Connect your PC to your TV : S-Video/RCA Composite vs. VGA/SVGA
I’ve been using my PC to HDTV VGA/SVGA cable a lot lately and am quite impressed with the video quality. It’s a shame that everybody can’t get such a great connection - usually because not all HDTVs have “pc input” (the same as a standard VGA/SVGA monitor connection). I used to be one of those folks - and had previously used s-video to s-video or s-video to RCA composite connections to a standard “tube” television.
The best display resolution you can get with a VGA/SVGA cable is the highest supported by BOTH your PC’s graphics controller and your HDTV. For example, if your PC supports both 1024 x 768 and 1280 x 1024 but your HDTV only supports 1024 x 768, then your best resolution will be 1024 x 768. So, as is the case with my wife’s Toshiba Satellite laptop, we have to change the resolution depending on whether it’s connected to the HDTV or not. Using the laptop alone, we change to the higher 1280 x 1024 resolution; connected to the HDTV, we have to downgrade a notch to 1024 x 768. Fortunately the Intel Extreme graphics controller software allows us to save “schemes,” which makes toggling back and forth a snap.
Since my HDTV also has composite inputs, I thought it would be interesting to compare the s-video/RCA composite quality to the VGA/SVGA quality. S-video and RCA composite video are older standards and both support up to 728 x 576 resolution (standard definition). Our HDTV does not have an s-video input, so I used an s-video to composite cable for this test. The results would be identical for an s-video to s-video cable.
VGA/SVGA Cable
The image below is a photograph of my HDTV displaying an VGA/SVGA image. The screen resolution is 1024 x 768 pixels.
S-Video/RCA Composite Cable
Below is the same image as displayed in standard definition with an s-video to RCA composite cable. For comparison, take a look at the third line from the top.
Bottom line, the VGA/SVGA cable from PCTVCables.com is your best bet. It’s affordable, it supports high-definition, almost all PC’s have this standard video output, and it comes with a built-in audio cable. If you’re shopping for a new HDTV, make sure it has “pc input!”
Tags: cable, composite, hdtv, pc, rca, rca composite, resolution, s-video, svga, svideo, test, tv, vga