So Component Video is for 480p and above but analog?

[mehmetmunur]

So I was talking to a friend the other day, and we got to thinking about how to connect TVs and DVDs and cable boxes and whatnot. I told him that DVI and HDMI output better quality picture than VESA, or component video. Is that correct?

But isn't it also true that VESA and component output are both analog and DVI and HDMI are both digital?

Also DVI and HDMI are both capable of outputting 720p,1080i, and 1080p, and in the event that you are using your DVI out from a computer any other resolution that your video card supports, such as 2048*1536.

But component video scales all the way from 480p to 1080i, or more? What is the deal with that? Anybody with any more info on this?
Thanks in advance.

 

[jiffylube1024]

By VESA do you mean D-sub VGA? If so, that doesn't really play much into HD; the main interfaces on HDTV's these days are component video and HDMI, with early generation HDTV's somtimes using DVI instead of HDMI.

Regarding Component video, it is indeed an analog interface, but it still displays very good picture quality. The supported resolutions on component are indeed 480p, 720p, 1080i (as well as 480i, but you probably don't want to use that ).

DVI and HDMI are better because they transmit a digital signal to a digital monitor (eg. LCD, DLP, Plasma). There's not as much of a difference on analog displays (eg. HDTV CRT's) between component video and HDMI/DVI, although I haven't personally tried comparing the two.

DVI and HDMI are capable of doing up to 1080p, but very few devices actually support 1080p at this time; only the newest DLP screens. 720p is still HD, and it is the standard that next generation HD devices are using, such as the Xbox360. It's still undetermined whether HD-DVD and Blue-Ray will support 1080p or not; chances are Blue-Ray will, but it's undetermined for HD-DVD.


There shouldn't be much of a dropoff in quality if you have to use component video from your cable box, but DVI/HDMI would be ideal.

 

[Hikari]

On my Comcast HDTV box, it has DVI (with HDCP) as well as component outputs. Component looks quite good up to 1080i on it, but the DVI is noticeably crisper.

 

[jiffylube1024]

Originally posted by: Hikari
On my Comcast HDTV box, it has DVI (with HDCP) as well as component outputs. Component looks quite good up to 1080i on it, but the DVI is noticeably crisper.

What TV are you using?