PS2 / GT4 on HDTV (LG 37LC2D-UE): composite vs. component video

I can see clearly now!


I finally got our new LG 37LC2D-UE LCD television into it's permanent spot in our bedroom and connected all the wires I could to get the best picture possible....

At first I was a bit worried that I wouldn't have enough of the correct inputs because I don't have a full blown home theater receiver. Our reciever only has audio inputs. The TV itself has two HDMI inputs, but I don't have any devices using HDMI. Component video (colour is separated into 3 different signals) was the best that I would be able to do. However, the TV only had two component inputs and with the 400-disc DVD changer, DVD/HD PVR, and the Sony PS2, I needed three inputs.

Luckily, after finding this very helpful article by George Graves, "Getting More From Your HDTV" I was able to make it work without spending much more additional money. Since I already had a standard video switch box, the only new cable that I had to buy was a new component video output cable for our Sony PS2. I found a universal cable at Electronics Boutique for only $15. The picture quality is amazing, especially in GT4.

The old fashioned way of connecting video is through a composite wire which has the standard single RCA jack. Surprisingly, there is very little opportunity in the GT4 game to get a good shot of the screen where nothing is moving. That made taking pictures with my camera a little tricky. I decided that a simple shot of one of the menus would work out best. An example of the picture quality with composite video is seen in this screen shot of Gran Turismo 4 below:


By comparison, the picture through component video where the video is separated into 3 signals. The picture below is the exact same screen shot through the component cables:


The quality it so much better and everything is very sharp. Playing the game with that level of visual clarity is just amazing. With the picture so sharp I can see so many more details on the cars and in the background that I never realized were there. Also, because GT4 supports 16:9 widescreen format, I'm able to see much more of the track and turn the race map back on without covering too much of the screen.

I put both images together so that it would be easier to compare the difference.

Composite vs. Component Video on a PS2 running GT4







Comments

  1. Nice, but I want a new t.v, too! Have you already moved the old t.v. downstairs?

    ReplyDelete
  2. No, not yet. We have to figure out what to do with the broken one first.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for the ps2 component cable and details. Let me know more about the component cable.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I got a component cable recently. All I can say, is that it's one of the best decisions I have ever made when it comes to gaming!

    ReplyDelete

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