Gamecube Component cables

I just looked around for prices on GC Component cables. What is up with them? They seem to either be rare, scarce, out of stock, or hideously expensive ($50 on ebay).

Is there something going on, or has it always been like this?

its only sold officially through Nintendo's own site

As well as being sold only by Nintendo, you also must have one of the first GameCubes made in order to use the cables. After the first few runs of Cubes, the port required for component output was removed for all further hardware runs.

The method of using it is a pain in the ass as well, at least for a console. You have to use the component cables for the video feed, but you still have to use the normal output slot for audio meaning you have two different sets of cables coming from the Cube.

[quote name='AdvOfJet']As well as being sold only by Nintendo, you also must have one of the first GameCubes made in order to use the cables. After the first few runs of Cubes, the port required for component output was removed for all further hardware runs.

The method of using it is a pain in the ass as well, at least for a console. You have to use the component cables for the video feed, but you still have to use the normal output slot for audio meaning you have two different sets of cables coming from the Cube.[/QUOTE]

Actually its a little more convenient if your running your sound through a surround sound system that is seperate from the TV.

Are there third party component cables? I've not seen any, even at Play-asia and lik-sang.

Just use S-Video, it's easier and doesn't make a huge difference on an SDTV.

[quote name='AdvOfJet']As well as being sold only by Nintendo, you also must have one of the first GameCubes made in order to use the cables. After the first few runs of Cubes, the port required for component output was removed for all further hardware runs.

The method of using it is a pain in the ass as well, at least for a console. You have to use the component cables for the video feed, but you still have to use the normal output slot for audio meaning you have two different sets of cables coming from the Cube.[/QUOTE]

Also means you can have dual video outputs, the gamecube is capable of driving two displays at once. (though obviously not both in progressive scan) Great for when you have small displays and don't wanna cram people too close together (too bad you can't split the image into halves/quarters) and it allows you to have your gamecube hooked up to a monitor for pscan games, but then switch easily to a TV for interlaced games.

BTW, there are no 3rd party cables because the cube doesn't contain the hardware necessary to output component video, the chip is located in the base of the cable making it more expensive and difficult for 3rd parties to produce component cables. It also means that nintendo really had no good reason to remove the digital out port, since the cost was bundled mostly into the cables and not the system. The gamecube outputs a digital RGB signal (plus digital sound, you can mod a component cable to output digital sound from a gamecube), then one of the several hi-def cables gamecube supported would convert the signal to match their display. There were component, d-sub, and (modified) VGA cables. I'd imagine that it's technically possible for the cube to support any form of output because the signal conversion happens outside the system, whereas the other systems would either need their hardware modded or else they could only support the video formats that support was built in for. (I also believe that the component cable signal convertor was higher quality than what was in xbox or ps2, but heck it was a $30 cable, I'm not sure if later xbox's and ps2's caught up but my 1st gen xbox has significantly worse component output quality than my gamecube.

[quote name='dental_regurgitation']Just use S-Video, it's easier and doesn't make a huge difference on an SDTV.[/QUOTE]
Eventually, I'm moving away from SDTV to the DIY projector setup, using an LCD monitor, which is why I wanted to know.

yea, i haven't picked these up yet either. $50 is way too much for cables, especially since I got the system for $80.

the cables have always been a pain to find, and the cube only supports 480p anyway so it's not a huge deal any.

Has anybody tried the component cables with a component to vga adapter like the one here?

I have a 20" Dell monitor so the S-video still looks fuzzy through it. $100 on cables and the adapter seems like a bit much though.

I bought mine from Nintendo for $30 right when it came out and the upgrade is noticeably better on a nice tv. I would say if you have a high-def set and lots of games then it may be worth the purchase. Especially if the wavebirds won't work with the revolution. I know I'm keeping my cube.

Just a warning though, if you buy a GC game that doesn't support progressive scan it looks like crap on a HDTV. The games look really dark and hard to make out.

[quote name='encendido5']Has anybody tried the component cables with a component to vga adapter like the one here?

I have a 20" Dell monitor so the S-video still looks fuzzy through it. $100 on cables and the adapter seems like a bit much though.[/QUOTE]

I have an adapter very similar to that, it works well, however if you're hooking up to a computer monitor you'd probably be better off buying a vga cable from ahead games, www.aheadgames.com. Well, only if your monitor has the option to adjust image size and all that, because an LCD will probably stretch the image...
Then again, I never really had problems using a component to vga adapter, I always just used the auto adjust on my monitor and things worked out well, some games even have a 5:4 ratio, presumebly because the NTSC standard is not 640x480 but slighlty larger. Right now I'm using an uber expensive viewsonic n6 video scaler, it works for interlaced games as well but I find the quality isn't as high as the component to vga adapter for pscan games. Presumebly a vga cable would offer the highest quality.

Oh, and pscan only looks much better over interlaced for 60 fps games, 30 fps games are pretty much the same on both, though pscan is slightly cleaner. (note, on an LCD or plasma and probably DLP display pscan looks much better no matter what)

Your best bet is to order from Nintendo.com's store now and wait for them to ship. I ordered back in February and they said I'd get 'em in March. And I got them in March so I was happy.

I'm not sure why scdoanintendo has problems running non-progressive games on his GC but all games looked cleaner after I used the component cables and the the ones that supported 480p looked much sharper.

I didn't even know they made those VGA cables. Cheaper than buying the combo for sure, but I do want the option of playing on an HDTV once I get one. Maybe I'll just wait on them though and see how the Revo pans out. Hopefully it also supports progressive scan on Gamecube games.

I have a brand new set in my tradelist...

someone shoot me an offer. They even come with the box.

I'm actually less concerned about progressive scan and more concerned about bleeding colors etc. Component cables will make ALL games look drastically better on an HD display, not just prog-scan games.

[quote name='encendido5']I didn't even know they made those VGA cables. Cheaper than buying the combo for sure, but I do want the option of playing on an HDTV once I get one. Maybe I'll just wait on them though and see how the Revo pans out. Hopefully it also supports progressive scan on Gamecube games.[/QUOTE]

Many HDTVs have VGA ports.

I'm actually less concerned about progressive scan and more concerned about bleeding colors etc. Component cables will make ALL games look drastically better on an HD display, not just prog-scan games.

Click to expand...

Truth, though I've found nintendo's official svideo cables are about equal in color saturation, however inferior in sharpness. I have a 3rd party svideo cable that's pretty close in sharpness to component (assuming pscan not used) but way worse in color saturation.

[quote name='Fox5']Many HDTVs have VGA ports.

[/QUOTE]

Good to know... I'm still a n00b with the HD technology.

Is HDMI considered superior to VGA?

[quote name='encendido5']Good to know... I'm still a n00b with the HD technology.[/QUOTE]

Well, make sure that the TV does have VGA first.

Is HDMI considered superior to VGA?

Click to expand...

Yes.

Cable quality goes from...

RF- Everything combined on one signal.
Composite- Splits stereo sound off of video. Limited to something like 320x240 res (not exact because it's analog).

Svideo- Splits the video signal into color and light or something like that. Limited to widescreen NTSC res.

Component- Further splits the signal, but focuses on color accuracy and light intensity but not so much on precision. (I think it may also be able to transmit data in a way that focuses on precision instead) I believe all of our electronic equipment works in RGB (so focused more on precision) instead of YUV, so this format features the downsides of both YUV output and RGB rendering.

RGB- Transmit the color information and is very precise so it gives a sharper image than component. Also doesn't have to deal with the RGB to YUV conversion.

VGA- Basically RGB but now sync timings are transmitted so the image should have the correct aspect ratio and positioning. These additional signals aren't needed to a TV as TVs only support certain fixed resolutions and refresh rates. I'm not sure if D-Sub is closer to VGA or RGB.

DVI- A digital RGB signal ensuring no image quality degradation. I believe also additional information is transmitted to ensure 100% color precision and correct image positioning and aspect ratios.

HDMI- Same as DVI, but audio is bundled into the cable as well. The audio signal is still seperate from the video signal however.

PS2 has native support for RGB and VGA, but most software doesn't enable support for VGA.

Gamecube just outputs a digital RGB signal (plus digital PCM sound) and then relies on an external encoder chip to convert it to the correct signal. Gamecube could theoretically support any connection type, but the highest I've seen are RGB/D-Sub/VGA, simply because Nintendo already released the hardware necessary to convert to these (the chip in the component/d-sub cables). I'd imagine a conversion to DVI is also possible if someone wanted to make the cable and encoder chip.

Xbox does not have native support for VGA, so its highest quality signal is component. I believe it can be internally modded to support RGB/VGA, I think it uses an encoder chip similar to what's in the gamecube vga cables, except it's in the system and lower quality. (at least on 1st gen xbox's) I'm not sure about the RGB support, do true RGB cables exist for xbox, or are they like the majority of the gamecube ones that just output svideo?

For audio...
There's the standard RCA jacks which output stereo.
And digital cables that output stereo. There's coaxial and optical. Coaxial is basically a heavy duty RCA cable and transmits an electrical signal, optical uses a laser and a glass wire. Not sure which might offer better quality, but optical cables are more fragile and need to be lined up correctly with the laser to get a signal, so I think they suck. I've had a heck of a lot of problems with my xbox's audio because it uses optical cables.

Then there are the formats DTS, Dolby Pro Logic (2), and Dolby Digital. All of these are surround sound compressed into stereo channels. However, digital offers more bandwidth than analog cables, so the digital compressions are less lossy. I don't know why they just don't do uncompressed surround sound, it's definetely possible to make a cable that can transmit 5.1 surround sound. (maybe even a standard coaxial cable has the bandwidth?)

[quote name='Fox5']
Component- Further splits the signal, but focuses on color accuracy and light intensity but not so much on precision. (I think it may also be able to transmit data in a way that focuses on precision instead) I believe all of our electronic equipment works in RGB (so focused more on precision) instead of YUV, so this format features the downsides of both YUV output and RGB rendering.

RGB- Transmit the color information and is very precise so it gives a sharper image than component. Also doesn't have to deal with the RGB to YUV conversion.

VGA- Basically RGB but now sync timings are transmitted so the image should have the correct aspect ratio and positioning. These additional signals aren't needed to a TV as TVs only support certain fixed resolutions and refresh rates. I'm not sure if D-Sub is closer to VGA or RGB.[/QUOTE]

Although RGB is superior to Component in terms of color accuracy, you're forgetting the fact that RGB is not progressive scan (RGB w/ progressive scan is the definition of VGA). In my opinon, when you factor in progressive scan,
Component+Progressive Scan > RGB

BTW, D-Sub isn't closer to either VGA or RGB. It is exactly the same as Component, just with a different shape connector (at least in Japan).

[quote name='chunk']Although RGB is superior to Component in terms of color accuracy, you're forgetting the fact that RGB is not progressive scan (RGB w/ progressive scan is the definition of VGA). In my opinon, when you factor in progressive scan,
Component+Progressive Scan > RGB

BTW, D-Sub isn't closer to either VGA or RGB. It is exactly the same as Component, just with a different shape connector (at least in Japan).[/QUOTE]

Ah, I thought D-Sub was VGA with a different connector.

And yeah, component with progressive scan is better than RGB alone, but you can have progressive scan + rgb, and in some rare cases you can do it without vga. (just a progressive scan supporting device with some other RGB connector besides VGA)

[quote name='Fox5']And yeah, component with progressive scan is better than RGB alone, but you can have progressive scan + rgb, and in some rare cases you can do it without vga. (just a progressive scan supporting device with some other RGB connector besides VGA)[/QUOTE]

Well, I don't know what kind of connector RGB usually uses, but in my experience the term "VGA" refers to a particular kind of signal (not the kind of connector that's usually used). A progressive scan RGB signal meets the specifications for VGA, so I consider it VGA, regardless of the kind of connector you use.

I can understand why you might consider it differently though, since colloquial terminology does not discriminate between connectors and signal types. For example, "Component" and "D-sub" technically refer to the connectors while the signal itself is really "YPbPr". :shrug: I guess it's an ambiguity that we just have to deal with since Joe Sixpack doesn't want to be citing IEEE specifications when he walks into Bestbuy.

[quote name='chunk']Well, I don't know what kind of connector RGB usually uses, but in my experience the term "VGA" refers to a particular kind of signal (not the kind of connector that's usually used). A progressive scan RGB signal meets the specifications for VGA, so I consider it VGA, regardless of the kind of connector you use.

I can understand why you might consider it differently though, since colloquial terminology does not discriminate between connectors and signal types. For example, "Component" and "D-sub" technically refer to the connectors while the signal itself is really "YPbPr". :shrug: I guess it's an ambiguity that we just have to deal with since Joe Sixpack doesn't want to be citing IEEE specifications when he walks into Bestbuy.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I guess what's generally referred to as a "VGA cable" is just a coaxial cable with 15 pin connectors on the ends.

Just to clarify, VGA can be a video signal or a connecter. However, VGA signals run at 640x480 at 16 colors. Certainly no TV around exists in VGA.

VGA cables use an uncompressed RGB signal, I believe, which can output most computer signals (XGA for 800x600 and 1024x768, SXGA for 1280x1024, etc), as well as TV signals.

DVI is functionally identical to VGA. What separates the two is fidelity of the signal. VGA uses an analog signal. This signal is, most likely, streamed to the monitor in sync with the refresh rate. The brightness is a function of the voltage of the signal. With a CRT monitor, the streaming will produce the picture quite accurately. However, with an LCD monitor, the monitor has to interpret the whole picture in a digital means. I'm assuming that an analog cable will send the data one pixel at a time to match the refresh rate. Therefore, each pixel will follow one after another. Crosstalk between the different voltages of pixels can affect the fidelity of the analog signal, whereas, in a DVI signal, the picture should stay intact since a digital signal is not susceptible to outside influences (EMI, for instance). The picture quality from a VGA cable is also as good as the monitor's decoder chip. With a good quality VGA cable and decoder chip, the picture should be almost, if not totally identical to a DVI signal.

That being said, the difference between the two is, most likely, so minute, only really sensitive tools could actually pick up the difference.

Component is also analog, and sends three signals. The first being luminescence, the second two being differences between red and blue. Green is derived from that signal. Compression is used here.

Composite does display its signal at a full 480 lines of resolution that SDTVs utilize. However, composite compresses all the video signals into a single line. When it tries to pull it all apart, crosstalk affects the video fidelity and quality suffers.

[quote name='capitalist_mao']Just to clarify, VGA can be a video signal or a connecter. However, VGA signals run at 640x480 at 16 colors. Certainly no TV around exists in VGA.

VGA cables use an uncompressed RGB signal, I believe, which can output most computer signals (XGA for 800x600 and 1024x768, SXGA for 1280x1024, etc), as well as TV signals.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, apart from the resolution and color requirements, VGA also requires a horizontal sync of at least 31 kHz. Most RGB signals that you can hack out of game consoles only give you 15 kHz, which is why they are considered RGB instead of VGA.

[quote name='scdoanintendo']Just a warning though, if you buy a GC game that doesn't support progressive scan it looks like crap on a HDTV. The games look really dark and hard to make out.[/QUOTE]

I'm gonna have to call you out on this one - I have the component cables and I have a 50" HD DLP. All games look mint, and even better when they do 480P. You can *gasp* read text clearly!

Sounds like some feature of your tv isnt tweaked properly.

I have 3 GameCubes, all with the component digital out port.

One runs with the first party component cables hooked up to a HiDef LCD set, with 5.1 sound. (My setup)
Second runs on the Zenith portable screen, with GBPlayer attachment. (This also attaches to #1 using the GC to GBA cable, and doubles as a larger GB screen. In addition, #1 and #2 are attached to each other using Broadband).
Third runs on S-video hooked up to another HiDef LCD set. (This setup is more for party atmosphere)

You are somewhat correct Frogger. Fine tuning your video display is very important. (Using the Remake or REZero test screens are good examples) However, scdoanintendo also has a point; there's only so much you can 'fine tune' on an HiDef set if you're still running composite cables (version currently included with retail GCs)

Because RE4 comes with two discs, I was able to test Component vs. S-video side-by-side. Of course, progressive scan was turned on. Only in a side-by-side will you really notice subtle differences; it's really minor anyway. But for video aficionados/aka graphic whores, it matters. Especially if you're trying to get the full experience.

[quote name='Mospeada_21']However, scdoanintendo also has a point; there's only so much you can 'fine tune' on an HiDef set if you're still running composite cables (version currently included with retail GCs)[/quote]

But he wasn't talking about composite cables. He was talking about component cables, but without progressive scan.

[quote name='Mospeada_21'] Because RE4 comes with two discs, I was able to test Component vs. S-video side-by-side. Of course, progressive scan was turned on. Only in a side-by-side will you really notice subtle differences; it's really minor anyway. But for video aficionados/aka graphic whores, it matters. Especially if you're trying to get the full experience.[/QUOTE]

If you had both side by side then you probably weren't actually playing, So the screen was probably relatively still. However, the benefits of progressive scan are only seen with moving images,

Maybe it's just me, but I think progressive scan makes a big difference.

[quote name='chunk']
If you had both side by side then you probably weren't actually playing, So the screen was probably relatively still. However, the benefits of progressive scan are only seen with moving images,[/QUOTE]

huh. good point! i didn't have four hands to play both at the same time. i'll need my brother's assistance next time.

however, benefits of progressive scan can also be seen during a freeze frame. JM2C.

I find that interlacing is the most noticeable during white-text-on-black-background credits, at least that's when I notice it the most often.

Resident Evil 4 is a poor indicator for how well progressive scan works; I dunno why but the pscan looks really fubared in that game. (as in barely better than interlaced, and nowhere near on par with other games) 1st party nintendo games are a far better comparision, or even 2nd party like starfox adventures and eternal darkness.

used component not composite btw

[quote name='Fox5']Resident Evil 4 is a poor indicator for how well progressive scan works; I dunno why but the pscan looks really fubared in that game. (as in barely better than interlaced, and nowhere near on par with other games) 1st party nintendo games are a far better comparision, or even 2nd party like starfox adventures and eternal darkness.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing. I just picked up RE4 at the TRU sale. When I fired it up in proscan I was like, "WTF?". I don't know what Capcom did, but they are cheating somehow.

F-Zero GX looks superb in progressive scan.

[quote name='Mospeada_21']however, benefits of progressive scan can also be seen during a freeze frame. JM2C.[/QUOTE]

Why do you say that?

It's a pain in the ass to get the component cables, and always has been. In fact, the Nintendo World Store doesn't even sell them, although I have no idea why they wouldn't.