wuzzzer Posted January 29, 2007 Share Posted January 29, 2007 I've been looking in to ways to get better pic quality through my cable TV's High-Def DVR. The DVR has a DVI output. I know you can get cables that are DVI on one end and HDMI at the other. Think it would be a noticeable upgrade in pic quality compared to component cables? Don't worry, I won't be buying overpriced cables from the big box stores. I'll probably buy mine from monoPrice.com for $5.03! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ndskyz Posted January 29, 2007 Share Posted January 29, 2007 I have been fooling around with this for the better part of a year. I cant tell the difference on my DirceTV HD reciever between HDMI and Component. Both connected directly to the tv, just switching inputs back and forth on an HD channel (Discovery HD or ESPN) 1080i and 720p. I cant tell the difference. I read somewhere that with a properly set up Tv you wouldnt be able to tell the difference between HDMI and component. At least at 1080i and under, I cant tell the difference Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted January 29, 2007 Share Posted January 29, 2007 Doesn't really matter.....................6 months from now it will be obsolete anyway........................EH !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted January 29, 2007 Share Posted January 29, 2007 After extensive testing on my set up I've found I prefer component to hdmi.hdmi on my sat channels show some artifacts that component don't show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tastyratz Posted January 29, 2007 Share Posted January 29, 2007 hdmi will deliver a better quality signal over component as hdmi is full digital, and component is technically not. If components look better to you its either the way the signal is processed at your tv or the signal is so clean on hdmi you notice errors in the video stream. Hdmi is essentially just a dvi connection with extra pins for audio, there is no visual difference between dvi and hdmi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckeye_Nut Posted January 29, 2007 Share Posted January 29, 2007 HDMI & DVI are the hands-down & undisputed best available video connection. By contrast, whether or not you will see a noticable difference compared to analog cables is subjective. With that said, if you want the undisputed best video connection possible, you'll need to choose HDMI or DVI. BTW.... if you already own a HDMI or DVI cable from your pre-DVR days, but cant connect because of compatibility between components, all you need is an adapter....... not a new cable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtop Posted January 29, 2007 Share Posted January 29, 2007 According to several discussions I've seen posted on various forums...it depends...[] What it seems to depend on, is your input device (DVD Player, HD Cable Box, etc). I know from personal experience that my Zenith DVD player has a better picture using the component(analog) cables than it does using the DVI (digital) connection...and it is a difference you can see. Theoretically this shouldn't happen, (and it's not just me...it's been documented extensively over at AVS forum) so it's the engineering of that particular Zenith model. My advise... try it both ways. An extra cable is not much money to have the peace of mind knowing that you have explored the options and are using the best connection for your set up. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckeye_Nut Posted January 29, 2007 Share Posted January 29, 2007 According to several discussions I've seen posted on various forums...it depends...[] What it seems to depend on, is your input device (DVD Player, HD Cable Box, etc). I know from personal experience that my Zenith DVD player has a better picture using the component(analog) cables than it does using the DVI (digital) connection...and it is a difference you can see. The difference is because your Zenith DVD player's inability to upscale well.(not the cable) That's the only reason LOW-DEF 'non-upscaled' analog DVD video would look better, and that's because many DVD players do a bad job of upscaling. The question being asked is "Which cable will produce the best HD-picture", and the answer to that question is undeniable. I hope that helps to clarify things a bit[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtop Posted January 29, 2007 Share Posted January 29, 2007 Buckeye_nut, It certainly does clarify your knowledge of the Zenith 318DVB...but not the facts...[] The Zenith 318 does upconvert the component video feed. Mine operates in 1080i upconverting mode at all times. Perhaps a link to this 1,832 post thread will help to enlighten those would might be interested as to why this player is such a gem... http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=400480&highlight=zenith+318 . You may wish to call the Zenith an anomoly, but my point in the prior post was to state that different "source" and "destination" components will respond differently, sometime even within identical models...it all depends on the engineering and manufacturing QC. To avoid a flame war, I will stipulate that you are technically correct, that in a broad and generalized sense, digital connections should be and are in most cases superior. My experience has shown me that broad and general are not good enough for me...as I am sure it is not good enough for you...or you would own Bose...[] My recommendation to the owner of this thread remains...buy a cable and see for yourself...it just isn't that much money in the grand scheme of things. Nuff said...[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckeye_Nut Posted January 29, 2007 Share Posted January 29, 2007 You might want to reread the original question being asked. Who cares about the LOW-DEF Zenith DVD player as it relates to the question being asked?. He was asking a completely different question that has nothing to do with your low definition response. The fact that HDMI and DVI is the best high definition video connection is not subjective, and your LOW DEF dvd player has nothing to do with the question. The better cable, in itself, could be exactly why an upscaled low-def image from a inexpensive DVD player might look worse with digital interconnects compared to the inferior analog connection. The better cable, in itself, can expose the weaknesses and faults of an upscaled LD image by introducing more grain, more artifacts, and the lack of resolution of the LD source. In summary, it doesnt surprise me one bit why one might prefer analog over digital interconnects as it relates to a Low-Def Zenith DVD player. Oh... the irony. The analog cables could be effectively serving the purpose of something like...... beer goggles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted January 29, 2007 Author Share Posted January 29, 2007 Well, I went ahead and spent a whopping $7.44 including shipping for a 3 foot DVI-D to HDMI cable from monoprice.com I guess I'm not out much even if the pic quality looks the same. [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckeye_Nut Posted January 29, 2007 Share Posted January 29, 2007 Enjoy:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtop Posted January 29, 2007 Share Posted January 29, 2007 Buckeye, Relax man! We are all here to help each other! [] I'm truely sorry you don't see the point of my post and that apparently my post got under your skin somehow. The information I shared was intended to point out that technical specs don't always work as expected when connecting video components. If you check out the reply from Fish above, I think he makes my point in a very HI-DEF way. It appears (from my Inbox) that Wuzzzer has taken action...I hope he will share the results with all of us once he has done his comparision... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damonrpayne Posted January 29, 2007 Share Posted January 29, 2007 DVI/HDMI should be better than component but practical application will vary. The bigger reason is that many new up-converting players only do the highest resolutions over HDMI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arky Posted January 29, 2007 Share Posted January 29, 2007 Well, I went ahead and spent a whopping $7.44 including shipping for a 3 foot DVI-D to HDMI cable from monoprice.com I guess I'm not out much even if the pic quality looks the same. [] I bought the same cable...works great for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou8thisSN Posted January 29, 2007 Share Posted January 29, 2007 i think it really comes down to the display device itself, at least from my experience. We have a 720p projector and it shows anything thats in its component input as pure crap. its fuzzy and just irritating to watch. But over DVI it looks spectacular. Which is the reason i cant watch dvds in the theater room becuase it just doesnt look good to me. we recently purchased a 1080p plasma and i have that hooked up via component and DVI out of the same cable box. on this display, the Component looks a lot crisper and richer than dvi. i later found out the reasons for it which i wont go into here, but suffice it to say, yes the way a display handles each input matters. So at the leas tyou should test out each connection and go with whatever looks best. I know from experience not all inputs are calibrated the same or optimally pristine when delivering a picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal Blacksmith Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 The truth is that there isn't that much of a difference between digital and comonent video. It all depends on your situatuion and components. In my case, I am using component as the signal loss on DVI is too great for the run that my cables need to go, namely 40'. I have done a lot of looking into this subject and several high end installers have told me the same thing. It depends. Yes I know what the theory is but theory is often different than "real world". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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