Gamecube Cables
 

I just got a camecube. Does anyone have an opinion on how much better s-video looks compared to the regular rca video cables that are provided with the cube? I assume it is worth the $7.00. Also does anyone know where to find the component video cables for gamecube.
Thanks in advance for your input.

Component cables are, unless something has changed fairly recently, only available for order directly through Nintendo.

I ordered the S-Video from Nintendo's site. The difference is staggering!! Wow.

Component cables are still sold exclusively only at Nintendo's site.

<strike>i thought i had a universal cable (for gc, ps2, xbox) that has component video. i may be wrong... i will look into it right now.</strike>

never mind... i think i have an s-video version.

I'm in the group that only trusts first party hardware. If you're not as anal as I am, Monster Cables can be found a Best Buy for all 3 systems.

Monster only made s-video cables for GC, not component cables.

I bought an S-vid cable on ebay for a few dollars. The difference is huge.

Also, the S-video cable is the same one used for the SNES and N64, so if you have one of those laying around you can just use it.

There is a difference, more noticeable on larger TVs, but it's still a good bit of difference even on my 27" Wega.

Component really only makes a difference on HDTVs and large TVs, unless you're a hardcore videophile and know what to look for.

You'll find a few threads on this subject, but the general consensus seems to be that composite to s-video is pretty staggering. It depends on the filter your TV uses, I guess... but even on a 27" WEGA with a pretty good filter, s-video is still better (s-video bypasses the filter).

Component is a little better for non-progressive sources. If you have an HDTV with Progressive Scan capabilities, component is a must.

It also seems that, at least for the gamecube, there is very little difference between first party s-video cables and cheapy cables. And unless you need a really long cable, I wouldn't necessarily invest in a Monster s-video. Component cables, as people have said above, are only available direct from nintendo... because of the proprietary connector, no one else has come out with one.

I'd also recommend getting Video Essentials or some other calibration DVD, to calibrate the colors correctly. This can make a huge difference, and you may need different settings for different cables...

One problem with most of the third party cables, is that most have a plastic block on them, making it impossible to peel the video away from the audio cables, which can be a problem if you don't use a switcher and need to run the audio to a receiver, and the s-video directly to the TV.

Doesn't the 1st party nintendo cables have the same problem? I've held off on getting component cables from them because I heard that you can't separate the video from the audio, and unlike my other systems, the GC doesn't have an optical out as an alternate audio source...

The Gamecube's component cables plug into a seperate jack on the back of the system, and the cable are the video only portion. You use the standard A/V cable in the other jack to hook up audio.

No, the nintendo S-video cable can be peeled apart.

Thanks for all the posts people. My one concern was being able to peel apart the cables to separate audio from video. It looks like I will have to go with a nintendo cable for that. I have a progressive scan tv so I would like to go that route but both my inputs are already used with my dvd player and xbox so I think I am going the s-video route unless I can find an inexpensive way to component video switch.

You can use a cheapo composite switcher for component. Just plug the three video cables into the yellow, red and white plugs on the switcher, and then to your TV.

You can get these pretty much anywhere that sells games for $15-20.

Josh, hmm.. I always wondered if that would work? Is there a quality loss when doing this? If not, why are the component switch boxes so expensive?

I haven't done it personally, but from what I've read here, most people don't notice any signal degradation.

Again, it's probably one of those things where you have to be a videophile and no what to look for to notice any degradation.

As for why component switchers cost so much, it's probably the same reason Monster cables (which really aren't any better than $10 or so cables from radio shack) cost so much. People don't know better and assume more $= higher quality.

That makes sense, though it would be a pain in the ass because you'd probably have to have another switch-box to handle the audio.

Yep. A component switcher is definitely more convenient. One just has to way convenience vs cost.

Plus if you only have a couple things hooked up via component, you might have enough audio ports in your receiver to not need a switcher for them.

But if you have several things, your better off just shelling out the $ for a component switcher that has plugs for the audio as well.

I've progressed through 3 cables for my cube.
From composite to S-video I notice more contrast and a sharper picture.
From S-video to component, I noticed (aside from progressive scan which provides a vastly sharper image) brighter and more acurate colors.

Now with the Nintendo component cable, does this make all games look better or just one's that are 480i compatible? I have a HDTV with progressive scan so I am very curious.

Saxon

Well.. I can't say from experience, but non-prog game will benefit from extra color definition and seperation.. however, it's one of those "only notice when side-by-side" things. If you've got prog-scan ability, might as well get the components, most of the AAA Nintendo titles are using it (Metroid/Zelda).

Play Metroid Prime first when you get the comp. cables. I waited to beat the game until I got my Sony 46 wide and cables from Nintendo. I turned on the cube, held B and beat the game the way it was meant to be beaten. I still go back and explore-Phendrana is a sight to behold. F-Zero is another game that looks sweet is prog. scan. And Zelda. And Mario Golf. And Wario World. And Gameboy Player.

Stop, stop it!! :(

Don't tease my lack of progressive scan with thought of hi-res Metroids. :(

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.