Anybody use Component cables with their Wii?

Cafe Society
1

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.

2

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.

3

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.

4

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.

5

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.

6

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.

7

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

8

Maybe pixelization?

9

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.

10

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.