Component Video Vs Composite Audio/Video Cables

With the advent of high definition television and the omnipresence of home theater systems in American homes, there is much confusion about how to hook up and install the cables to connect the various home theater components such as televisions, satellite receivers, and DVD players. In this article I will explain the difference between two easily-confused cable types: composite audio/video cables and component video cables.

Composite audio/video cables and component video cables are easily confused with each other because they are similar in appearance. Both composite audio/video cables and component video cables use three RCA phono connectors on each end of the cable. This similarity of appearance makes it difficult for the average user to distinguish between component and composite cables, often creating confusion about which cables to buy or about how to hook up the components properly.

I will begin with composite audio/video cables. Composite audio/video cables are the standard, old-fashioned way of hooking up a VCR or DVD player to a television. Of the three cables that make up a set of composite audio/video cables, one cable will carry the video signal while the other two cables will carry the left and right channels of the stereo audio signal. The video cable is usually labeled or color-coded yellow, while the left audio cable is color-coded white and the right audio cable is color-coded red. The audio and video jacks on the back of the components to be hooked up are usually color-coded in the same fashion, making it easy to hook up components merely by matching up colored jacks with colored plugs on the cables.

Component video cables, by contrast, are designed to carry high definition video signals only, without the audio signal. The video signal is carried in three different components (hence the name "component video"): red, green, and blue. Each of the three cables that make up a set of component video cables carries one of these three components. The cables or plugs on a set of component video cables will correspond to these three colors: red, green, and blue. To hook up the cables, simply match the colored jacks up to the colored plugs on your cables.

Component video has distinct advantage over the traditional composite audio/video cables. The component video is capable of higher resolution, which is perfect for modern high definition televisions. The maximum resolution of component video cables is still not as great as that of an HDMI cable, but the component video cables still represent an advantage over traditional composite audio/video cables. It is important to note, though, that the component video cables do not carry an audio signal, so you will either need a set of traditional composite red/white audio cables or a digital audio cable to fully complete your component video installation.

Given the choice between composite audio/video cables and component video cables, component video cables are always to be preferred, but neither option is as good as a high quality HDMI cable. Again, component video cables are similar in appearance to traditional composite audio/video cables, so check to be sure you have purchased the proper type of cables before attempting to hook up your home theater system.