Component Video Cables (YPbPr)

How component video splits the picture over three plugs

Component video sends the picture over three separate RCA plugs: green for brightness (Y), and blue and red for color difference (Pb and Pr). That is sharper than composite and can carry high definition, up to 1080i or 1080p depending on the source and the TV. It carries video only, so sound needs a separate red and white stereo cable or a digital audio cable. Plug each color into its matching socket, since mixing them up gives a tinted or missing picture.

Converting component to HDMI takes a powered box

Component and HDMI are different kinds of signal, so a passive cable cannot join them. Going from an old component source to an HDMI screen needs an active converter, usually powered over USB or from a small adapter, while the opposite route, HDMI to component, needs a converter that may be blocked by copy protection on some content. Check the resolutions a converter supports and whether it passes audio. Several listings here are other products entirely, including power strips and audio cables, so look for component or YPbPr in the title.

Questions about Component Video Cables (YPbPr)

Is component video better than composite?

Yes. Component splits the signal into three parts, giving sharper detail and cleaner color, and it can carry high-definition video where composite is limited to standard definition. Both are analog and neither carries sound.

Does a component cable carry sound?

No, it is video only. Add a red and white stereo audio cable, or a digital optical or coaxial cable if both devices have those outputs and inputs, and plug it into the matching sockets.

Can I connect component output to an HDMI TV?

Only through a powered converter that accepts component video and outputs HDMI. A plain cable cannot do it. Check the converter's supported resolutions and whether it handles audio, since component is picture only.