Newsgroups: sci.electronics.misc
Subject: Re: S-Video Vs Component for Television/DVD setup - follow up
References: <%[email protected]>   <7IO4e.5390$3O2.3138@trnddc01>  
"Swingman"  writes:

> >> As you suggested, a set of quality component cables will 
> >> usually cost more
> >> than a quality S cable.  So, when cost is the more 
> >> important consideration,
> >> the choice is obvious.  Also, as you suggested, the user 
> >> may not wish to
> >> deal with 3 separate cables for whatever reason -- maybe 
> >> the preferred split
> >> loom won't accomodate them?
> 
> I went to Radio Shack and the salesman started out by 
> showing me the $130 Monster component cable set - I declined 
> .  Eventually I settled on a three wire set of AV cables 
> with gold connectors for $20.  These cables are marked "red, 
> white, yellow" instead of "red, green, blue", which suggests 
> that they might function differently, 

The cables color coded with 
red, white, yellow or red, black, yellow are generally 
cables that are designed to carry video plus audio. 
In good cables the cable connected to yellow connectors 
is 75 ohm coaxial cable (righjt cable for video). 
Other cables on the bundle are designed for audio 
(impedance for video signals propably quite far away 
from 75 ohms). 

At short distanced this kind of cable woudl work quite 
acceptably I think... For long distances and best performance 
good quality cable where all conductors are 75 ohm coaxial 
cable is the best choise. 

I think the $130 Monster component cable set is highly 
overpriced unless it is a very long. 
The materials for good quality component cable are not 
that expensive. A professional quality 75 ohm vidoe coaxial 
cable costs around or less than one dollar per meter. 
When we are talking on component cable, we have three of those. 
The price of cable material itself would be 3 dollars 
per meter. Add here just the connectors that go to the 
ends and the work. And on expensive cable the brand extra 
cost...

> but it doesn't seem to 
> matter.  The video quality of my DVD's is great.  Perhaps 
> the image would be even better with the Monster cables, but 
> unfortunately I can't afford to find out.


Here is an older posting I made about component video cables 
eariler (May 5, 2004)to Usenet news:

Newsgroups: rec.audio.tech
Subject: Re: Component video really need 75 ohm cable?
References: 
"Ethan Winer"  writes:

> Hi Folks,
> 
> I just upgraded to a new "progressive" DVD player and of course the salesman
> tried to sell me a $50 component video cable to connect it. So for now I'm
> using a regular three-wire RCA cable meant for composite video and
> Left/Right audio, and it works, but I'm wondering if I really would benefit
> from better cables.

Practically all analogue consumer video interfaces are designed top use  
75 ohm coaxial cable. This is the right cable to use in all those 
applications and gives guaranteed performance. If you use something 
else, then the results you cet can vary from good performance to poor 
performance depending the cable used, cable length and sometimes 
even on equipment used. Usually with showr wires od few meters 
the "normal RCA cables" do not cuase problems on normal TV signals. 
But when cables get longer or you have higher resolution signal 
(progressive video from DVD, HDTV signal, computer VGA signal), 
problems are more easily seen. 

The cable you used most propably is designed to have two 
different types of cables it. 
RCA terminated video cable is generally 75ohms. 
The audio wires are general purpose shielded audio cable, 
that can have considerably different impedance than 75 ohms 
and has generally considerable higher attenuation than 
video coax cables (bnecause of different insulation material used). 
I have also seen video + audio cabls where all three wires 
are all the same general purpose audio cable type..

Depending on the distance from the video source to display 
device distance, you might or might not benefit from the better 
cables. If your cables have length of one meter or so, then 
changing cables most propably do not have any noticable effect. 
If your cables are 10 meters long, you most propably can 
see some difference. 


-- 
Tomi Engdahl (http://www.iki.fi/then/)
Take a look at my electronics web links and documents at 
http://www.epanorama.net/