Expert: Joseph - 1/19/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi, I have a new PS 3 and a 1080i hd television (not 1080p but i) that does NOT have hdmi input on it.
I watched a blu-ray movie on it with regular cables that came with the PS3, and I couldn't see the HD or blu-ray quality at all.
Since I hva no hdmi port on the TV, I heard I can use the next best thing, which is component cables?  If I buy component cables, will I see the big difference in watching blu ray movies?? (I'm not too concerned about video games, just the blu ray movies ) Or are blu ray movies useless unless I have a 1080p Televison with an hdmi input?? Thanks !


ANSWER: The av cables that came with the system won't broadcast an HD signal.  Component cables do.  You will notice a big difference.  I'm not 100% sure if component cables will give you 1080i, but they will do 720p.  Quite frankly, the difference between 720p and 1080i arn't that big, and you really wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the two.  I highly recommend getting the component cables, you'll get a much better picture.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks so much.   And just so I'm clear...a 1080p television with an HDMI cable is even better than the component cable and is the optimal quality??

Answer
Correct.  1080p is the best resolution available on the market today.  HDMI cables will give the highest quality signal possible and you'll need one for 1080p.  Remember that right now only blu-ray movies really are the only thing that take advantage of 1080p.  Most games are only 720p (check the back of the game case and it should tell you what is supports) and HD tv from a cable or satellite provider 90% of the time is 720p.