Component worth the cost? (1 Viewer)

[Mark M. Smith]

I've been considering moving to component video inputs for a while however the high cost has been the main problem up until this point. Coupled with this is the worry that it won't make a significant enough difference to my set-up. Right now I'm using a 27" JVC and a Sony DVP-NS300. Being a poor college student without much in the way of income the tv and player are going to be it for a while and I don't really have much money to spend on anything, especially cables. Will component really improve picture quality significantly on this sort of setup? If so would cheaper cables be acceptable until I can upgrade or would a better quality set really make a noticable difference?

 

[Andrew Pratt]

Mark the difference b/t component and S-Video is pretty evident on large sets. Its still visable on smaller sets though and often worth the cost of cables. If you're on a tight budget there's lots of affordable cables that are of decent quality. The ones most often quoted are the Acoustic Research ones. You shoudl be able to pick up a set of these for under $50. The Radio Shack golds are another decent set but I'd take the AR ones first.
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[Massimo N]

Mark,
As the Andrew mentioned, moving from S-VID to Component is not as substantial a jump as moving from composite to S-VID was. The more revealing your set is, the better these differences show up. The differences that I notice (on my 57" widescreen) is in the colour rendition and "bleed-over". This is when you bring up the colour bar patterns, you'll notice better separation between the colours. I've never had the opportunity to see the differences on a 27" tube. My old TV only had S-VID.
If your straped for cash, I'd say pass on the cables now. You can get a couple of DVD instead.
Cheers!
Mass

 

[Brian_J]

I can see zero difference between s-video and component with my Toshiba 50H81, which bums me out because I spent $45 for the AR Pro component cables.
Brian
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Zed's Dead Baby...

 

[Gary Thomas]

I agree with the above posts. I've actually tinkered around a lot with the quality of my picture. I have a 36" HD ready tv. Here's what I've tried to get the best picture quality:
1. ISF'd by Dennis Erskine. This set the internal color temperature to 6500K and made several other adjustments through the service menu.
2. Used a progressive scan dvd player.
3. Calibrated using Video Essentials & Avia DVDs.
4. Connected through both high quality S-video and Acoustic Research Component Video Cables.
5. Used a high definition satellite receiver - Dish HD6000.
6. Used a DVDO Iscan line doubler.
After all of that I can say that the ISF was well worth the money... I considered it part of the original tv purchase price to justify spending the $300!
Calibrating the set with Video Essentials is an easy, cheap way to improve your picture quality.
High Definition is great, but too confusing for the average family member to use. I needed to switch inputs, color controls, etc. just to watch a show.
I did not feel the Iscan was worth the money over the internal line doubler on my tv...especially since it's only 36".
I now use S-video for DVD, Satellite & VCR for ease of use. Hooking it up this way prevents having to scroll through video 1, video 2, etc. I don't believe I am giving up that much in overall quality. The S-Video offers a detailed, clean picture. The colors through the component video cables were richer and deeper, but I also had a softer picture.
Save the $50 on cables to put into the sound of your system. To me, movie theater experience comes from an outstanding sound system as much as it does from the screen.
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DVD's
HT Pic's

 

[Mark M. Smith]

Actually I'm currently using composite cables, not s-video.

 

[PaulKH]

Mark - Composite to component is a HUGE step up in quality.
Brian_J - if you can't see a difference between S Video and Component, it could mean your TV isn't adjusted properly - it was a pretty obvious difference on my TV. The color was brighter with component and there was less smear between colors.
Composite - 1 wire with brightness and color jammed together.
S-Video - 2 wires with brightness and color separate.
Component - 3 wires, which basically is a balanced differential signal.
(Bad, better, best)

 

[Thomas_Berg]

well, you'll notice a rather large difference then! composite is terrible quality, and even buying cheap component cables will better you off significantly.
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-Thomas
My HT

 

[Brian_J]

Agreed, composite is pretty awful.

Brian_J - if you can't see a difference between S Video and Component, it could mean your TV isn't adjusted properly

No, my TV is tweaked to the nine's.
Brian
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Zed's Dead Baby...

 

[NickSo]

Yeah, going from Composite to component will give a very visible difference...
and you dont have to spend like $60 on them.. Buy 3 like Radio Shack gold-plated Composite video cables, they are exactly as any AR or Monster Cable, except they dont have the COMPONENT VIDEO label and their price isnt inflated...
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