What kind of Video Connection do you use?

[MottZilla]

Seeing how recently PS3 and the Xbox360 boast about HD being so wonderful, I thought it'd be interesting to see how many of you actually hook up your systems. I image the most common will be standard composite video which actually can really suck something horrible. I would hope no one connects using an RF/Aerial/Antenna socket anymore. I personally would like to upgrade my cables when I upgrade my TV to atleast S-Video and maybe even Component video. Right now my TV only has composite video (yellow RCA jack). Ofcourse I'd really like to upgrade to S-Video and Component video for arcade games that are passed through an encoder. Some of the hardware really isn't friendly with lesser video formats so I'd prefer to use the best.

[War Lord]

Component.
Been that way for years now.

[goKi]

Component on the TV i have that supports it. Composite on the ones that don't.

[MottZilla]

Oh I forgot our European friends, who actually have the best connection of all, RGB through SCART. RGB ofcourse, owns everything. Except for digital forms of RGB ofcourse.

[Archibaldo]

I just plug the white, red and yellow wires into the white, red and yellow sockets and BAM, im playing my game.

[Grasshopper]

I play using Composite (RWY).

I would like to use Component (RGB), but theres no way I could afford a tv that supports it.

[Dark Knight]

Gamecube - Composite
Playstation 2 - RF

I'm too poor to have a tv that supports anything else. ;p

[vegeta1215]

I just plug the white, red and yellow wires into the white, red and yellow sockets and BAM, im playing my game.

Ditto.

For my older systems (NES and SNES) I use an RF switch, which has been hooked to the little TV in my room since the early 90s. We do have a big screen in our basement that has component inputs, but our DVD player is hooked into that, and I don't have the component cables for my Gamecube. (which are harder to come by now and expensive)

[MottZilla]

For 200$ you can get a 20" TV with Component input. That's not really that much. But you and I know how it is, replacing TVs isn't something you do very often. Esspecially if you don't really feel the need to replace it. I do though because I really can get annoyed by round tube displays and I really would like S-Video for arcade purposes, and perhaps component.

[War Lord]

I picked up a RCA X-Box TV a few years back for 200-something. 27", shitload of inputs.

I'd imagine you can pick up a TV of the same size with the same stuff now for even cheaper. I guess it depends upon your definition of expensive.

[Mak-X]

Composite A/V cables since my primary TV only uses that. I just switch them out from the front A/V inputs for each console, rather than get a switch box becuase I'd notice the signal quality degrade. My NES is usually hooked up via the back A/V input since that handles Mono sound. I used to use the RF switch for NES and SNES, but there's a difference in quality, and the A/V cables output stereo sound from the SNES.

I've made the mistake of getting an HD ready TV, which , while games look nice at 480p, older games look bad because they were designed for a standard definitation TV. That and the interlacing on non-progressive games. You can't see the flashing in Super NES games like Tetris Attack or Dracula X.

It always bothers me to go to a anime or game covention and see consoles hooked up to HDTVs, and because they use Composite instead of Component, the picture looks worse than and old standard definition TV.

[Darth Marsden]

I just use whatever comes with the console. Not bothered 'bout picture quality, long as it runs on my TV.

[MottZilla]

Mak-X, can't see what flashing? I would think it would vary from TV set to TV set if you have issues with older consoles because some may handle the old 480i signal better than others.

[Mak-X]

In Tetris attack, when you clear blocks, you only see interlaced lines instead of a normal flash. When playing the same game (Panel De Pon) on Nintendo Puzzle Collection at 480p on the Gamecube, the flashing is present. Another example is Street Fighter 3: Third Strike on PS2. There is flashing when hits connect sometimes, that only show up as interlaced lines.

I read a topic about HDTVs and gaming on the Gaming Age forums, and someone mentioned a Sony CRT HDTV lets you turn off the scaler, so that might be the problem. Seems similar to playing games on a PC via a video capture card. So I might just need a better TV that can handle 480i signals properly. So from what I've heard, if buying a CRT HDTV, buy a Sony!


If anyone wants to compare Composite vs. S-Video, here's some screen caps from my video capture card. S-Video removes the cross hatching around lines, cuts down on noise, and gives a slightly brighter and better picture.

http://www.adventureofhyrule.com/game/vidcapguide/composite1.jpg
http://www.adventureofhyrule.com/game/vidcapguide/svideo1.jpg

http://www.adventureofhyrule.com/game/vidcapguide/composite3.jpg
http://www.adventureofhyrule.com/game/vidcapguide/svideo3.jpg

[Daarkseid]

My gaming TV has component and S-video inputs, however I only posesse an S-video cable for my PS2. I have to use composite for other consoles.

I have to say, after using composite for so many years, display looks awesome with an S-video connection. The TV is a standard 20" crt, with no progressive scan support, so I don't think I'll be shelling out for component cables, since the difference in display between S-video and Component isn't spectacular(or so I hear anyway).

[Cloral]

Composite. It's all my TV supports. I got it about a year and a half ago, but I had to go bargain-basement because I was furnishing my apartment at the time (if you can consider 32" bargain-basement, but it was the cheapest tv by far in that size range). I have enough money now to get a really nice high-end tv, but there are other things I want to save up for first - like a down payment on a house or (more likely) condo.

[*b*]

whatever the white, red, and yellow plugins are. I think that's composite

out of curiosity, what does an s-video connector look like?

[MottZilla]

It's a black connector of some sort. I don't know the part name. Composite video is carried by the yellow color coded RCA/Phono jacks. S-Video is better because rather than all of the color information being combined into one signal like composite, S-Video carries seperate Chromo and Luma signals (Color and Light). This prevents the effects that Mak-X showed in his picture. Ofcourse some systems may have a worse composite output than others. S-Video definitely helps make it more sharp. And Component IS supposed to be quite a step above S-Video, comparable to true RGB. I wish to get a component encoder board and a TV so I can get the best possible signal from my arcade hardware which can really vary with composite. My NeoGeo MVS board outputs a signal that when converted by my encoder board, looks quite nice through composite. However my Street Fighter II' (CPS1 Hardware) has alot of dot crawl like effect. S-Video would make it better, and Component would probably make it excellent.

[ZTC]

I just plug the white, red and yellow wires into the white, red and yellow sockets and BAM, im playing my game.
I did that back when I had my N64. Now I just use the RF inputs for my NES/SNES and Genesis, until I can get the cables for my SNES and Playstation :shrug:

[MottZilla]

Ew... RF... That reminds me how the icey chicks in the ice cave area of Castlevania SotN for PSX, when you kill them and are hooked up via RF box, when they scream the video picture gets distorted and it doesn't sound quite right either. Strange. Definitely buy regular AV cables man. RF is really bottom of the barrel.