HDMI question

[jumpmanpro97]

I recently purchased a HD LED tv and wanted to know if your cable box already has the RBG cables connected to the tv do you need an HDMI cable also connected from the cable box to the tv?

I always thought you only needed just the RBG cables to have good HD quality. But anyways do you need both cables connected? or is just RBG?

[Pyromonkey83]

Originally Posted by jumpmanpro97

I recently purchased a HD LED tv and wanted to know if your cable box already has the RBG cables connected to the tv do you need an HDMI cable also connected from the cable box to the tv?

I always thought you only needed just the RBG cables to have good HD quality. But anyways do you need both cables connected? or is just RBG?

You only need one or the other. I personally recommend HDMI instead of Component (Y Pb Pr/RGBYW). If you are talking about Composite (Yellow, White, Red cables) then definitely upgrade to one of the above.

If you have Time Warner/Comcast or a similar cable company, you will only receive 1080i so it doesn't matter which you choose. If you have DirecTV or Dish, you will receive 1080p and HDMI will be your better option.

[JohnnyComeLatly]

No, ads for HDMI that say it's higher quality are rubish. You can get 1080i with both cables, which is HD territory. If you have component patch cables, go for it. The only downside is 5 cables: R-G-B-L-R

[Rigby]

Is there any particular reason why you want to keep using the RGB (I assume you mean component video) cable? HDMI is usually more convenient (because it carries video and audio in one cable) and may have slightly better image quality when displaying digital sources (since it is digital and does not require D/A conversion for transport over the cable)

[rbrian]

Originally Posted by jumpmanpro97

But anyways do you need both cables connected?

No. Your TV has multiple inputs, but it can only display one at a time*, since it only has one screen. If you plug both in, it will probably auto-select HDMI, then you can use the Source or Input button on your remote control to switch to the other to compare, but it will only work with one at a time. It's the same procedure as switching from your cable box to your XBox or Apple TV.


*Unless it has PiP, but that's not relevant to this discussion.

[jumpmanpro97]

Originally Posted by Pyromonkey83

You only need one or the other. I personally recommend HDMI instead of Component (Y Pb Pr/RGBYW). If you are talking about Composite (Yellow, White, Red cables) then definitely upgrade to one of the above.

If you have Time Warner/Comcast or a similar cable company, you will only receive 1080i so it doesn't matter which you choose. If you have DirecTV or Dish, you will receive 1080p and HDMI will be your better option.

We have time warner and their cable box came with a RBG cable. This is my first flat screen hdtv led purchase in my entire life and I was looking at the box of the tv and it mentioned HDMI so I wasn't sure if you needed both to be connected to make the most of the HD feature.

----------

Originally Posted by Rigby

Is there any particular reason why you want to keep using the RGB (I assume you mean component video) cable? HDMI is usually more convenient (because it carries video and audio in one cable) and may have slightly better image quality when displaying digital sources (since it is digital and does not require D/A conversion for transport over the cable)

I actually didn't want to spend more $ on buying an HDMI cable unless they were necessary. Our cable box already came with RBG cables so, but I wasn't sure if we needed both.

[CocoaPuffs]

I suppose you're avoiding HDMI cables because how expensive they may appear at Best Buy.

I would just pick up one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-H...rds=hdmi+cable

[Michael CM1]

Originally Posted by CocoaPuffs

I suppose you're avoiding HDMI cables because how expensive they may appear at Best Buy.

I would just pick up one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-H...rds=hdmi+cable

I can't vouch for the quality of those, but I'm assuming they're about the same as monoprice.com. Someone here told me about that site a couple of years ago thankfully. Either Amazon or Monoprice should work well for anybody. It beats paying $30 for something to have the word "MONSTER" blazed all over it.

[slothrob]

Originally Posted by CocoaPuffs

I suppose you're avoiding HDMI cables because how expensive they may appear at Best Buy.

I would just pick up one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-H...rds=hdmi+cable

I haven't had any problems with the $5 AmazonBasics HDMI cables I've bought.

[mpossjr]

I would go with a single HDMI and be done with it. There is a huge markup on these cables. My favorite place to buy these is at www.monoprice.com
HDMI allows you to get the full 1080p out of your new TV.
Congrats on the new TV!!

[jumpmanpro97]

Originally Posted by mpossjr

I would go with a single HDMI and be done with it. There is a huge markup on these cables. My favorite place to buy these is at www.monoprice.com
HDMI allows you to get the full 1080p out of your new TV.
Congrats on the new TV!!

is there that much of a difference tho? That is what I want to know. Is one "better" than the other or will the quality still be the same?

[CocoaPuffs]

I am certain that you, as a first time LCD/Plasma owner, will not be able to tell the difference.

[Pyromonkey83]

Everyone here is incorrect that HDMI will give you a better picture for your cable box. The RGB cables will give you 1080i which is what Time Warner Cable outputs on their box. 1080p (HDMI) will only be useful if you have a Blu Ray player or some other type of box/gaming console that specifically outputs 1080p.

In your case, you can use the RGB cables and be completely fine. There is ZERO difference to going to an HDMI as it will ALSO put out 1080i because the cable box itself won't go any higher.

[blueroom]

HDMI stays in the digital domain, it can also carry 8 channel audio. Component is digital to analog to digital.

[jumpmanpro97]

Originally Posted by Pyromonkey83

Everyone here is incorrect that HDMI will give you a better picture for your cable box. The RGB cables will give you 1080i which is what Time Warner Cable outputs on their box. 1080p (HDMI) will only be useful if you have a Blu Ray player or some other type of box/gaming console that specifically outputs 1080p.

In your case, you can use the RGB cables and be completely fine. There is ZERO difference to going to an HDMI as it will ALSO put out 1080i because the cable box itself won't go any higher.

this is what I always thought about when people mentioned HDMI, I always thought they were mostly for blu ray players. Thank you all for the information.

[MarkG21]

Here are some other HDMI cables to consider:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...id%2Caps%2C204

They're around $10. You can get other HDMI cables for cheaper for the same quality but these look better. (I like nice looking products).

HDMI cables are just carrying a digital signal. There is no change. A $100 cable is just about the same as a $2 cable.

As for component cables, they are analog cables. The signal needs to be converted two times. The signal starts as a digital at the cable box, gets converted to analog for the cables, and then gets converted back to a digital signal to the TV or receiver. As such, there will always be a loss of quality. It's not much and most people wont notice or care about it, but its still a loss of quality.

Also, a great benefit is that HDMI carries both video and digital audio. 1 cable vs 4-5 cables.

[Rigby]

Originally Posted by jumpmanpro97

I actually didn't want to spend more $ on buying an HDMI cable unless they were necessary. Our cable box already came with RBG cables so, but I wasn't sure if we needed both.

You don't need both, but as was mentioned HDMI is more convenient and may have better image quality (this has nothing to do with video formats such as 1080i or p, but with the necessary signal conversions for analog transmission). If you want to get an HDMI cable, buy a cheap generic cable (around $5-10 for a 6ft cable). The branded "premium" cables that stores like Best Buy are hawking don't have any advantage except bolstering their profits.