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Thread: DVI vs component video

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    I need a coffee jamena's Avatar
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    DVI vs component video

    Does anyone have any idea whether DVI/HDMI has any advantage over component video? I'm led to believe component is analog but supports HDTV. Bearing in mind this is all to be displayed on an LCD television...

    Also, are there likely to be any restrictions wrt HD disks/sources somehow being prevented from sending 720p / 1080i down the component video connection? Alternatively is this something I should actually worry about when building a media pc...

    TV in question is a Toshiba 27WL56P. 1280x720 with "3 Peritel/SCART (EU), cinch, S-Video, HDMI, YUV, VGA, DVI" inputs ... I'm guessing component is YUV?

    Motherboard video out in question is the Gigabyte GA-K8N51PVMT-9 which supports VGA, S-Video and HDTV 720p and 1080i via component video

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    if you want to output from a pc, i'd use the vga link - its probably easiest.

    component is 'technically' worse than hdmi because the signal is converted to analog then converted back again. that said, it depends on the quality of the circuits as to whether you'd actually see any difference. as for prevention of sending stuff - it does look like bluray/hd-dvd will both restrict the res/quality over component, whereas hdmi will be full whack.
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    Treasure Hunter extraordinaire herulach's Avatar
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    HD stuff is gonna require HDCP compliance all the way along the cahin though (for about 3 weeks till it gets cracked at least) So you need a HDCP compliant display too. One of the reasons im holding off getting one till HD gets properly finalised.

    Also, that tv wont do 1080i, it doesnt have the resolution

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    Asking silly questions menthel's Avatar
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    It may well do 1080i, but downscaled to its resolution.
    Not around too often!

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    Quote Originally Posted by jamena
    Also, are there likely to be any restrictions wrt HD disks/sources somehow being prevented from sending 720p / 1080i down the component video connection? Alternatively is this something I should actually worry about when building a media pc...
    DVI/HDMI will need to support HDCP to allow you display content protected material. There aren't any graphics cards out there which have the HDCP chip (although that will no doubt change soon). HDCP doesn't affect component, but on analogue there will be other methods being used (probably some derivation of Macrovision), but this should still allow you to view HD on a screen using component. In fact several manufacturers of HD screens (but not HDCP compatible) have said that component is the solution to this particular problem. Even Sky used this to get around their blunder of selling plasmas which they claimed would support their HD service. However they changed their minds and decided to include HDCP in their broadcasting, so they were left with a bit of a PR disaster. Their "get out of jail" card is the fallback position of using component.

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    I'm going to have to correct myself, it looks like that their is a flag (set by either the broadcaster or holywood) that will force the signal to be downgraded when going through analogue. The system is called "Image Constraint Token". I stumbled upon this article this evening (http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/14/s...lu-ray-flicks/) but presumably the technology could be used by Sky.

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    I need a coffee jamena's Avatar
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    mmm, I've seen a few articles recently on hdcp ... all to frustrate the consumer as usual I guess we could hope for some clever person to develop a workaround in linux or something, or just wait until HDCP capable video cards&tft's are widely available...meh.

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    Component video and RGB video are video signals. RGB uses seperate colour information and sync information (either with embedded sync, seperate sync, or seperate H and V syncs; RGsB, RGBS, RGBHV), component is a lossless compression of this that combines colour and sync information into three signals (Y, Pb, Pr).

    RGBS is what is used in RGB scart. It is more correctly RGBcvS as the S (sync) is actually the composite video signal. The R, G, B bits relate to red green and blue. RGBHV is the kind used for PCs. It usually goes down a VGA cable (HD 15pin D-Sub using 10 of the pins for each bit plus the ground) or 5 BNC connection.

    Now component and RGB *analogue* signals pass down similar cables. One 75ohm coax per signal component. So for RGBS you need 4 coax, for RGBHV 5 coax (or a D-Sub cable with loads of small coaxes in it), for component you always use 3.

    Component and analogue also exist digitally. Instead of coax for each colour component, the information is transposed to 1s and 0s and passed digitally using DVI or HDMI cabling. This is effectively lossless in the sense the information usually started life digitally, on a plasma or LCD will end life digitally, and was signalled digitally. Therefore no lossy A-D or D-A conversions.

    So the signal is the same, the transmission is different. *Theoretically* then HDMI/DVI should be better. However in many cases the specific input of the display, or output of the source, is better using analogue than it is digital!

    I set up some quite simply killer video systems if I do say so myself (!) and I would be quite happy if there never was DVI or HDMI! Using true 75ohm coax with BNC terminations all the way from source to display on an analogue signal is every bit as good as using DVI. It is exactly as razor sharp as DVI, and to my eye always has the more satisfying colour reproduction.

    However, regular phono jacks are 50ohm 99% of the time. Scarts are 50ohm. Many plasma/LCDs do not have BNC inputs, most DVD players do not have BNC outputs. 15 pin D-Subs are rarely 75ohm, and also with all those pins so close together on such a small cable are not condusive to ultimate PQ.

    And now throw in the mix the dreaded HDCP (high defintion copyright protection) protocol. Most studios want their material protected by this protocol to prevent recording (lets not get started on what a joke this is!) which means HDMI/DVI connections or nothing. So even when DVI is the worse option (e.g. Panasonic plasma) you still have to do it.

    So what was the point of my post?? To highlight that there is absolutley no hard and fast rule, each situation requires a different solution. And that more often thatn not reasons aside from PQ will dictate your decision.

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    I need a coffee jamena's Avatar
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    heh, thanks for the input, some interesting thoughts and things in there. I think I'll be going for hmdi/dvi with hdcp if possible...

    I have to say that at the point where you said:
    Component and analogue also exist digitally.
    I did start to wonder Analogue existsting digitally? Perhaps a slip of the keyboard there...

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    Quote Originally Posted by jamena
    heh, thanks for the input, some interesting thoughts and things in there. I think I'll be going for hmdi/dvi with hdcp if possible...

    I have to say that at the point where you said: I did start to wonder Analogue existsting digitally? Perhaps a slip of the keyboard there...
    LOL yes a slip of keyboard!! Meant component and RGB signals can be analogue or digital. But I think you all worked out what I meant!

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    to be 'hd-ready' it MUST have both component and hdmi. i'd get a set with both on, as some hd sources (ie xbox 360) only support component
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