Is HDMI that much better than Component?

[MichaelD]

I've been out of the "high-end" HT loop for awhile now.

My current little system is a Panasonic HTIB which connects via Component to a 42" Hitachi plasma. The picture is pretty good, actually. But there's always room for improvement.

I do not know if this component connection is interlaced or progressive, but being that it's not labeled and the HTIB manual says nothing about it, I'm assuming it's 480i not 480p.

I'm considering getting a separate AV receiver and DVD player and going HDMI from the DVD player-->receiver-->TV. Would it be worth the expense? Is an HDMI picture "that much better" than a standard 480i picture?

The last time I had to consider upgrading was when component first came out. The diff b/t S-Video and component is HUGE, so it wasn't even an issue. Now I'm not so sure.

Thanks for any help/thoughts you can provide.

 

[Wuzup101]

Component itself is capable of carrying a 1080p signal, so it can reach the practical limits of the current spectrum. HDMI has the advantage of being fully digital (thus skipping conversions). It also supports the newer HD audio formats that can't be transmitted over other digital audio lines (coax/optical). However, in practice, video quality is MUCH more dependent on having a good source rather than being connected via HDMI.

What sources are you currently using for your plasma? Do you have everything running through the AVR... or do you have video going straight into the plasma?

Also note, there was a huge difference between S-Video (and composite) when compared to component. However, much of this is because component is the only one capable of carrying an HD signal (and the difference between SD 480i and HD 720p+ is HUGE).

As for your question about it being worth it or not... that really depends. First off, realize that component is not limited to your "standard" 480i picture. However, it is likely that there is some limitations on what your current receiver can "pass through." Newer recievers can pass 1080p signals from component and HDMI. Furthermore, they can even up convert signals from lesser signals. And just like everything else, these things cost money. However, I'd say that you should invest your money on good "sources" before you get a new receiver. Perhaps get yourself something like a blue ray player or a up converting DVD player (or just buy a 40gb PS3 and be taken care of from all ends).

 

[MichaelD]

Thanks, Wuzup101. Your post was educational; thanks much. I didn't know that component could carry 1080p. It does seem though, that there are several benefits of moving to HDMI.

ATM, my source component is nothing to brag about. It's a 5-Disc changer HTIB player. The other source is a satellite TV receiver that runs a composite connection...obviously not worried about that one.

I don't have separate DVD and AVR yet, (as I said in my OP) but am strongly considering buying them. Right now the HTIB does it all (DVD player and 5.1 amp/speakers).

 

[vi edit]

Truthfully I prefer component. I don't know if it's my TV or the Receiver that I'm passing through, but my HDMI connections run "hot" and have these little red dots that show up in black spaces on the screen during high speed camera movements. It's sort of annoying.

I didn't have that problem with my component hookups. Plus with component I actually preferred the somewhat "softer" image that it provided. HDMI almost is oversharpened to my eyes.

But it certainly is a covenient thing. I have two high definition devices (HD-DVR tuner from Dish) and a PS3. I have one cable coming from each of them into my receiver, and then one cable going from the receiver to the TV.

That's A LOT less of a mess than the alternative of running a billion component cables and a digital audio cable of some sort for each item.

 

[SearchMaster]

I set my satellite receiver to output HDMI and component at the same time and couldn't tell any real difference. Before Spidey comes in to remind me that each input would need to be calibrated independently to do a true blind test, yes I understand that.

Assuming your DVD player is outputting 480p you definitely shouldn't see any difference b/w HDMI and component. I guess the nicest thing about HDMI is the cable is much smaller for a cleaner setup.

 

[Slick5150]

As others have stated, there isn't any real reason NOT to use HDMI given the choice (other than the annoying handshaking issues that pop up from time to time), but there isn't going to be a real difference between the two. I recently upgraded my receiver to an HDMI switching one, so now I have everything hooked up HDMI, and frankly, there wasn't any improvement in the quality over my prior component connections. But I now just have 1 cable running from each source instead of 4 (RGB + digital audio), so that's a bonus.

 

[zinfamous]

all I can say is that Corpse Bride looked significantly better on my A2 when pumped through HDMI than with component. that's the only "test" I ever performed, so take it with a grain of salt

...I believe I had 1080i output through both, but I'm not sure.

 

[MichaelD]

Speaking as someone who has never actually seen an "HDMI picture" before; I'm very surprised that "there's no discernable difference" to be seen. :Q

I knew that the diff b/t component and HDMI wasn't huge like b/t Svideo and component, but I figured there'd be some diff.

With my current plans, I am pretty sure I'll be seeing a diff though. I'm moving from a HTIB Panasonic 5-disc changer (component out) to a Samsung 1080i HD DVD player (model DVDHD870) with HDMI out.

It upscales to either 720p or 1080i...should be a better picture, no?

 

[Slick5150]

Originally posted by: MichaelD
Speaking as someone who has never actually seen an "HDMI picture" before; I'm very surprised that "there's no discernable difference" to be seen. :Q

I knew that the diff b/t component and HDMI wasn't huge like b/t Svideo and component, but I figured there'd be some diff.

With my current plans, I am pretty sure I'll be seeing a diff though. I'm moving from a HTIB Panasonic 5-disc changer (component out) to a Samsung 1080i HD DVD player (model DVDHD870) with HDMI out.

It upscales to either 720p or 1080i...should be a better picture, no?

i assume you mean an upscaling DVD player (player that reads regular DVDs and upconverts them to HD resolutions), since Samsung has never made an HD-DVD player (a player that plays HD-DVD movies)?

Either way, yes, using an upscaling player will result in better picture quality than a player that doesn't.

 

[MichaelD]

Hmm, I guess the Samsung's description is a bit misleading. It does NOT play BlueRay or HD-DVD discs.

I do know that the upscaling is just interpolation; you can't "output" data that's not there. But I'd imagine that it would make a standard DVD (original, not a compressed DVD shrink copy or DivX) look better.

We'll find out.

 

[dandragonrage]

It varies between equipment. I have a PS2 with component cables. The picture is very noisy. Flat colors do not show up as flat. I also have a PS3 hooked up with HDMI. It does not have that problem.

 

[Twsmit]

The difference between component and HDMI is definitely small, however I too have noticed the softer image presented with component vs the overly sharp image of HDMI. Watching a 480i tv channel like CNN this is very noticeable with all the scrolling text appearing extra sharp.

As for DVDs I think the in quality from a new player will vary depending on the vintage of your current one. A 480p progressive DVD player will be very similar to a 720p or 1080i upconvert. But if your old player is a 480i over component you will probably notice a bigger increase in the picture quality. Heck even the progress that has been made in processing technology has been pretty amazing over the last few years even if you were to output 480i with a new player. Over christmas I watched a dreadful looking picture on my mother's brand new 46" LCD using her 7 year old component 480i Panasonic DVD player. Utterly the worse picture I had ever seen in my life. I connected my xbox 360 and wow it looked near HD quality compared to the old technology....

 

[Muadib]

Originally posted by: MichaelD
Hmm, I guess the Samsung's description is a bit misleading. It does NOT play BlueRay or HD-DVD discs.

I do know that the upscaling is just interpolation; you can't "output" data that's not there. But I'd imagine that it would make a standard DVD (original, not a compressed DVD shrink copy or DivX) look better.

We'll find out.

That player runs about $80. You could get an HDHVD player for not much more. My BB had quite a few A3 open box sales when I was there yesterday. They are supposed to be great for upconversion.

 

[Wuzup101]

Originally posted by: MichaelD
Speaking as someone who has never actually seen an "HDMI picture" before; I'm very surprised that "there's no discernable difference" to be seen. :Q

I knew that the diff b/t component and HDMI wasn't huge like b/t Svideo and component, but I figured there'd be some diff.

With my current plans, I am pretty sure I'll be seeing a diff though. I'm moving from a HTIB Panasonic 5-disc changer (component out) to a Samsung 1080i HD DVD player (model DVDHD870) with HDMI out.

It upscales to either 720p or 1080i...should be a better picture, no?

It's important to realize that the difference you are going to see when upgrading your current gear is going to be (mostly) due to the difference between SD and HD sources. As others have stated, HDMI does generally provide a bit sharper of an image. However, if you have 2 equal sources, and your TV isn't particularly bad at receiving HDMI or Component, than you should get a great picture with either. Remember, you will want to calibrate your set with a calibration disc (IE: AVIA, DVE, HQV) regardless of how the source is connected.

In your original post, I didn't realize that you had an all in one HTIB unit. In that case, you would probably benefit the most by purchasing either an up converting DVD player, or an HD-DVD or BR player. I should also point out that there is a difference between SD satellite TV and HD satellite TV. If you want to take the most advantage of your HD-TV, you should consider getting your satellite service upgraded to HD (assuming you are only using SD currently).

Again, in the original post I was a bit confused. Generally when someone talks about a HTIB, I assume they are using it for an audio system. I always forget that some HTIBs have integrated DVD players. In your case, you can likely keep your current HTIB and use it for audio (and then upgrade to a newer AVR later).

In any case, just remember that the source type is more important than component vs HDMI. Furthermore, almost all new equipment is going to have both types of connectors on it (giving you the option of using either). You basically use what you have available to you. HDMI is certainly the most convenient (and generally the best connection), but there is no huge loss in quality by using component.

 

[MichaelD]

Thanks very much, everyone. I have a much better understanding of the HDMI/component relationship now.

"Your source component is where it all starts" - definitely Rule #1.

I didn't see a point in purchasing a Bluray or HD-DVD player at this time since I have zero motivation to buy either type of disc; when those "big children" work out their differences and give the consumer ONE DARN HD FORMAT I'll buy one.

If I DID buy a Bluray player, all it would do is upconvert a standard DVD...so that's what I bought; an upconverting DVD player (the Samsung DVDHD870). It upconverts to 720p or 1080i (which would be a better choice, BTW? My TV can do both.)

I'm thinking that the much better source player will make the biggest diff. The HTIB does give a nice pic, but it's still just a HTIB.

Thanks again. Have a nice weekend! :beer: