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  1. Ok so i always thought that the rca jacks were the yellow red white cables.Now i understand that they stand for component Y Pb Pr cables as well?

    So what kinds of cable do they feature?
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  2. RCA jacks are simply connectors. They can be used for any 2-wire connection. They are commonly used for line level audio (red, white), composite video (yellow), and component video (reg, green, blue).
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  3. I still dont get it.

    What is it that distinguishes them?

    I mean can you connect vga/dvi/hdmi on rca?If not y?

    What is RCA actually?The only information i keep bumping into is the name Radio Coporation America.That doesnt explain anything.
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  4. Always Watching guns1inger's Avatar
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    shows standard Composite Video with Stereo Audio RCAs (in this case terminating in a 3.5 mm jack such as you might use for a camcorder)

    are basically the same, but color coded differently for identification, and used for video signals on each cable.

    You can use either cable, although component cables are usually manufactured to a higher quality than the RCA cables that come with your DVD player.
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  5. Yes i know how they look like,thanx though for bothering with the pics,but what eaxctly is rca?Is it the metal ending of each output?
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  6. RCA/phono plug/connector describe the physical connector, not what it carries.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RCA_connector
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  7. Always Watching guns1inger's Avatar
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    It is the design of the plug and socket and the way it's wired. Nothing mystical about it. Go to your local electrical parts place and buy one. Very cheap. Pull it apart and see how it works. Very simple.

    No, you can't connect VGA/DVI/HDMI through RCA cables. These are very different and much more complex than RCA connections. For example, VGA has 15 wires/pins. RCA has only one or two, depending on how you are using it.

    I'm not exactly sure what you are trying to get from your questions.
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  8. Ifthe rca plug is the same on both the composite and the component cable,that what is the difference between these cables?Y cant you use an a composite cable on a component input/ouput?
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  9. Originally Posted by therock003
    Y cant you use an a composite cable on a component input/ouput?
    Generally you can. But lower qualtiy cables may not have sufficient bandwidth to get a clear picture and may not contain shielding to prevent noise from external sources.
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  10. Always Watching guns1inger's Avatar
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    Yes, you can use a standard yellow, red, white RCA cable as a component video cable. I have done it in a pinch. Generally the YRW variety of cable are cheaply manufactured, whereas component video cables use better quality wire and are better shielded. But the connections are exactly the same. If all you have a YRW cable, you can use it to connect component video and your world will not end. However if you are a purist you will get better quality from proper, shielded component cables.
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  11. I thought that there might be at least some difference in the wire,i mean.

    But anyway how do you connect it?YRW has one video and two audio connectors,while component is all video,and 3 of them.
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  12. Member yoda313's Avatar
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    For component you still have the seperate left and right audio cables. I believe that might be what you are asking. So in the end for component you have 5 cables total - 3 for video and 2 for audio.
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  13. Well i'm actually asking where do you put the yellow video ouput.On which slot connector of the component input,and where do you put the red and and white for audio (Still in the component input).
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  14. Member yoda313's Avatar
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    If you are using "regular" rca cables as component cables it doesn't matter which color you use. Simply designate them yourselves. As long as you keep them coordinated you can use any color. Just make sure if you use yellow for green you use yellow for green on both input and output sides.
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  15. Always Watching guns1inger's Avatar
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    Doesn't matter, so long as you match them at either end. If you put yellow in the green, make sure it goes in the green at both ends
    Read my blog here.
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  16. Oh i see,i thought we were talking about using a composite cable from a composite source to a component input.

    If both sources are component i get it,but can i t be used inrechangeable with input and ouptu being different?I guess not.
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  17. Originally Posted by therock003
    If both sources are component i get it,but can i t be used inrechangeable with input and ouptu being different?
    No. Can you connect your water hose to your car's gas tank if the connector is the same? Yes, but the stuff that flows through the hose is different. You won't be happy with the result.

    Note that analog audio cables only need to carry signals with frequencies up to about 20,000 Hz. Standard definition analog video cables need to carry about 5,000,000 Hz. High definition analog video cables may need to pass 100,000,000 Hz or more. Cheap cables may or may not pass the higher frequencies required by video.
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  18. Nice explanation.Theoretically,could there ever be an expensive composite cable that could be match or even top possibly a relatively cheap component cable?
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  19. Originally Posted by therock003
    Nice explanation.Theoretically,could there ever be an expensive composite cable that could be match or even top possibly a relatively cheap component cable?
    Yes. It wouldn't necessarily have to be all that expensive either.
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  20. Member edDV's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by therock003
    Well i'm actually asking where do you put the yellow video ouput.On which slot connector of the component input,and where do you put the red and and white for audio (Still in the component input).
    Standard audio connectors (RCA Red/White stereo) are usually simple twisted pair or shielded twisted pair. They are intended for high impedance audio connections.

    The Yellow composite video, Green-Blue-Red (YPbPr) and orange (S/PDIF) cables use 75 ohm coax. High definition YPbPr ideally uses double or triple shielded 75 ohm coax depending on cable length.

    If you need to temporarily connect Yellow/Red/White composite dub cable as component, use Yellow (coax) on the Green (Y) connector which carries the luminance detail.
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  21. Member edDV's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by jagabo
    Originally Posted by therock003
    Nice explanation.Theoretically,could there ever be an expensive composite cable that could be match or even top possibly a relatively cheap component cable?
    Yes. It wouldn't necessarily have to be all that expensive either.
    Composite (yellow) and cheap SD analog component (green-blue-red) use the same single shielded 75 ohm coax. These are intended for <10MHz. bandwidth with flat response.

    Progressive SD analog component (e.g. progressive DVD player) and HD analog component carry higher frequencies and need double shielded or better cables for flat response (detail). Longer cables need more shielding and quality construction.
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  22. Originally Posted by edDV
    Composite (yellow) and cheap SD analog component (green-blue-red) use the same single shielded 75 ohm coax. These are intended for <10MHz. bandwidth with flat response.
    That doesn't mean they can't carry more. All I meant was it doesn't take a $100 cable, A/V or component, to run component HDTV 6 feet. I wouldn't purchase an RCA A/V cable for use on a component connection. But I would try one in a pinch.
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  23. Member edDV's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by jagabo
    Originally Posted by edDV
    Composite (yellow) and cheap SD analog component (green-blue-red) use the same single shielded 75 ohm coax. These are intended for <10MHz. bandwidth with flat response.
    That doesn't mean they can't carry more. All I meant was it doesn't take a $100 cable, A/V or component, to run component HDTV 6 feet. I wouldn't purchase an RCA A/V cable for use on a component connection. But I would try one in a pinch.
    True but the cheaper cables will have high frequency rolloff (less detail). This will be less noticed with cheaper and smaller screen LCD-TV sets. At Walmart, the standard 2 meter analog component cables sell for ~$9.60. Double shielded 3 meter cables sell for about $20. Better deals are available online.
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    Hello, I just bought a brand new Samsung LN46B750 LCD TV but made a critical mistake on the audio/video hookup. To hook up my Panasonic DVD player (OUT to TV), I used the standard basic white/red/yellow RCA audio cables but accidentally connected the red and white AUDIO OUT to the COMPONENT 1 IN Pb and Pr VIDEO jacks instead of the Red/White COMP1 AUDIO IN jacks next to them. The Yellow VIDEO cable was connected properly however, Yellow to Yellow. Then I turned on the TV and played a DVD and it looked horrible, with no real color, a lot of distortion, and no sound. After about 25 minutes I decided to recheck my connections and found the obvious problem. Now I'm paranoid that I've ruined or degraded the circuitry of my expensive new TV and don't know it, or won't know it until the weakened circuitry blows.

    My questions are:

    1. Is there any chance this bad hookup damaged either the video card or motherboard connected to the Pb and Pr VIDEO IN jacks? I'm thinking that if the output voltage or frequency of the red/white AUDIO OUT is greater than that of the expected Pb/Pr VIDEO OUT, the circuitry of the Pb/Pr VIDEO IN jacks may not be able to handle the extra AUDIO voltage and blow out or deteriorate/degrade the circuitry. Further testing of the Pb/Pr jacks indicate that they seem to work OK (didn't totally blow them out), but I don't know how good the picture or colors are suppose to look because it's a brand new TV which I've never viewed before.

    2. Let's say I did damage or compromise the circuitry behind the Pb/Pr VIDEO IN for COMPONENT 1 IN, can I just use COMPONENT 2 IN instead or are all COMP IN VIDEO JACKS connected to the same VIDEO card or motherboard, therefore damaging or weakening one set of jacks weakens them all in essence?

    3. Do manufacturers like Samsung design the circuitry of all such jacks, whether they be RCA, HDMI, or DVI, to be idiot proof just in case such bad hookups are made?

    I'd appreciate any feedback you can give to relieve my worries.

    Thanks, S Caldwell
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  25. Originally Posted by caldwell
    Hello, I just bought a brand new Samsung LN46B750 LCD TV but made a critical mistake on the audio/video hookup. To hook up my Panasonic DVD player (OUT to TV), I used the standard basic white/red/yellow RCA audio cables but accidentally connected the red and white AUDIO OUT to the COMPONENT 1 IN Pb and Pr VIDEO jacks instead of the Red/White COMP1 AUDIO IN jacks next to them. The Yellow VIDEO cable was connected properly however, Yellow to Yellow. Then I turned on the TV and played a DVD and it looked horrible, with no real color, a lot of distortion, and no sound. After about 25 minutes I decided to recheck my connections and found the obvious problem.
    Having the red/white audio cables plugged into Pb and Pr should not effect the yellow composite video. You should have had a clear (well, as clear as composite gets anyway), color picture at this point.

    Originally Posted by caldwell
    1. Is there any chance this bad hookup damaged either the video card or motherboard connected to the Pb and Pr VIDEO IN jacks?
    Voltage levels are about the same. No damage likely.

    Originally Posted by caldwell
    Further testing of the Pb/Pr jacks indicate that they seem to work OK (didn't totally blow them out), but I don't know how good the picture or colors are suppose to look because it's a brand new TV which I've never viewed before.
    Any over voltage problems (which your TV didn't experience) would most likely cause very obvious color shifts. So you plugged in a good component source and the picture looked fine? This isn't the same DVD player is it? If so, why not use the component input? It will give you better picture quality than composite.

    A possible issue with the composite output from a DVD player: The composite and component Y signals may share the same pin internally. It's an option in the player's setup that controls whether that is composite video or component Y. Check your players setup menus for output type.
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  26. Member edDV's Avatar
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    Look, you bought a nice expensive Samsung LN46B750 LCD TV. Why don't you hook up with the correct cables. Yellow-Red-White is for lowly NTSC composite and audio. Instead connect your DVD player as follows.

    Best: HDMI + Digital audio (optical or orange coax)*

    Next best: Analog Component (Green, Blue, Red) + Digital audio (optical or orange coax)*

    Analog component cable (three coax)


    * if you are using a surround audio receiver, route the digital audio to the audio receiver not the TV.
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    Jagabo, thank you for the quick reply. Much appreciated. I do feel better now because of the voltage similarity.

    Here's the explanation on the usage of the composite Yellow versus the component Red/Green/Blue jacks. For the jacks labeled COMPON 1 IN, Samsung made the Green one (I think) dual usage and it has a yellow circle around it. I wish they didn't do this and put the composite Yellow off to the side of the RGB jacks in its own jack. But anyways, because of the dual shared jack the TV must've thought I was feeding it a true RGB component signal (because I had composite Yellow in one and Audio in the other two) and therefore it tried to use the audio signals going into the Pb and Pr as valid video signals, causing the color and other picture problems. Given this new info, would you agree that the bad picture makes sense?

    I was not aware of a DVD player's composite and composite Y pin sharing. If by "pin" you mean female port or jack, is this DVD setup choice directly related to the Yellow/Green jack sharing setup I just described? I will check my manual and DVD setup for this setting nonetheless and make adjustments based on your answer. Also, yes, I'm talking about one and only one DVD player in my setup.

    Continuing on, the picture looked very good (but not fantastic) after I undid all my connections and hooked up the RGB component jacks 1-to-1 and the 2 audio jacks 1-to-1. A guy at work told me today to throw out my cheap red/white/yellow RCA cables and get dedicated RBG comp video cables as a replacement. This discussion thread appears to agree so I will do that immediately to get the better, "fantastic" picture I expect.

    Final question. Is the RGB component connection with the two audios off to the side (my new proper setup) equal to, worse than, or better than just using an HDMI cable. Although that question is probably answered in this forum somewhere, I'd like your opinion on it anyways. The Sumsung wiring tutorial says that both will give an HD picture but doesn't say which is better. Please advise.

    Thanks, S Caldwell
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  28. Member edDV's Avatar
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    A typical DVD player has these connections. Use HDMI or analog component (Y,PbPr) for video and digital out (Optical or coax) for audio.
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  29. Member edDV's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by caldwell
    Final question. Is the RGB component connection with the two audios off to the side (my new proper setup) equal to, worse than, or better than just using an HDMI cable. Although that question is probably answered in this forum somewhere, I'd like your opinion on it anyways. The Sumsung wiring tutorial says that both will give an HD picture but doesn't say which is better. Please advise.
    Are you using a surround audio receiver or just the TV?

    If just the TV, HDMI should carry both video and audio. This assumes your DVD player has HDMI out.
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    Hello edDv. Thanks for the feedback also! The only reason I used those cheap cables was because that's all I had on hand from my old 1990 RCA TV which had various components connected using them. I had a feeling there were better cables out there but wanted something to get me started. You fully answered my last question to Jagabo, so thanks. (Jagabo, no need to reply on that one now.) I will go find and buy the premium cables soon. A guy at work here said to look at monoprice.com for good cables at cheap prices. He buys his PC cables there and thinks they may also have audio and video ones. If you have any comment on their cables, good or bad, I'd welcome it. Jagabo, you also.

    Thanks again, S Caldwell
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