Component Video Cable

For the longest time, there was only one sort of video cable around, and that was the coaxial cable, created in the forties to carry telephone signals across the US, and eventually down sized and used to transfer audio/video signals from the VCR to the television. Later on the cable became even more important, as it was used to carry the cable signal to televisions all over the world. But now the age of the coaxial cable is behind us, and ushers in a new era of what we know as audio video cables (red, yellow, white) and that led to what we know as the component video cable.

The standard audio video cable was capable of transferring a signal at the resolution of the televisions at the time, but when High Definition televisions were introduced, things changed. The resolution became higher, meaning that a new type of cable had to be created, and so the component cable was born, having the colors, red, green, and blue, and supporting resolutions of 480i, 480p, 576i, 576p, 720p, 1080i and 1080p. You'll notice that these resolutions are available on most standard televisions now, and you are even able to set the resolution on your cable box, but the signal will not be transferred correctly unless your TV is sporting these cables. This isn't to say that you cannot use standard audio video cables on your HD Television, but if you can afford an HDTV in the first place, then why would you? You'll find that component cables come in two different ways, either the cables are separate, or they're bonded together in a nice sheath, but no matter what they look like, they are always electrically separate, and functioning independent of one another.

The official designation for the component video cable, and the input channel you'll find it at on your television, is YPbPr. This is to be split up into parts: Y Pb Pr, and they translate into this:

Y carries luma
PB carries the difference between blue and luma
PR carries the difference between red and luma

What this essentially means, is that they carry greater colors and higher resolution than their standard A/V counterparts.

Over the past few years, many different electronic devices have been made with component cable compatibility, including some game consoles. The Xbox 360 has the ability, as does the Pay-station 3, so that they will be more able to take advantage of the High Definition Televisions. Another device that switched to component cables, to the utter dismay of everyone that didn't live in Japan, was the Pay-station Portable, also known as the PSP. It works very nicely by itself, but if you wish to hook it up to a television, you will need a High Definition television, or a first generation PSP and a set of composite cables.

Though the original game consoles, Xbox and Pay-station 2 supported only A/V cables, breakthroughs have been made to produce component cables that would be compatible with these gaming relics, allowing you to play at the highest resolution possible. Naturally the real resolution of the Xbox and Playstation 2 isn't actually that high, but it never hurts to give it a try.

DVD players need to be set up specifically for use with component cables, which can be accessed in the options. If they are not properly set up then the image on screen will appear green, which leads many users to believe that their cables are defective when they plug them in for the first time.

Another type of cable has also been made recently, and it is known as the HDMI cable, otherwise known as High Definition Multimedia Interface. This is considered by many to be the best type of interface, because it features a completely uncompressed signal, and can carry any type of signal on a single cable. When a DVI to HDMI adapter is utilized, there is absolutely no loss of signal, and no conversion is required. Essentially, this cable is the jack of all trades when it comes to audio video cables. It was unleashed onto the public in autumn of 2003, and since them over 850 companies worldwide have embraced this new technology. A few of the more notable electronics that support HDMI include the Playstation 3, the Xbox 360, as well as many of the more modern cable boxes from DirecTV, Dish Network, and finally CableLabs, though some people with these cannot make use of the HDMI port as they don't yet have a television that can support it. Along with the push for digital television however, manufacturers are also making their own personal push toward the future, by only including HDMI interface cables with certain consoles.

As of its release, HDMI capable devices have sold by the millions, averaging 143 million sales in the year 2007, with 90% of digital televisions being made with HDMI capabilities.

If you have an HD Television, and are still using standard A/V cables, then you are urged to upgrade to component or HDMI cables as soon as possible, as it will help you to better appreciate both the quality of the display, as well as the money that you spent on that expensive HD TV. All major electronics stores now carry both HDMI and component cables for a fairly decent price, so picking them up shouldn't really be a problem. If you are still using an analogue television and are thinking about upgrading to something that uses such cables, then it is hard for one to explain exactly what the difference is between HD Television and Analogue Television. The best way is for you to see it yourself at your nearby electronics store. There are a lot of technical terms that can be used, but in the end nothing can ever top actually seeing the difference yourself.

The only advice left for you, is to go out and compare the prices of the many HD Televisions and related devices that are available. They aren't cheap, but if you can afford it, then you really can't put a price on the level of enjoyment you'll get out of a device that is equipped for a component video cable!