[Cherylf]

Hi all,


I am buying the Sony VW-12HT widescreen XGA projector. Now, I have got one dilemma - do I really need Component cable, given that my area is not likely to have HDTV in the next 5 years or so?


Is the picture quality so much better with Component, vs S-video? Is the quality so much higher that it justifies a 4x - 5x increase in cost, over S-video?


Would really like to hear your views! It will help shave a few hundred dollars from my setup. With the Sony 12HT, I'm getting the Sonus Faber Concerto Front, Wall Rear, Solo Centre, and REL Q150 sub.


Thanks!


Cheryl

 

[dreamstate]

If your source is dvd then yes there is an improvement in picture quality going from S video to component.

 

[JimP]

Cherylf

Good question. I've got a similiar situation.

In qualitative terms can someone tell us if the difference is about the same as going from composit to svideo? I've heard that the difference from svideo to component is much less. Somewhere along a magnatude of only a 5% improvement. Those who are in the know, please comment.

 

[Tony-V]

the difference is not an increase in sharpness but in color reproduction.


Why would you pay more $$ for a Sony VW12HT over a VW11 or VW10 and then not feed it the best possible signal to max out the projector?


Although many times discussed, good cables are very important to give you the best results with your new projector.


Just my 0.02$



Anthony

 

[JimP]

Quote:

Originally posted by Tony-V the difference is not an increase in sharpness but in color reproduction. Although many times discussed, good cables are very important to give you the best results with your new projector. Anthony

What you say sounds very logical, however, comparing a good quality svideo cable to a good quality component with the device in interlaced mode, how much difference is there? Is it barely decernable to a trained eye or is it a 20% improvement?


Jim

 

[Tony-V]

Hello Jim,


Let's put it this way, when I started my hobby a big picture displayed onto a wall looked great


With time you start "learning" what's important and every bit of improvement will be worth the $$ so having a 5-10% increase in picture quality is a great result if that can be achieved by getting better cables.


As far as I can recall the Sony will look best, when feeding it a progressiv signal from a good dvd-player (the panasonic RP-82) comes to mid.


If you have other sources you would like to connect to the projector, you'll probably need a S-video or composite connection in any case.

Maybe you should try and start with the S-video cable first and then upgrade when the time is right.

BTW what equipment do you want to connect to the Sony?


Try doing a search here in the forum. I'm sure you'll find some hints.


Cheers


Anthony

 

[Ericbres]

Well, first off, the 12HT will make a composite input look good.

But yes, Tony-V hit the nail on the head. It is your color that will blow you away between S-video and Component. If you are going to take the plunge, why not make sure you are looking at the best you can.


And my 2 cents on the 12HT over 11 or 10 ... for the next 2 years, as you are NOT cleaning your LCD every 2 months because of poor filter design ... you will be glad you strayed from the predecessors.

 

[Dawn]

Why not go component? Don't quibble about a one-time purchase when you are looking at replacing a several-hundred dollar bulb every year or two. Once you get your pj up and running, you'll be looking for all the $20 DVD's you can get your hands on. The cable is just a few DVD's. And it will make those DVD's look even better. Why hold your projector back from giving it the opportunity to give you its best? Just add it into the cost of the "projector" and forget it.


Ice Age! We saw a demo disk of that transfer. WOW! (I'm using this technical term a lot now. It started with my projector, but now continues with our Rocket speakers.) Soon you will be saying WOW! and will forget what the cable cost.


And yes, the component cable looks better.

 

[WatchThis]

u can make your own quality component cables for $1/ft in minutes... search for RG6 cable in the avsforum engine

 

[JimP]

Doesn't piling on carry a 15 yard penalty??


My point which got somehow missed in all this is how much of a real difference do you see when you compare svideo to component cables of equal quality and length.


A partial answer(thanks Tony) was no sharpness difference, only difference is in color. So how much of a difference is there in the color?


As if this isn't convoluted enough, how does cable length play into all of this. For instance at 3 feet, is the difference in these two cables less than it would be at 30 feet? Maybe at certain lengths and above, component is more important than it would be at a short length.

 

[Tony-V]

Actually we do want to give you an answer in % but it's difficulty.

Why you ask ? I'll try and give you an example:


I appreciate any kind of improvement I can add to my set-up. So spending a few hundred dollars on a component cable is worth it for me. The improvement for me might be 5%.Considering the whole amount of $ spent for my equipment, having an improvement of 5% with a xxx$ cable is REALLY a substantial upgrade.


How can I say in % what it could be worth to you ? I probably would have suggested to spend $ not only on the component cable but also on a progressiv dvd-player


So what I'm trying to say is, that for me 5%-10% is a great upgrade, for you it might not even be worth considering.


All the best


Anthony

 

[Ericbres]

You want a percentage? Here ya go ... IMO

40% better color between a 6' S-video and an 6' Component.

This thought just popped into my head ... go take your brandy new $750 35mm camera and snap a roll of pictures of a flower garden with a $20 roll of film on a bright sunny day then have it professionally developed. That is the composite.

Now, pull out your old Polaroid Insta-matic you bought back in the 70's and take a picture of the same flower garden. That is your S-video.

This is NOT what your image with physically "look like" ... but I feel it is an honest comparison in color quality between the 2.


I really can't fairly comment on the cable length issue ... I have only seen projectors with shorter (6-8 foot) cables.

 

[Tony-V]

@ Ericbres
Quote:

go take your brandy new $750 35mm camera and snap a roll of pictures of a flower garden with a $20 roll of film on a bright sunny day then have it professionally developed.That is the composite

WOW if that's the composite, I can't wait to see the component

 

[Ericbres]

Thanks Tony

I'm on my way back to the break room for another mug of coffee ...

 

[J.Douglas]

Try projectorcentral.com for their article "So what is component video anyway" for some additional reference.

 

[WatchThis]

Quote:

Originally posted by Jim Pappanastos A partial answer(thanks Tony) was no sharpness difference, only difference is in color. So how much of a difference is there in the color?

i noticed a big increase in sharpness if u A-B the oak tree zoom scene in VE between component and S-vid... i was using the RP62 that has a button on front that lets u switch, projecting thru an HS10...other times, it's a wash. but that scene was much, much better on component...especially considering the RP62 is $170

 

[JimmyR]

Just get component cable !

The cost isn't that great and well worth the small investment for a much improved picture quality for DVD or any other source, and not just color is improved.


Be sure you get or make cables with the correct connectors (don't use adapters) to match your equipment. Decent cable's arn't that expensive and well worth it.


Get the most out of your projector, don't compromise .

 

[toddalin]

My observations, take it for what its worth:


I have composite, S-video, and component cables in my system. I made my own cables using Belden 1505A broadcast quality video cable and gold RCA ends from RS. I use silver solder on all of the ends. This may not be Beldin's best, (it's actually their second best) but runs up to 250 feet should show no appreciable degredation. The cable is under $0.35/ft and comes in all popular colors. My runs are all 50 feet from a Yamaha DSP-A1 and feed a Hitachi 5500 LCOS front projector with 1,365x1,024 resolution. Screen is a Stewart Firehawk 4:3 78" diag. The component comes directly out of a Pioneer Elite 47A dvd player. Composite and S-video are switched by the Yamaha and then fed through an RS active video distribution center to feed the projector and my LCD monitor.


The component input off the dvd shows a slight, but noticable improvement over the S-video, but it is subtle. The picture is slightly sharper, if you really, really look for it, but this could be due in part to the extended route that S-video takes as well as its trip through the distribution amp. The colors are also slightly more vibrant on component.


On the other hand, the S-video input shows a substantial improvement over the composite. Moire is eliminated, the picture is much sharper and appears far less soft. The colors also stand out much better.


Consider that even if you use S-video cable to save money, if your runs are long, you would not want to use a standard S-video cable anyway. The best Beldin S-video cable has center leads that are only 24 AWG whereas the 1505A is 20 gauge with far more shielding. For my 50 foot S-video run, I obtained a short, high quality S-video cable and spliced in two pieces of the 1505A. I think that one reason that people may attribute a better picture to component over S-video may be that their S-video cables aren't up to the specs of their component or even composite cables.


If you need to snake your cables through a conduit, you're probably going to need to put your own ends on anyway. Quality cable need not cost a fortune.

 

[Daniel Hutnicki]

Like everyone says, get the component, you cant go wrong. The other issue is that while you probably wont get dramatic differences, I think the bigger the image, every 3 to 4 percent differnence does make a differnece On a 27 inch tv, it probably wont make a differnence. On a 92 inch plus, it probably will. Since the price difference wont break you, you might as well go with component. If you really want to cheat and avoid component pricing, just get yourself three separate composite cables. Its the exact thing. You pay extra for component packaging and the fact that they are color coded

 

[Dawn]

I appreciate all the information about how to make cables. We're not done buying them, especially when the HD hits, so it's great to know how to make them cheaply. Gonna get on that. Sounds lots better than counted cross-stitch...


Dawn