Can I use a set of high-quality Component video cables as high-quality compsite video cables?

June 16, 2009 11:46 AM

Can I use a set of high-quality Component video cables as high-quality compsite video cables?

I need to buy three component video cables. I want ones of reasonably good quality. A store near my house is selling a set of decent-looking component video cables (Monster Ultra 600). To my untrained eye, the component video cable set looks a lot like three composite video cables in one box.

Would it make sense to buy those, instead of separate composite cables ? Or is there some way in which component video and composite video cables are different from each other?

posted by ManInSuit to technology (16 comments total)

I've used single composite cables to make a component connection -- pretty sure the cable ends (and construction) are identical, it's just the difference in how the signal is transmitted/received by the devices on either end. As long as you don't have some proprietary connection (like the Xbox) it should work fine.
posted by Pantengliopoli at 11:49 AM on June 16

(Argh. Sorry- I am careless, and inexpert about cables. My first sentence should read "I need to buy three composite video cables. "
posted by ManInSuit at 11:50 AM on June 16

Works in reverse too, as long as you don't need to separate them (since they're often physically attached to eachother.
posted by Pantengliopoli at 11:57 AM on June 16

Yes it's fine. Please dont buy overpriced Monster cables and get them somewhere like monoprice.
posted by wongcorgi at 11:58 AM on June 16

Don't buy Monster cables, period. Go to a professional studio and you won't see a Monster cable anywhere.
posted by shinynewnick at 12:04 PM on June 16

2nd Monoprice.
posted by pkphy39 at 12:17 PM on June 16

I'm in Canada, so a lot of the better mail-order options aren't available to me (or end up being expensive because of high shipping rates).

I know monster cables have a reputation for being overpriced, but they're on a vastly-reduced price at my neighbourhood store - $14.99 Canadian for the set of 3 cables- which doesn't seem too bad.

I don't need the very best thing in the world, or the very best price. If this deal is $15 for 3 pretty good cables, I'll be okay, I think. Maybe?
posted by ManInSuit at 12:19 PM on June 16

honestly where composite is concerned buy the very cheapest cables you can find. it will have appreciable difference in quality period. so if you can find composite cables for $1.49 each buy those. for my taste $14.99 for 3 composite cables is NOT a good deal.


-c
posted by chasles at 12:22 PM on June 16

CRUD!

make that say:

it will have NO appreciable difference....
posted by chasles at 12:23 PM on June 16

They have the same capacitance - they're the same cables. They just have different colours. So yes, you can.
posted by Mwongozi at 12:52 PM on June 16

I need to buy three component video cables. I want ones of reasonably good quality.

There is literally no difference. Buy the cheap composite cables and use those.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 1:19 PM on June 16

How long do these cables have to be? You may even get away with cheap audio cables. Cheap audio cables are often shielded improperly though, so...

Anyway, are you talking about Active Surplus? If not, you should at least check out what they have.
posted by Chuckles at 2:47 PM on June 16

Chuckles: No, Factory Direct. (Although I love Active, as every reasonable person does, and did buy some other cables there just last week.)
posted by ManInSuit at 3:46 PM on June 16

Well, $15 is okay for three nice runs of composite video cable, I guess. Certainly if Active can't compete, that tells you something :P If you're interested, I might have something.. Let me take a look at my cable inventory :)
posted by Chuckles at 6:49 PM on June 16

Prieviously on AskMetafilter
posted by cinemafiend at 9:10 PM on June 16

Weeks later:

It turns out that monoprice actually has really reasonable shipping rates to Canada, which is good to know.

Mostly, thought, I took to heart the general consensus on this thread - that crappy composite video cables are okay. I was just shopping to replace my "crappy" cables with "better" ones, which sounds non-useful. So I'm just sticking with what I have.
posted by ManInSuit at 12:21 PM on July 16