# Cable box to TV



## Vroosh821 (Dec 17, 2009)

According to Comcast, I can get either a digital cable box with a 2 video 1 audio (component) output or an HD cable box with a 3 video 2 audio (component) output. The cable box with an HDMI output is not an option w/o an upgrade to my current cable package. My TV has a YPbPr component input, which is analog. I have a few questions:

1) Will either box with component cables provide an improvement in image quality over an input coax cable, since the signals will be digital but the inputs to my TV are analog?
2) How does a 2 video output component cable work? All 3 cables (Y, Pb, Pr) seem crucial.

Thanks!


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## ebackhus (Apr 21, 2005)

Component requires 3 connectors and will NOT work with just two. I'm surprised they require a service upgrade. I work for Time Warner Cable and all of our HD boxes include HDMI for no extra cost in service.


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## yustr (Sep 27, 2004)

2 video + 1 audio = ???

1 video + 2 audio = composite (yellow = video, red/white = audio)
3 video + 2 audio = component (YPbPr = video, red/white = audio)

Try hooking up the TV directly to the cable. Then let it search for channels. My TV finds most - but not all - of the HD channels comming into the house. The TV may assign strange channel numbers e.g. 8.3 or 61.1.


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## Vroosh821 (Dec 17, 2009)

Thanks for your help. The Cox representative was probably mistaken, and the cheaper digital box probably provides composite not component outputs. I have just hooked up the coax cable to my LG tv, and the tv does find all the channels including some HD channels, but the image quality on all non-HD channels and most HD channels is terrible. I think that the quality of the TV display when using a coax input depends on the electronics inside the TV, and Sony has much better electronics than LG does. I will try out the cable box that provides a component output and see how things go!


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## ebackhus (Apr 21, 2005)

If they are broadcasting a digital signal then it should either look good or show nothing at all. If I connect my cable line directly to my TV it'll detect both the analog signals and the digital simulcast signals. The analog looks great and the digital even better.

As for Sony vs LG I'd rather buy the LG. Sony used to make top-shelf equipment but now they ride on their name and the quality has suffered.


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