Component vs. HDMI ($500 and 600)

[Zatoichi]

I've seen a few threads pertaining to how 'you can't see high-def unless you have the $600 ps3, because the $500 doesn't have an hdmi-out'. The truth is that you still CAN make use of your HDTV with a $500 ps3, instead with a component cable. Component is almost exactly as sharp as standard hdmi, and component cables are much more durable and long-lived. The only difference is that there are currently no HDTV's on the market (that I know of) which support 1080i resolution through component; it's specifically an hdmi thing. So, you'd have to settle for 720p, but rest assured, it IS high def!

I apologize if there was already a thread about this. I didn't see one.

[HighPs3]

Yes I dont know any TV's that support 1080i through component either lol...

[Dead_EyeRO720]

Yes I dont know any TV's that support 1080i through component either lol...

Well you haven't looked too closely then, because they all do (all HDTVs anyway). I think it's mandatory.

[Zatoichi]

Well you haven't looked too closely then, because they all do (all HDTVs anyway). I think it's mandatory.

Nope... I've seen quite a few that only make it to 720p.

[soul-sama]

Ugh... Why do I want the 600 version?? I'll feel incomplete if I get the 500 version.... I might just give it a go, because I don't have an HD TV, nor do I plan to get one.... Plus, with the 500 version, I'll have an extra hundred for a game.... It's only 100 more than a xbox 360, too, at the moment. Definitly no complaints here, but... hmmmm.... I might as well get the skinny on all that the $500 version doesn't have, and then consider getting it.... I know I won't need 60 GB of space, because I have 80 on my home computer, and it's far from filled XD;;... I wonder if the PS3 will support photoshop lmao

[Adam]

Ugh... Why do I want the 600 version?? I'll feel incomplete if I get the 500 version.... I might just give it a go, because I don't have an HD TV, nor do I plan to get one.... Plus, with the 500 version, I'll have an extra hundred for a game.... It's only 100 more than a xbox 360, too, at the moment. Definitly no complaints here, but... hmmmm.... I might as well get the skinny on all that the $500 version doesn't have, and then consider getting it.... I know I won't need 60 GB of space, because I have 80 on my home computer, and it's far from filled XD;;... I wonder if the PS3 will support photoshop lmao

Unless the $600 sku are all that is can be pre-order, I am going with the $500 version. Down the line I may upgrade it, but buy that time they will have better and cheaper stuff. I am going to put that extra money into a nice remote and another game, maybe fullauto or stranglehold.

[Evil_the_Cat]

Are you guys serious? My friend's TV, which is like 1 year old supports 1080i through component. The newest TV (6,000 euro) in Sony cenre near me supports 1080p through component, its not that big a deal.

But there is, however a difference between HDMI and component and the differents gets bigger depending on the length of the coponent cable. Because component looses quality over distance and HDMI does not. Although I don't think that it is such a big issue because I doubt many of us will have the PS3 more than 5-10 meters away from the TV, anything less than that should not make a huge difference.

[soremekun]

Which HDMI cable should I buy for my PS3 and tv with HDMI input?
http://www.monstercable.com/home_av/...TV_digital.asp

The TV has not been purchased yet....

[Evil_the_Cat]

Which HDMI cable should I buy for my PS3 and tv with HDMI input?
http://www.monstercable.com/home_av/...TV_digital.asp

The TV has not been purchased yet....

This is not really the thread for a question like this, but I'll answer it anyway.

Don't buy anything yet. You will most likely be able to get a better cable, as well as a better TV when PS3 comes out.

[ianp622]

Yeah, DO NOT buy Monster HDMI cables. It's a complete waste of money.

A digital signal is 1's and 0's, so you can't get a "bad" signal unless they the 1's and 0's don't all get there, and that would only happen if you had a lot of interference along the wire, like if you ran it behind your microwave or something. Therefore, you should get (almost) the cheapest HDMI cable you can find.

And yes, component will give you a comparable picture, but cable quality can make a difference to an extent, and you will only notice a difference on a huge TV.

[soremekun]

Thanks ETC.
Five word minimum.

[Syd Barrett]

1080i is supported through Component cables. I have a DirecTV receiver that outputs 1080i and have it connected via component. you may be thinking 1080p.

[REFLEX]

There is a noticable different between a CHEAP HDMI cable and a more expensive one... you dont need to get the highest price one.. but there is a difference. You can see it.

And yes component cables are fully capable of 1080i or 1080p - just not as good as HDMI but still quite good.

[nick²]

There is a noticable different between a CHEAP HDMI cable and a more expensive one... you dont need to get the highest price one.. but there is a difference. You can see it.

And yes component cables are fully capable of 1080i or 1080p - just not as good as HDMI but still quite good.

Only in rare cases is it even possible to see a difference between cables...

One such case would be a cable that does not meet the correct HDMI standard specs regarding impedance, and other electrical factors...

Another such case would be a weakly shielded cable that is placed next to something giving off a good deal of EM interference...

Otherwise, there simply cannot be a difference. Interference that will disrupt the signal in a common HDMI wire, as to effect picutre quality, isn't common in homes.

[Organic_Shadow]

For now I think HDMI is more of a matter of convenience than it is quality. I don't think there will be any BD movies/games that will show a noticable difference when using HDMI compared to component for a while.

I suggest getting HDMI ONLY if you are either out of component input on your tv(for whatever odd reason), and can afford one, or if you absolutely HAVE to have all of your audio/video going through one cable for organization's sake.

A friend of mine has HDMI going from his digital cable box to his tv, and it's really convenient and just snaps in. No screws like vga/dvi, and no making sure it's seated like component/av cables. His was around $40, and I highly doubt has any better/worse quality than the $100 cables out there. I been at his house pretty much all weekend and we would get drunk.......yeah.....and watch Discovery HD Theater channel. Absolutely mind-blowing stuff on there. The quality is superb and it makes me hunger EVEN MORE for HD content to put on my HDTV at home.

Anywho, if you can afford an HDTV cable, and ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO HAVE ONE, then by all means go for it, but I wouldn't bother with the $100 cables. The $40 cables will suffice just fine, and may even physically outlast those expensive ones. I will stick with component with my PS3 until my birthday in April, and then upgrade to a cheap HDMI.

[Zatoichi]

For now I think HDMI is more of a matter of convenience than it is quality. I don't think there will be any BD movies/games that will show a noticable difference when using HDMI compared to component for a while.

I suggest getting HDMI ONLY if you are either out of component input on your tv(for whatever odd reason), and can afford one, or if you absolutely HAVE to have all of your audio/video going through one cable for organization's sake.

A friend of mine has HDMI going from his digital cable box to his tv, and it's really convenient and just snaps in. No screws like vga/dvi, and no making sure it's seated like component/av cables. His was around $40, and I highly doubt has any better/worse quality than the $100 cables out there. I been at his house pretty much all weekend and we would get drunk.......yeah.....and watch Discovery HD Theater channel. Absolutely mind-blowing stuff on there. The quality is superb and it makes me hunger EVEN MORE for HD content to put on my HDTV at home.

Anywho, if you can afford an HDTV cable, and ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO HAVE ONE, then by all means go for it, but I wouldn't bother with the $100 cables. The $40 cables will suffice just fine, and may even physically outlast those expensive ones. I will stick with component with my PS3 until my birthday in April, and then upgrade to a cheap HDMI.

Actually you can get good HDMI cables for under $10

http://www.riteav.com/index.php?cPath=47_48_58

[The Relic]

Good points nick and also because the data signals are differential on HDMI any interference picked up by the wires should be common mode interference which should be cancelled out by the input on the TV.

[nick²]

Yes, which is why cabling matters for analog in a very big way... Any interference on an analog line changes the signal, and cannot be easily filtered. With digital signals, its very hard to make a 1 like a 0 and a 0 like a 1.

[solinent]

Most tvs support 1080i through component. Just not 1080p. And there shouldn't be a difference (other than number of frames) between 1080i and 1080p. Modern HDTVs de-interlace the signal. Of course when they advertise 1080p they mean native resolution.

My TV supports 1080i through component and HDMI.

[esper256]

Yes, which is why cabling matters for analog in a very big way... Any interference on an analog line changes the signal, and cannot be easily filtered. With digital signals, its very hard to make a 1 like a 0 and a 0 like a 1.

In general I think you are right, but I believe HDMI is not packet based at all, therefor there are no checksum or resend or error correction. So any error in transmission will make it on to the screen.

Not necessarily directed at Nick^2 (because you seem to know your stuff already)

In real life physics and electronics there is no such thing as a digital signal. Everything is analog. The reason everything is analog is because time is infinitely divisible. If a "digital" signal changes from a 0 to a 1, you can always zoom in a little more on the time where it changes, go in far enough and you can see that it doesn't flip instantaneously.

So what is a digital? Well a digital signal is just an analog signal that is interpreted as representing a digital signal. What it means is that anything below a certain voltage is considered off and anything above a certain voltage is considered on.

The big problem is usually when an analog waveform drops from a 1 to a 0 it usually has these little fluctuations that look like echoes. Secondly, strong electrical currents (like power cables) emit electromagnetic interference that when cables run next to them, a voltage can be induced in them.

When digital signals get screwed up by one or (usually 2 different problems at the same time) they can get received as the wrong value.

The good news is that with digital, the correctness of transmission is more testable. With a CD player, if the CD player is reading bits and outputting them on a digital SPDIF out and it is outputting all the right numbers, then the cable is transmitting right.

On analog, there is no right answer. There's only something that resembles the right answer. Take vinyl records for example, people argue the value of various tube amplifiers, phonograph cartridges because they feel like the analog sound output they give is somehow better. It's no longer about being the correct values. That's why people argue about getting "monster cables".

With digital, it's just about getting a cable that doesn't transmit errors in your given situation.

In a really long cable run, using thin low quality and relatively unshielded digital cables, you are going to most likely get transmission errors.

But the thing with digital is. If you get a short, cheap cable, and you don't run it along anything that will give EMF interference, you are most likely going to get 100% perfect results. Whereas with a cheap analog cable, people can usually make an argument that the cable is adding the wrong amount of capacitance and that it is filtering the signal accordingly or whatnot.

[Hussar]

Component cables will be good enough for most people to get a hi def experience. Plus there are all sorts of adapters to bridge the gap to HDMI from component.

[The Relic]

esper256 some good points, but interference shouldn’t affect differential signals that much. I.e. two wires are used to carry the bit-stream. One wire carries a positive bit-stream the other wire carries an identical but inverted bit-stream. In the receiver (TV) the original bit-stream (from the PS3) is reconstructed by subtracting the positive and negative bit-streams. Any noise/interference on the wires should be cancelled during the subtraction as it will appear with the same polarity on both wires.
So if a voltage level of 1.2v is induced on a normal single ended digital stream it may be enough to change a logic zero into a logic one, but on a differential signal (as used in HDMI) it will be cancelled out (1.2 – 1.2 =0) leaving the original signal intact.
But I agree that the cable can make some difference especial if the lengths are long or if the characteristic impendence of the wire isn’t correct and reflections occur. High parallel cable capacitance can also strip off the high frequencies leading to errors but the cable would have to be very poor quality.

[Tyrade]

component is fine....if anyone is still freaking out there is no need there are some people who cant even see the difference between the hd resolutions...

[pendinginsanity]

I'll get HDMI, probably being the ones with gold on it to optimize it 101%