Component video vs VGA

dubstub

Hi all,
I've recently built my media centre and all in all I'm very happy with it, save a couple of Vista glitches.
My graphics card is a Gigabyte Radeon X1600 and my TV is a 26" Sony Bravia 26S2000. When I first set it up I simply used a bog standard PC VGA cable to connect to the TV's PC input and set the display output to 1360x738 - the display looked great but I had a feeling that prolonged use on normal text would eventually hurt your eyes, plus I wanted to get the best possible picture quality out of it.
I purchased a €65 component video cable from Peats yesterday (wasn't really intending to spend that much) and connected it to the bundled adapter for the graphics card which plugs into the S-Video port and set the switch to HDTV.
I'm really disappointed with the quality. In 1080i mode the text is all fuzzy and the refresh rate doesn't seem high enough. In 720p mode the text is better but it still looks more pixalated than the standard VGA cable. When booting up, the 480i mode looks terrible.
I've spent ages changing the display settings and couldn't get it to improve - seems strange that the port that's dedicated for display to TV, along with a high quality cable would give such poor performance when an analog VGA signal is so much better.
So, my question is does anyone have any experience with this card? Am I just doing something silly?
Will a DVI -> HDMI cable provide better quality? I'd really appreciate any help with this as I'd like to get the best out of my setup.
Thanks.

8T8

Well a few pointers:
* Component is inferior to VGA in terms of picture quality.

* The native resolution is 1366x768 this can only be forced over digital links like DVI or HDMI for 1:1 pixel mapping to correct the text rendering.

* 1080i (1920x1080) is not actually possible on the display although the TV accepts a 1080i input from some sources like a games console it internally scales it down to the panels own resolution.

* 720p which is 1280x720 is closer to the native resolution which is why it looks better.

In summary you need a DVI->HDMI cable to get the 1:1 pixel mapping.

mathias

Yup , 8T8 is on the ball as usual , went through all those options like the OP before buying a 16€ DVI to HDMI and the picture from that was perfect. Pin sharp and clearly legible from the couch , couldn't ask for better.

I have a panasonic 32 inch with two hdmi sockets , even though the manual says not to connect a pc its been on it now for a year without any issues.

dubstub

Thanks guys. Went back to Peats yesterday and switched the component cable for a DVI -> HDMI cable.
The picture quality hasn't improved much. It's still clearest in either 1280x768 or
1360x768. When in 1280x768 the TV moves into 720p and when it's 1360x768 the TV moves into 1080i mode.
I think the reason the quality is low is that the TV is attempting to force a non-native resolution into its own resolution and scaling the image causing blurring. That's just a guess though.
When using the VGA cable it plugs into a port on the TV marked PC and the TV doesn't attempt to provide any scaling on the image; it just displays it.
Still, a pain. Won't be able to return the cable to Peats as I had to tear the box to open it. I'll play with settings a bit more tonight but I think I'll just settle for a VGA cable into the monitor. The quality is good but I had thought I'd get better from another input type.

8T8

When in 1280x768 the TV moves into 720p and when it's 1360x768 the TV moves into 1080i mode.

That is a little odd but I'm guessing Sony have programmed that resolution to act as the 1080i scaled down resolution in the display. The VGA PC input is probably immune intentionally from the scaling feature.

However remember that 1366x768 is the native resolution and this custom resolution must be forced though the graphics cards driver control panel or via a third party program like Powerstrip.

WalkOn

Had the same problem myself got the DVI to HDMI cable as sugested and the picture is still better when i use the good old VGA cable connected to the PC input on my Samsung 32". I have tried all settings even tried with my MAC mini to rule out the video card in my PC, same issue, just not the crisp... (when running in 1080 x 720p)

dubstub

WalkOn wrote:

Had the same problem myself got the DVI to HDMI cable as sugested and the picture is still better when i use the good old VGA cable connected to the PC input on my Samsung 32". I have tried all settings even tried with my MAC mini to rule out the video card in my PC, same issue, just not the crisp... (when running in 1080 x 720p)

Yeah, I've come to the same conclusion. I've tried both composite and DVI->HDMI and decided that VGA is the best option. I think it really depends on the TV. With the VGA input my TV optimises the image the best. All the others apply some scaling or similar that distorts the image. Even forcing 1366x768 mode didn't do it.