HDMI and Component
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Discussion

Simpo Two

Original Poster:

90,790 posts

286 months

Tuesday 23rd November 2010
quotequote all
I need to connect a new TV (4x HDMI) to a HDD/DVD recorder (no HDMI but has Component).

A quick search reveals two ways of doing it - a simple lead for about £6, or a little black box for about £35.

Any difference please?

Plotloss

67,280 posts

291 months

Tuesday 23rd November 2010
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You can't go from HDMI to Component via a lead, as HDMI is digital and component is analogue.

Does the set not have component inputs?

cjs

11,400 posts

272 months

Tuesday 23rd November 2010
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Or just use Scarts?

Simpo Two

Original Poster:

90,790 posts

286 months

Tuesday 23rd November 2010
quotequote all
Plotloss said:
You can't go from HDMI to Component via a lead, as HDMI is digital and component is analogue.
A sound point - but there are plenty of these on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HDMI-Male-5-RCA-RGB-Audio-Vi...
Plotloss said:
Does the set not have component inputs?
Yes, it (Samsung C5800) has:

Component In (Y/Pb/Pr): 1
Composite In (AV): 1 (Common use for Component Audio In)
Digital Audio Out (Optical): 1
DVI Audio In (Mini Jack): 1 (Common Use for PC Audio in)
Ethernet (LAN): 1
Headphone: 1
HDMI: 4
PC Audio In (Mini Jack): 1
PC In (D-sub): 1
RF In: 1
USB: 2
CI Slot: 1
Scart: 1


The Recorder (Sony RDR-HX510)has:

Component video out
Line 1 TV (scart)
Line 2 Out (3 phonos and an S-video)
Line 3 Decoder (scart)
Line 4 In ((3 phonos and an S-video)
Digital out (1 coaxial, 1 optical) (PCM, DTS, MPEG)


However I heard that HDMI is 'better' than component hence was planning to use that.

The TV does not have Scart (too bulky) but apparently comes with HDMI-Scart adaptors. However I didn't want to use Scart as that's like analogue and really rubbish? (sorry, went into teen mode there)

Given the list of assorted holes above, what would be the best way of connecting these blighters please?

davepoth

29,395 posts

220 months

Tuesday 23rd November 2010
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HDMI is only better if the connection is HDMI-HDMI. If one end is component you'll probably get sub-optimal component quality by using a convertor. Just use the component connectors.

Tuna

19,930 posts

305 months

Tuesday 23rd November 2010
quotequote all
I'm fascinated by what that ebay cable actually does. Freaky weird stuff.

The solution I ended up with was to buy an AV amp that will take component, composite and so on and 'upscale' to HDMI as a appropriate (with a pretty complex chip to do the job). That way our Wii, HD/DVD and so on all plug into the amp, and the amp sends it all over to the TV. The amp and all the other kit gets tucked away in a cupboard, and the TV hangs on the wall with just a single cable running to it.

In your case, I believe that component RGB will give you the best picture. It will be much better than buying a cheap box to convert to HDMI (as those boxes are basically cheap rate MPEG encoders and generally don't do a very good job of it). For interconnect, there's nothing wrong with component - in fact depending on the original source, it can be better than digital.

SCART can be OK - the standard allows for RGB, Composite or s-video signals to go through the plug - but it does depend on what your kit supports. RGB should be as good as component, whereas Composite is of lower quality.

Plotloss

67,280 posts

291 months

Tuesday 23rd November 2010
quotequote all
It's largely a myth that HDMI is superior to Component.

In fact technically, in the vast majority of applications, component is capable of carrying a wider colour gamut.

Use component, it's the easist way.

headcase

2,389 posts

238 months

Tuesday 23rd November 2010
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ebay said:
To use this cable, your display must be a high definition display. The cable doesn't own the chip to convert digital signals to analog signals, so it only fits for the devices which itself can convert digital signals to analog signals, this listing is for the Component Adapter Cable only! The convertor is not included! Please be sure you get this cable before purchasing, thank you!
That to me means to me that the cable can only be used on a device that outputs component via its HDMI port which im pretty sure dosent exist. There were similar leads a few years back that were SCART-Component, also useless until I discovered that certain DVD players had the option to output component via its SCART output. So I guess there is a device someware that does output component via the HDMI port otherwise what the point in making the lead?

Simpo Two

Original Poster:

90,790 posts

286 months

Tuesday 23rd November 2010
quotequote all
Thanks everyone, and especially Plotty.

Component cable it is; hope the TV comes with one. But the recorder only has component as an Output... so to get the TV signal into the recorder I suppose I need something else?



It seems odd that a machine that plays and records Digital Versatile Disks and has a hard drive, doesn't have digital connections. I presume the 'optical' putput is no use for the task in hand?


Edited by Simpo Two on Tuesday 23 November 19:13

Plotloss

67,280 posts

291 months

Tuesday 23rd November 2010
quotequote all
Optical out is for audio.

The TV won't come with a component cable or indeed any other sort of cable other than power.

Simpo Two

Original Poster:

90,790 posts

286 months

Tuesday 23rd November 2010
quotequote all
Plotloss said:
Optical out is for audio.

The TV won't come with a component cable or indeed any other sort of cable other than power.
That's a pity; they used to come with a whole pack of leads for every occasion.

Well unles I'm very much mistaken the Component output looks like three phono sockets, and I have some leads from 20 years ago (old TV or hifi, can't remember) which are trios of phono sockets, so I'll stick those in and see if they work.

Looks like a Scart/HDMI adaptor for the input.

Thanks again.

Plotloss

67,280 posts

291 months

Tuesday 23rd November 2010
quotequote all
If its got component in, it will have 3 phono sockets on the telly too.

If you've got a composite and audio cable (red, white, yellow) that will work in the short term until you can get a proper component video lead.

Simpo Two

Original Poster:

90,790 posts

286 months

Tuesday 23rd November 2010
quotequote all
Plotloss said:
If you've got a composite and audio cable (red, white, yellow) that will work in the short term until you can get a proper component video lead.
That's the one!

So, a composite audio lead is three phonos, and a component video lead is... three phonos. I'm struggling to think of the difference - gold plating, oxygen-free copper?

Plotloss

67,280 posts

291 months

Tuesday 23rd November 2010
quotequote all
In a phono plug you've got a tip and a ring.

The cable that connects them, in the cheap cables that are provisioned with source equipment are twisted pairs in a sheath which will reject some interference but not much, as they're not built to carry that much bandwidth.

Proper shielded coaxial will be better at rejecting interference, on the whole.

Simpo Two

Original Poster:

90,790 posts

286 months

Tuesday 23rd November 2010
quotequote all
Righto smile



(Thanks to your reply on another thread I've just been dribbling over Gallo Reference 3s, grr...!)

headcase

2,389 posts

238 months

Wednesday 24th November 2010
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Simpo Two said:
Thanks everyone, and especially Plotty.

Component cable it is; hope the TV comes with one. But the recorder only has component as an Output... so to get the TV signal into the recorder I suppose I need something else?



It seems odd that a machine that plays and records Digital Versatile Disks and has a hard drive, doesn't have digital connections. I presume the 'optical' putput is no use for the task in hand?


Edited by Simpo Two on Tuesday 23 November 19:13
A recording device dosent take a signal from the TV, it uses it own built in tuner hence the lack of digital inputs.
The optical output is for connecting upto a 5.1 amp so you can get 5.1 from your DVD's.

Simpo Two

Original Poster:

90,790 posts

286 months

Wednesday 24th November 2010
quotequote all
headcase said:
A recording device dosent take a signal from the TV, it uses it own built in tuner hence the lack of digital inputs.
That will be interesting - the new TV has Freeview HD built-in, but the recorder has no way (I believe) of getting Freeview itself. So perhaps recording Freeview will be an interesting challenge.

I think it will be a case of reading the instructions and swapping leads about until it works. Not too bothered how it works as long as it works smile

PJ S

10,842 posts

248 months

Wednesday 24th November 2010
quotequote all
Tuna said:
I'm fascinated by what that ebay cable actually does. Freaky weird stuff.
Nothing!
It only connects a digital-analog converter device to the TV - so using the HDMI as analog output or the Component as digital input.
No D/A conversion chip/electronics within the cable itself.

Tuna

19,930 posts

305 months

Wednesday 24th November 2010
quotequote all
PJ S said:
Tuna said:
I'm fascinated by what that ebay cable actually does. Freaky weird stuff.
Nothing!
It only connects a digital-analog converter device to the TV - so using the HDMI as analog output or the Component as digital input.
No D/A conversion chip/electronics within the cable itself.
That's what's weird... I didn't know there was any part of the HDMI standard that specifies which pins component video can connect through - so any converter would have to be compatible with the random decision that this cable makes as to what connects to which.

It makes absolutely no sense to make an analog-digital converter and force the analog inputs to come in via a connector that is designed for digital signals.

Freaky weird stuff.

marctwo

3,666 posts

281 months

Wednesday 24th November 2010
quotequote all
Simpo Two said:
headcase said:
A recording device dosent take a signal from the TV, it uses it own built in tuner hence the lack of digital inputs.
That will be interesting - the new TV has Freeview HD built-in, but the recorder has no way (I believe) of getting Freeview itself. So perhaps recording Freeview will be an interesting challenge.

I think it will be a case of reading the instructions and swapping leads about until it works. Not too bothered how it works as long as it works smile
It doesn't look like this recorder has any kind of tuner.

http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/dvd-players-and-recorder...

Sounds like you are going to need an external freeview box to provide the feed. Maybe it would be better just to get a freeview HD recorder like the Humax HDR Fox T2?