Anybody use Component cables with their Wii?

And if so, how much better is the picture quality than when you use Composite?

I’ve got a free Component jack on my TV, but $35 seems kind of steep if it’s just a small increase in image quality.

Not worth it IMHO. I use one. I would go so far as to say that the picture is somewhat degraded with the 480p going because you can see the bad jaggies that much more clearly.

Well it may not be worth $35 but you should be able to find third party cables on ebay for under $10.

On my 32" HDTV the picture quality is noticeably improved when using component cables. There are more jaggies, but I would say the trade-off for increased clarity is worth it.

The component cables are absolutely necessary for an HDTV, particularly a LCD/Plasma flat panel. If you don’t use them, the resulting picture is ugly.

You don’t have to buy the official Nintendo cables, you know. I got Mad Catz or something brand cables for less than $20 and they work just fine, and won’t void your warranty or anything.

I’ve seen a website comparing screenshots of Gamecube games in 480i and 480p, and the differences were striking. I’ll try to find that site now.

It’s a significant improvement for Gamecube and Wii games that support the higher resolution. However, I got my cables for just over three dollars plus shipping. Don’t play $35 for them.

I got some generic ones off of Newegg and there is a noticeable improvement. There are more jaggies (the pins in Wii Sports bowling have worse jaggies w/ component cables for example), but overall the image is better.

You know, I consider myself knowledgeable about things A/V, but what in the holy hell are ‘jaggies’?

Maybe pixelization?

z’actly.
The Wii isn’t a really high resolution source, which is more evident with a higher-quality connection to your TV. With the standard cables, you kind of get antialiasing for free.

I had to make a late night run to Wal-Mart to get my dad a component cable for his DVR-to-LCD TV and I found a Phillips set for $12 (a 5-cable set with audio and everything) and so far it works great. I assume the cheapo model would be just fine for the Wii too.