HDMI or Component: Which is better?

You just bought a new HDTV, complete with HDMI connector and you are delighted
you had the foresight to buy a DVD player with HDMI interface a while ago,
although you couldn’t use HDMI at the time.

Then you can ignore those component inputs and outputs and plug in an HDMI cable
between your two favorite pieces of home theater equipment. After all, HDMI, being all
digital, surely it will be better than component, isn’t it?

Well no, actually. Not necessarily. It is true that converting a DVD signal to analog,
send it via component video and then change it back to digital on the TV
result in a slight degradation of image quality. And it is true that HDMI eliminates this
affair. However, the signal degradation on the component is virtually
imperceptible and HDMI presents some problems of its own.

First of all, although DVD players “convert” video from 420p resolution to native
HDTV resolution (720p or 1080i), the signal still needs to be “re-clocked” in the
television before it is shown. Some experts suggest that this new watch
introduces more artifacts than the digital-to-analog-to-digital process
conversion. And the quality of the processor in the DVD player doing the “up-
convert” is important here, if it’s not up to par, that could have a negative effect
impact on image quality.

Second, any equipment with HDMI (or DVI for that matter) connectors must
support an anti-piracy measure known as HDCP (High Bandwidth Digital Content
Protection). This takes the form of a code that is embedded in the digital video.
signal when sent from a content player, such as a DVD player, and must be
encoded by HDTV or HD projector. This puts additional pressure on the video on the TV.
processor without any benefit to image quality and therefore could potentially result in a
slight loss in image quality.

The use of component video connections means that protection against piracy is not required.
necessary.

None of this means you should avoid HDMI. However, it means that you
You shouldn’t take for granted that HDMI will always be better than component. Tea
The only way to find out which is best for your team is to try both and see which
one you prefer.