Component/S-Video/RCA (is there a best I/O)? (1 Viewer)

[JuliusW]

A few questions for you connector buffs...

With all the variety of input/output methods (component/S-Video/RCA) on the back of most components, is there a best?

What about digital (Coax vs. Optical)?

Outside of aesthetics, is there a qualitative reason that a person might prefer one type of connection over another if each of the components in the system has the complete variety of I/O?

Thank you for your input (pun intended).
-Julius Wu

 

[PaulT]

You have listed the video connections in their correct order best to worst:
Component, S-Video, RCA (composite)
Here is a good explaination from the Basics FAQ:
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...769#post652769
As far as Coax vs Optical, you will get a flame war going with that one
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...826#post559826

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Hi Julius. Welcome to HTF!
First, you need to separate VIDEO from AUDIO in your connection types. Lets start with:
VIDEO:
Home Theater magazine tested all 3 types from a single DVD player to a single, "Reference" 50" RPTV. Here is what they concluded:
Composite (single RCA cable): baseline
SVideo (funny connector): 20% better than Composite
Component (3 RCA cables): 25% better than Composite
The article noted that the difference is GREATER for larger screen sizes, and less for smaller displays.
NOTE: All progressive scan DVD players and HDTV decoder box's use component cables for their output. It's quickly becoming the standard way to hook up video components.
AUDIO:
Most people go with coaxial-digital as the cables tend to be cheaper, more robust and you may have a spare video cable lying around. Yes, the coaxial-digital cable is simply a video cable. All video cables are made with something called "75 ohm coax". This is what the people who designed the SPDIF specification had in mind. A common video cable.
Optical is fine too, but some blind tests have shown a difference in sound using one optical cable. This variation was never explained and is confusing to those of us who have studied computers and digital signals. If the cable messes up the bits, the receiver should reject the entire frame and go quiet.
So go with coaxial-digital to avoid controversy.

is there a qualitative reason that a person might prefer one type of connection over another

Yes.
Your TV has a circuit called the "Comb Filter". It's sole job is to convert Composite video to SVideo.
These comb filters are one of the most expensive parts of your TV, and they are less-than-perfect.
If you have a high-grade source that keeps it's video already separated, using SVideo or Component connections will make your TV look like it has a perfect comb filter.
(Ok, not perfect, but only limited by the quality of the production-studio gear that keeps the video separated.)
A "High Grade" source is like a DVD player or a HDTV Sat system. Ordinary grade sources like CATV, VCR already mix the video so even if you have a SVideo connection, there has been mixing going on.
TRY THIS:
Hook both SVideo and Composite cables from your DVD player to separate inputs on your TV. Fire up a bright/colorful scene like an Austin Powers movie or Toy Story. Freeze the picture on a scene with large areas of solid colors.
Now flip back and forth between SVideo and Composite and notice the difference.
Look at the intersections of different solid colors. The colors on the SVideo will look more solid.
Look for vertical/horizontal lines. With composite you will see little specks or dots running along the straight lines. This is called "dot crawl" and is caused by your comb filter doing things one pass, then something a bit different the next. The SVideo feed will nearly eliminate this. This is very important if you read on-screen program guides or text on the TV. Dot Crawl happens elsewhere, but is more apparent on straight lines.
Hope this helps.

 

[JuliusW]

So, technically speaking, the short answer sounds like my optimal solution is to go with component video and coax-digital audio connections.

I did not want to rehash an old topic, but I could not seem to get a good result to my initial search query on HTF. None-the-less thanks Paul and Bob for your replies.

Basically, I do not own a TV. Never have, probably never will. Whoa! you say... Actually, all I really care about is the home theater experience. Instead of a TV, I have been using projection as my means of video output.

Anyway, I have been piping video signals to the projector using the standard HD15 serial connection from my computers. But, now I have decided to take the big leap and build a real home theater with all the goodness you have come to love.

Thus, I have decided to join this terrific resource and website. Thanks again!

-Julius Wu