV5

The difference between watching 480p and 720p+ can be pretty noticable. The point is HDMI will deliver all the content in full resolution going forward, where not all other inputs will.

That isn't ture in itself, HDMI can be supported without supporting HDCP, so even if the TV has HDMI it still might be stuck running 480p with HDCP devices.

True, thats why I said in the last part of the same post,

if you have a choice you should always opt for HDCP supported inputs even if there is a small premium.

but true, I shouldn't be mixing the protocol from the connection.

 

[Lloyd Braun]

Well I decided to just go with the HDMI-less TV and save the ~$100 to put towards a stand for it, this'll only be my bedroom tube anyway since I'm prepared to make a $3000 investment in the near future for a theater. can you guys recommend cables brands and accessories to buy for it ahead of time? I only need like a 2 foot component cable so high quality is afordable. I dont have a sterio system either so no receiver needed, just a cable box and DVD player. what else is out there?