So what do I do? I want to take three pieces of equipment that have component video outputs and input them all into my television that has only two component video inputs.
I have heard there are gadgets that will do this, but you need to manually turn a switch and it costs around $100. Not gonna happen. Any ideas?
By component, do you mean RCA plugs (single video and two audio) or S-video (which you can also get on a switchbox for not much more money) or five jacks, three of which are Y, Pb (Cb), and Pr (Cr)? If you just need to hook in the the single video RCA plug, I don’t know where you got the idea that an AB switch costs $100. You can get a remote controlled AB switch for $35, or a basic one for $10. By component, do you mean RCA plugs (single video and two audio) or S-video (which you can also get on a switchbox for not much more money) or five jacks, three of which are Y, Pb (Cb), and Pr (Cr)?
To add on, even if it is component that the OP is talking about switching, you can still use a cheapo A/V RCA switch do it.
To my knowledge the singe video cable is composite, s-video is, well, s-video, and the three plugs Y, Pb (Cb), and Pr (Cr) are component. Thus that is what I mean when I say component.
I am aware that the switchers are very cheap for composite, but Joey P, if I understand you correctly you are talking about installing a cheap composite switch on each of the three channels of the component signal, no? This would work and would be cheap, but it would also be a pain in the ass. Also, another worry I had with that was that I thought component cables were tailored in their impedence. Wouldn’t the switchbox and the second cable from the boc to the TV screw that up? Also, would these switchboxs be able to carry the lower frequencies that component video needs?
OK, my searching has found that any switch box for component video is freakishly expensive. Why is that? Heck, even a straight composite and audio switcher with buttons that physically do the switching cost 30 bucks. That seems like it should cost 5 most. There is no technology there. What am I missing?
Is component your only option? Can one of your devices use DVI or HDMI or 1394 inputs? Any of which would give a digital rather than analog signal.
The reason the switcher costs $30 bucks is because that is what the market will bear. Pay that or buy a TV with more inputs seem to be your only choices.
Cables and switch boxes designed for composite video/audio will work just fine for component video. The main difference between the cables is the color on the ends. The big difference in quality is that the video portion of the signal is broken up into its three components rather than being compressed into a single signal. The biggest drawback to using a “composite” A/B switch is that you won’t be able to switch your audio signal with the same switch because all 3 leads are used by your video signal.
It would help to know the makes and models the sources and the TV.
A home theater receiver would probably solve all your problems, and provide many additional benefits, such as eliminating the need for the TV’s crappy speakers, and giving you the option (in the future if you don’t do it now) of surround sound. But it would also require buying (or already having) at least one pair of decent stereo speakers. A quick and dirty search of Crutchfield found this Onkyo receiver with three compenent inputs for as little as $300. You can probably find it or something similar for less. But if your reason for rejecting the $100 switch was financial, I guess this isn’t an option.
If that’s the case, how many inputs of all kinds does the TV have? If it has additional line inputs with composite or S-Video connections, select the source that you will use least or that has the lowest inherent quality, and feed it into that input.
If you have HD sources, you pretty much have to use component inputs for them. But if one of your component sources is a DVD player, you might find that the signal from its S-video output looks almost as good as the component. And if you aren’t going to spring for a switch (or an A-V receiver) you don’t have many other options.
But this assumes that you have additional line inputs. If you don’t, you may have to send the RF output of one of your sources into one of the TV’s antenna inputs. Which would be a shame.
But it’s either that or running around to the back of the set and unplugging and replugging cables every time you want to switch.
This sounds like the best option and should work especially if your running all your audio to a seperate amplifier/receiver with something like optical cables.
OK, lets answer some of these.
No DVI, no HDMI, no 1394.
There are cable nuts out there (pretty much anyone who buys a Monster cable) but I am not one of them. I am currently using AV cable for one of my connections, but I plan on upgrading to actual component cable. As I understand it there is a difference between the design and therefore the results of standard AV and component cable (the targeted impedance for example). This is one of the things some stereo discuussion boards have banned as a topic due to it inevitably breaking down into insults. I am not that insane, but I think there is a difference between the cheap stuff and a midrange cable.
Of course, the primary benefit is from the breakup of the signal and quality of cable is much less important.
My entertainment center is a Frankenstein’s Monster of different components. I do not have the specific data here at the moment though. Heck, I just spent an hour or so with wire ties last night so it is easier to track the cables and there is no longer a big rat’s nest.
I already have a separate receiver and surround sound speakers. Pro Logic is nice. In fact, there are no audio cables going into the TV at all. This does not help with the abundace of video cables though.
I am inputting an HDTV signal, a DVD player, and a PS2. This problem is arising because I upgraded the PS2 to component. I tried it out and it makes a huge difference. When using the max number of component inputs I have the ability to add one more AV signal and one S-video. I could use S-video on the DVD player, but then I lose the ability to utilize progressive scan. Besides, movies are what I got this (wide screen) TV for. I play games on occasion but really enjoy the enhanced effect of the component video. The girlfriend is the one who watches TV, but we need component to keep the HD.
That does sound good, but there is no optical input on the receiver.
So I went shopping last night and at the third store was actually able to find a 3 in 1 out switch box that includes component video, audio, S-video, and ethernet for $30. I have picked it up and it seems to work fine. I need to make comparisons with direct connections though. My research online did not lead me to think that would be possible (heck it was the only one they had). I didn’t want to get the $100 to $300 models partially becuase of the price but mostly because it was an unwarranted price. The thing just didn’t contain enough complexity to be worth that much.
Thanks for all the help. I will report back on and noticeable differences with the box or between cables.
In case I wasn’t clear, the home theater receivers I was recommending switch your video sources as well as the audio.
Also, I see that newer units have a capability that mine doesn’t, and that I have long wanted, of being able to convert inputs one type of signal (e.g. S-video) to outputs of another (e.g. component). I may have to look into buying a new receiver myself!
Sorry, I meant to specifically say that the tuner only takes in and puts out composite video.
I take it from the above post that one of your sources has only S-video and not component capability, and you are only converting to component because that is what everything else rides from the receiver to the TV, right?
Exactly. In my setup, I have two component sources, the HDTV cable box/DVR and a DVD recorder. But my S-VHS VCR only has S-Video and composite outs.
My current receiver (and AFAIK, virtually all receivers up until recently) only sends an input signal to a like output: it has composite, S-video, and component outputs, but only the component inputs are visible on the component output. An S-video or composite source isn’t.
So to watch the VCR I have to switch the TV’s input as well as the receiver’s input. It’s a bit of a pain that I’ve made less cumbersome by programming macros into my remote controller. But it’s just one more reason I don’t use the VCR very much any more.
So a new receiver that converted the S-video input to component output would be very convenient. I’d also like to have a composite output from the receiver’s component inputs that I could feed to a remote TV in the kitchen, where I can’t see my HDTV. I’ll have to see if that feature is also available on new receivers.
Can you tell us the brand and model of the switcher you found, and where you got it?
Walmart sells exactly what you want for less than $ 20.00
Close, but no cigar. If you look at the picture of the back panel on this page, you’ll see that the inputs are composite (single yellow jack), not component (three jacks, R,G,B). The description’s use of the word “component” it is not referring to the type of signal.
Heh, I have a trick that I do that beats out all of these in price and convenience. All you need is some component video Y cables, like this. You can also get them at Radio Shack or other stores really cheap, I know I have seen them for less than $5. Just plug each of the PS2 and DVD player cables into the two inputs and connect each output to one of the TV inputs. Then, only turn one of them on at a time (since you only have one TV this should not be a problem). No need to mess with any buttons, switches, or an extra remote. This is what I do for my video game systems, and I have not noticed any reduction in quality. I have no idea what happens if you turn them both on at once though.
No doubt someone will be along shortly to tell me why this idea is killing my video quality or some such. Well, maybe one of these days I’ll try a double blind test or something.
This is what I’d be worried about. I doubt the image quality would be seriously degraded by the splitter, as long as only one component is on at at time. But I wouldn’t be surprised if accidentally turning both on at once could fry some circuits in the TV, and that’s why I’d strongly recommend against it.
You might trust yourself not to make that mistake (I know I wouldn’t trust myself), but if your nephew or brother-in-law comes over and pushes the wrong button and **kills your $5,000 TV…**well, you do the math.
Perhaps an electrical engineer can advise us of the risks. Calling Q.E.D.…
Yes, I thought of this idea at first but was also concerned what would happen if I, or inevitably my girlfriend, turned both on. Also difficult since I will on occasion leave the game system on and paused (when there are no convenient save points) while watching a movie or something.
So, about cables. I went to Circuit City and asked if they could demo the different cables for me. I was surprised that they said yes (there weren’t too many people in the store at the time). We switched up the cheapo-poorer-than-standard-audio-cables that they use for display TVs (that should tell you something right there) and Monster cables, both 3’ long. No visible difference. We paused the DVD and saw no differences in the image, and then played it and saw no differences in the video.
The clerk said she saw a difference but was exceedingly vague I feel she was lying. This is not a final statement though. The DVD player may have been too poor for the signal to be good enough in the first place, and the media being played was a crap promo video of poor quality. Also, there were no nearby cables to cause a lot of interference. I may try the same thing at home with an HDTV signal and my mess of cables back there for interference.
Question: I have looped up excess cable back there with wire ties. Could I expect more interference if I ran the test cables through the loops of the others? I want a test where the better insulated cable can really shine.
Oh, and commasense, I got the switcher at Best Buy. It is made by Pelican and I do not have the model number here. I looked it up, and neither the Best Buy site nor the Pelican site list that model. They both have the big model (PL-970) which has 7 inputs. Best Buy lists it at $99. Note: It is listed under video game accessories which is why I didn’t find it before. The pelican site lists a 5 component input model, but no mention of the 4 component one I got.
Update: I have compared video signals through the box and without the switch box and have found:
This matches what I have found on the internet about bandwidth limitations of the switchbox. In any case, it is still better than S-video.
So I presume your solution will be to plug the HD signal into one of the component inputs, and use the switch for the other two?
Can you describe the “noticeable” effects you see in HD?