Exactly. For non-prog, there is a difference I'm sure (haven't tried with the GC) but you won't notice it unless you do a side-by-side comparison, or are a super hardcore videophile and really no what to look for. Especially on smaller (i.e. 27" tvs). If you have a large screen projection, the difference will likely be more noticeable, even if it isn't and HD set.

I have my DVD hooked up to my components on my 27" Wega, and I really couldn't tell any difference from S-video, I still stuck with it as it freed up an S-video slot on my receiver.

For non progressive scan games I can totally notice the differrence using component on my 32 inch Samsung CRT. The colors are so much more defined. And the contrast is as good as it gets.
Progressive scan, thoretically and apparrently just makes the pictures sharper, like a computer monitor.

I don't like Monster at all, in fact I hate them. But they are definitely better than $10 cables from Radio Shack. They are great quality cables, just overpriced.

The reason why component switchers cost so much is because not as many people buy them. Once demand increases (if ever), prices will come down. Mass production = lower prices.

Depending on your vision, you may not notice a differencebetween using a composite switcher to switch component video vs a dedicated component switcher when it comes to switching 480i and even maybe 480p sources. But if you try to use a composite swticher to switch 720p and 1080i HD video, you will definitely see lots of signal loss.

Bottom line: if you can't afford a component switcher, go ahead and use a composite switcher to switch PS2 component video and maybe even GCN component video. But do not do it for XBox HD games on your HDTV.

I, personally, can't tell a difference when using Monster cables, and the $10 cables for Radio Shack.

That's what I was getting at. Unless your a videophile and know what to look for, or are anal and do side by side comparisons, you're probably not going to notice any major difference, if you notice any at all.

I'm personally grateful that I'm not that into A/V quality, it saves me money, and keeps me from having my gaming and movie watching experience ruined by noticing minor imperfections. :D

I've been using one of those cheapo A/V switchers for quite some time on component signals and haven't noticed any quality degradation.

The reason the real component switchers are more expensive is because usually they are electronically controlled instead of manually controlled. The manual switchers are usually fairly ghetto in that you push a button and it just changes which input is bridged to the output mechanically. The more expensive ones usually do it electronically - which is something else you have to watch out for since low-end electronic switchers might not be able to handle the higher bandwidth through their circuitry for an optimal picture (at least thats what I read).

But using a manual switcher is no different than joining 2 cable runs together with some kind of female-to-female adapter. Sure, you might introduce a tiny bit of noise into the signal at the joining point, but you can't really see the difference.

I know I've mentioned this before, but...

I got a composite/s-video switcher at Radio Shack for $40. My TV has one component input and one s-video input, so I ran one of each from the switcher to the TV, and I've got my Xbox and DVD using the component, with the Tivo and Gamecube using the s-video. It works flawlessly for me. The only caveat is that you'll need a receiver for all of the audio, so everything will need to be really close together.