HDMI or Component?

[amahdi]

I have been watching HD using HDMI cable. Picture quality has been very good but not superb. Has anyone have their HR21 hooked up via compoment? If so - do you see any difference. Would like to know.

Thanks.

[Earl Bonovich]

All depends on your calibration on your TV.

If properly configured... you should see no difference between HDMI and component.

[t_h]

Go check on avsforum for a thread on your tv model. The one someone pointed me to a few days back had a ton of info on different tv settings. For my particular set, the experts reported that at factory defaults the HDMI connection offered about a 10% "better" picture, with "better" being highly subjective.

Some of the "ideal" calibration settings presented when applied to my set produced a picture that while I have no doubt is technically ideal...looked like crap to me.

But then I'm a typical tv consumer type thats used to showrooms full of tv's calibrated to grab your eyes the minute you walk in the door.

[jahgreen]

I hooked my HR20 to my plasma by both component and HDMI just so I could compare. I can't see any difference.

Now, I use component, simply because my remote's macro was initially set up to choose that input and I haven't changed it.

But I agree it can depend on the TV.

[dwrats_56]

I started off using HDMI from my H20 to my Sony with audio out to my Yamaha receiver. I was having lip sync issues and changed to component. During the change to component I went for the H20 to the Yamaha receiver to the Sony. The lip sync has gone away.

As for picture quality, I cannot tell any difference.

I have also since replaced the H20 in this setup with an HR20-100.

[jaguar325]

Check AVSFORUM for a thread on your specific set. I don't necessarily agree with the "optimal" settings I found there but they gave me some things to think about. One key item I picked up from there is that you sometimes need to set different inputs differently. There were recommended settings for HDMI and different ones for component (not radically different). My approach has been to put all the suggested settings in, then go through each one and change it both directions to optimize the picture for my use. Some users, especially gamers, want real deep blacks.. the compromise seems to be a faded/darker picture overall. I like very bright, crisp pictures and am willing to sacrifice some blacks to get it.

If you haven't seen the DTV menu with real bright/brilliant settings.. trust me, it is a thing of beauty.

Good luck!

[phatmatt1215]

Is there a difference in the time it takes to change channels using HDMI vs Component? I asked that in a different forum, but since I found this one, I thought I'd ask here as well.

[jaguar325]

Is there a difference in the time it takes to change channels using HDMI vs Component? I asked that in a different forum, but since I found this one, I thought I'd ask here as well.

The in-built copy protection in HDMI forces a "handshake" between the devices. The delay you see with HDMI is the delay associated with the TV and DTV box getting in synch. The only delay you'll ever see with component will be the TV adjusting to the picture resolution (some TVs go through a quick, sub-second verification of pixel rate and display it in the screen when the picture first comes on).