HDMI VS. HD COMPONENT Cables With 37'' Dell LCD TV?
Question:
I bought a PureAV by Belkin HDMI video/audio cable from dell for 100 bucks but it took awhile to ship out so in the mean time i used my brothers free HD component cables. Well my HDMI just came and i hooked it up from my box to my tv and wanted to see how much of a difference there was so i did side by side PIP and at my disappointment the HDMI seemed equal if not alil worse.
Just wondering if i was needing something else or if i did something wrong? Or Am i still just not understanding this HDTV thing... Heard that HDMI is the best for HDTV!
Answer:
You just stumbled on the TV industries dirty little secret.
Several studies have been done on the difference between HDMI and Component and guess what? When it comes to picture quality there is NO noticeable difference. So whats with this? HDMI is digital, Component is analog and all the salesmen at circuit city say digital is better than analog. We are analog, we live in a analog world, we eat, sleep, hear, and most importantly see in analog. Here is another dirty little secret; all TV's are analog! The only difference between analog TV and Digital TV is that analog TV is analog through and through, but digital TV is digital initially and converted to analog at the screen for out analog eye's to receive.
So you see when it comes to HDTV picture quality you will be hard pressed to notice the difference.
I suppose while I'm here I'll let you in on something else about Component video; it's falling out of favor because you cannot apply digital rights management (copy protection) to it. The RIAA doesn't want you to use component because you can easily copy HD programming, something they don't want.
You probably already did this but make sure that your Dish network box is outputting at the highest resolution that your TV can handle/display. You probably have an settings option of like 720p, 1080i, or maybe even 1080p? Also then make sure your TV is set to display at the same resolution.
Do you have a DVD player with HDMI and Comp. outs? If so, try that comparison too.
HDMI is the best for HDTV. On SD channels, you will not see an improvement. You should also have a improvement in your audio. I hate hearing you spent $100 for a cable...ouch
DONT BELIEVE THE HYPE ITS A WAY FOR ELECTRONIC DEALERS TO MAKE BIG MONEY THE HUMAN EYE CANNOT TELL THE DIFFERENCE WAKE UP PEOPLE DO THE RESEARCH STOP GETTING RIPPED OFF LOOK UP AT THE COMMENT B4 MINE ANOTHER DEALER LOOKING FOR A FISH
madzy is 100% correct. Return those HDMI cables and spend the money on your DISH contract. HDMI is great in that it allows for 1 cable rather than 3 or 5 but doesn't add signal quality. The price on HDTVs has become very competitive so the retailers try to gouge us on the accessories. If you need to replace your brothers cables, get the Philips brand component video cables or any inexpensive ones with 75 ohm imedance, gold plated connections and >95% shielding.
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