What Are Component Video Cables and How Do They Work?

The red, yellow and white cables we connect to our televisions to watch our DVDs were so common over the last decade that the likelihood of an adult reading this blog post having never seen them, is slim. This connection, called RCA or composite, carry both video and audio over those three wires, the yellow being video and the red and white, audio. 

Taking the yellow cable a step further, Component video breaks down the signal the RCA cables use for the one yellow wire for into three separate elements. The Y signal controls brightness and contrast, C controls red and blue colors, and green colors are extrapolated when all three signals are read. Thus, this is sometimes known as Red, Green, Blue or an RGB interface. 

Like the RCA and S video, Component video is analog. Analog video is capable of only 480i. That’s 720x480 interlaced @ 59.94 Hertz (NTSC) or 720x576 interlaced @ 50 Hertz (PAL).

Depending on your TV and assorted equipment such as a Blu-ray player and the quality of your Component cable, Component can technically reach 1080p but there are few players that support it due to copy protection. Thus, Component is generally limited to 720p or 1080i.

What’s Better HDMI or Component?

Equipment is a big factor. Even if your cables are of the highest quality, some televisions support higher image resolution via Component, where others don’t even have a Component input. Some other devices such as Blu-ray players may have Component outputs, but might not support the high resolution pictures.

Other factors that could contribute to analog signal interferences include, but are not limited to, Electro Magnetic Interference (EMI) that are signals from other devices like power cords or magnets in speakers. You can, however, purchase surge protectors that reduce EMI noise such as the one seen below.

Under even the most perfect circumstances, you might find that your Blu-ray player looks better over a Component connection than it does over HDMI. You may find that your cable television looks far better over HDMI than Component.

Still, there are some analog purists who contend that analog is better than digital—but this is an opinion of choice. Analog vs. digital is much like the argument of which is better: Vinyl records or CDs and their ability to capture the exact sounds originally recorded in a recording studio.

Something else to consider when selecting a cable to carry your signal is convenience. Component Video has three cables that deliver an analog video signal—and it ONLY does video. You will still need to figure something out for your audio. HDMI is one cable that handles high definition digital video AND digital audio, saving time running and plugging in wires.

CZ Labs offers component cables and HDMI connectors—we are your one stop business, especially if you’re looking to buy in bulk at wholesale prices.

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One-Stop Guide to the Most Common Cables & Length Reaches

Most of the time when we get computers or theater equipment, they come with cables that are of a proper length and we have no problems. However, there are times when these cables simply aren’t long enough. For example, perhaps we want to run music to the living room, but the equipment is in the basement.

Here we take a look at the most common cable lengths and their recommended lengths per purpose.

Cat 5e / Cat6 / Cat7

The common network cables, the Category 5, Category 6 and Category 7 cables have some limitations with respect to cable length. Although there’s no definitive cut off point where the signal simply will not travel past, the maximum recommended distance to run a Cat5 cable is 100 meters, or around 329 feet for a 10/100 connection, and only about 82 feet for a gigabit connection.

This is not to say a Cat5 cable won’t work if the distance is longer, however, the risk of signal degradation is far higher at longer distances.

Should you need to go longer than these lengths it’s recommended that you use either a repeater, or a network switch to boost the signal to around 100 meters.

Audio

The common audio cable we use to plug our earphones into our MP3 players delivers high quality stereo sound, but will experience quality loss at around 25 feet. For connections longer than this, it’s recommended to use either a stereo audio extender, or a digital audio extender.

Coaxial

The length of a coaxial cable really depends on the type of signal it’s carrying. Higher bandwidth traffic is going to require a shorter travel distance. An analog standard definition television signal will maintain quality on a high end coaxial cable at around 1,000 feet or more, whereas an HD signal is limited to closer to 300 feet. Cable quality is also a big factor. A low end cable will run about 100 feet, where high end cables with proper terminations can carry the same signal for over 1,000 feet.

Fiber

Multi-Mode and Single-Mode. The difference being that Multi-Mode has a bigger core. This basically means the Multi-Mode can carry many more wavelengths of light, thus more data. However it has a shorter distance restriction.  

There are two major kinds of Fiber cables,

Multi-Mode cables can handle 10Gbit/s over 1000 feet without a repeater, and anywhere between 10Mbit/s to 10 Gbit/s up to 2,000 feet. 

Single-Mode can carry 10Gbit/s or up to around 62 MILES, and 1 Gbit/s up to 621 miles!

DVI

Typically you can use up to a 50 foot DVI cable with monitors up to around 19 inches (up to 1280x1024 resolution). For bigger monitors it is recommended that you use cables no longer than around 15 feet in length.

Maximum Length: Up to 15 feet at high resolutions (above 1280x1024), or up to 50 feet at lower resolutions (1280x1024 and below)

Firewire

this product has a distance limit of 14.5 feet, although using active repeaters can enable the daisy chaining of up to 10 cables.

Introduced in the late 1980s by Apple,

HDMI

The currently reigning cable for high definition audio / visual experiences, the HDMI cable has a maximum length of 16 feet with a standard cable, and up to 50 feet with a high quality cable.

Component / Composite

There is currently no published maximum distance for these cables because they are analog and subject to too many variables to accurately predict. However, length will play a part in the quality of the signal and the standard accepted limit for these is between 25 and 30 feet.

USB
 

Developed in the mid-90s, this cable was designed to standardize connections of most computer peripherals. As such, it is not designed to go super long distances without a repeater. Standard maximum length of a USB cord is generally 16 feet.

VGA

Perhaps the most recognized video connection for computer users is the blue connector with the two thumbscrews, known as the VGA connector. This carries a video signal from your computer to your monitor. This is an analog signal, and is thus greatly impacted by a number of variables. The length of this cable will drastically impact your video image. 

The maximum length depends greatly on the resolution of the image it carries. Low resolution (up to 800x600) can be carried around 100 feet before running into troubles. Mid-range (1280x1024) maxes out somewhere between 50 and 100 feet. Anything higher should be limited to around 25 feet.

Like the composite / component connections, there is no standardized limit, as it’s an analog signal, so these are the generally accepted limits.

CZ Labs is a wholesale distributor of cables and connectors. We hope you’ll visit our online store and be sure to bookmark our blog. We also invite you to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

What Are the Advantages of HDMI Cables?

High Definition Multimedia Interface, or HDMI, is the name for the current cable connection of choice for home entertainment systems. This cable offers crystal clear video and audio in a single cable connection, such as from a Blu-Ray player to an HDTV. 

Development of this cable began in April of 2002 as a group effort of several big names in the industry, including Sony, Toshiba RCA, and Philips; with the goal of creating a single cable solution to carry two-way high definition traffic at very high speeds. Although currently most HD-TVs are capable of 1080p, HDMI cables are capable of delivering far higher quality, ensuring their usefulness as HD-TVs exceed current limitations.

HDMI uses what’s called a “Hand Shake” technology to connect devices that allows it to help manufacturers prevent unauthorized copying of copyrighted materials. This is a feature called HDCP or High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection. A device without HDCP is not capable of receiving the HDMI content.

A high quality HDMI cable will carry a signal usually around 30 feet at max levels, before requiring an amplifier. Other solutions to go further are to convert to Cat5, Cat6, or even fiber cables.

When selecting an HDMI cable, ensure that the HDMI logo is molded into the cable’s connector, or imprinted somewhere on the cable connector itself. If it’s not there, you could have one of many cheaper knock-offs, which will make the connection but will disappoint with quality.

Two Bonuses of HDMI Connectors

1. Quality - HDMI is currently able to deliver the clearest audio and video. While other solutions may be cheaper, they deliver a far inferior level of quality. 
2. One Cable - Other audio / visual solutions not only deliver lower quality, but in cases like RCA cables it requires 3 connections. In most other cases, you’ll either get only video, as is the case with S-Video, or only video, as with DVI.

Coaxial Cables vs. HDMI

While the coaxial cable does offer both audio and visual, its limitations are nowhere near the 1080p of HDMI. Coaxial cables top out at a mere 480i. Even though it is a coaxial cable that comes from your wall and into your set top box, the signal is decoded in the set top box and must be delivered by a high quality connection.

If you were to use coaxial cable to come out of your set top box, and into your television, all of your HD channels would be limited to 480i, and you’d get those thick gray bars on the top and bottom of your screen. Also, your audio would not be digital, although the picture would.

There are some components (like the RCA, but rated for HD) that can rival the HDMI cable, however, you have to know what you’re doing with this technology, have a little money to spend and the television and other such components must be top of the line. These high-tech options tend to be more expensive than HDMI cables; they are Analog (not digital) and require three connections.

One can see there are advantages of HDMI cables including ease of use and performance. CZ Labs offers many HDMI products in our online store where we cater to the wholesale market and offer bulk discounts.

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Breakdown of Category 5, 5e, 6 and 7 Cables

Most of us have come across a network cable in our travels. It’s the cable that plugs into the computer at work, or perhaps at home that’s shaped like a telephone cable, only bigger with a wider connector. Truth be told, they’re not a whole lot different from the cables that connect our phones to the wall, with the exception of having twice the number of wires inside, and a fatter connector. 

Over the years this cable has been improved upon although you wouldn’t necessarily know it to look at one vs. another. Here, we breakdown category 5, 5e, 6 and 7 cables.

Cat5
 

The network cable you first met was likely a category 5 (Cat5). This cable was the first to be able to move data at 100MHz, and has very nearly become the standard network connection cable all over the world. Loved for its effectiveness and low cost, it’s the most readily available network cable anywhere.

This is the “go to” cable for 10/100 networks, as it easily provides data at 100Mbps. 

Cat5e
 

You may have also heard of category 5 enhanced cable, or Cat5e. The “e” (as alluded to above) stands for “Enhanced.” Slightly different than their predecessor, the Cat5e cables were created to help make gigabit networks (10/100/1000)* a reality. Essentially, these are just a better version of Cat5, offering a higher degree of reliability and throughput.

Cat6
 

Much more advanced than Cat5/5e is the Category 6 cable. This is made of up of the same elements as 5/5e, (i.e. twisted copper cables), however, these cables are separated by what’s known as a “longitudinal separator” This greatly reduces “Crosstalk.”

Think of four people sitting around a small round table. Each of these people has a cell phone to their ear, and they are holding conversations; each their own different discussion. One of these folks is on the phone with you, and you can clearly hear bits and pieces of all four conversations, making it difficult to hear the person you’re talking to.

Enter the longitudinal separator. This is little more than a partition between the four talkers, greatly diminishing the crosstalk and making it easier for you to pay attention to your conversation.

Forward thinking would suggest going with Cat6 is wise as technology marches on and the quest for a clearer, stronger signal is never ending. These cables are backward compatible, and have doubled the bandwidth of Cat5/5e, weighing in at 10 gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000/10,000). 

Cat7
 

The latest standard of Ethernet interconnections, Cat7 cables were not widely embraced. Although performance was enhanced, it was not an earth-shattering enhancement, and this cable does not use the same connectors as its predecessors, rendering its use more expensive. There are plans to make it backward compatible, but it will require a different connector, which may not be able to perform as well.

More Information
 

While Cat7 is a very recent standard, Cat8 standards are currently emerging, proving as stated above, that indeed technology marches on!

*a bit about the designation of “10/100” in an apples to apples comparison: When you purchase home Internet, and your provider tells you “You’ll get 30Mb download speed!” This is what we’re talking about. The Cat5 can support up to 100Mb. It’s seldom that your ISP will fully utilize a network speed of 100Mbps, but in a corporate environment, where files are moved from one place to another routinely, this sort of bandwidth is quickly consumed!

CZ Labs sells at the category 5, 5e & 6 cables you're looking for--and in bulk! We invite you to visit our online store and start saving and also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.