Hardware Old Nintendo and hdmi video

[Chris1985]

My friend has an old Nintendo game console and will be buying a modern TV panel soon. He asked me how he could connect the AV signal from Nintendo to the TV? I’ve heard about hdmi converters. Is this really what he needs? Thanks.

 

[Chris1985]

He wants to try this hdmi converter LTS LTAH102C https://bzbexpress.com/HDMI-Video-Converters/

Is this right decision?

 

[Lacius]

An HDMI converter should only be used if it's the only port option, because it does result in a loss of picture quality. Instead, buy a component cable if the TV has component ports. In other words:

Component cables --> Best
Composite cables --> Not great
HDMI converter --> Bad

All three are usable, but I can definitely tell the difference between the three.

Edit: I assumed that you were talking about the Wii because this is the Wii section. Is that correct?

 

[foob]

Is this right decision?

If it's a Wii, search Wii2hdmi on ebay. I have bought them and they work fine and they are very low cost. There's also similar thing for VGA monitors from Mayflash which I have also tried (though it needs power from a USB port, such as the one at the back of the Wii).

 

[Lacius]

If it's a Wii, search Wii2hdmi on ebay. I have bought them and they work fine and they are very low cost. There's also similar thing for VGA monitors from Mayflash which I have also tried (though it needs power from a USB port, such as the one at the back of the Wii).

HDMI converters do work fine, but they are not the best choice for quality. Component cables are one's best choice.

 

[foob]

HDMI converters do work fine, but they are not the best choice for quality. Component cables are one's best choice.

Agree. Component, ideally. Just don't use the bundled composite cable that came with every Wii, which would be the real dowgrade. Wii2hdmi is otherwise a good choice for devices without component inputs.

If you need more component inputs to add to your TV, there are also switches that you can buy to add more (around 20 bucks). It's crazy to think that some of these devices can cost more than a second-hand Wii these days...

 

[JacksonS]

Some Wii2HDMI converters look just as good as component in my opinion, and I've worked with both video types a lot on the Wii. The only downside I see is that some Wii2HDMI converters produce a black border around the screen on most monitors.

 

[foob]

Some Wii2HDMI converters look just as good as component in my opinion, and I've worked with both video types a lot on the Wii. The only downside I see is that some Wii2HDMI converters produce a black border around the screen on most monitors.

Agree. Yes, they are surprisingly good. Wii2hdmi impressed me. Definitely preferable to my Mayflash component-to-VGA adapter (which also costs 3-4x more than the Wii2hdmi and requires USB powering). All are acceptable to me though. Wii is hardly the last word in graphics.

 

[XDel]

Agree. Yes, they are surprisingly good. Certainly impressed me. Definitely preferable to my Mayflash component-to-VGA adapter (which also costs 3-4x more than the Wii2hdmi and requires USB powering).

I also agree, the HDMI converter isn't a major downgrade or anything. He'll be content.

 

[Lacius]

My experiences have been that various HDMI converters are comparable to composite cable quality, and I would avoid them if at all possible.

 

[foob]

I guess quality can vary with various equipment out there. So many variables.

My experiences rank like this (from worst to best):
composite cable (bundled with Wii)
component-to-vga converter
Wii2hdmi
component

To my eyes, composite is clearly the worst choice of the lot. Dancing pixel noise, muddied graphics and less clear text.

My Mayflash component-to-VGA converter (on 21.5 inch Samsung monitor) has a softness I'm not crazy about but it is the choice I made to play Wii on the monitor, which I often do. Nobody is really complaining about it (nieces, nephews...). I can live with it easily for the convenience of having lots of things hooked up to a monitor. No dancing pixel noise like with composite though.

Wii2HDMI is the closest to component quality out of all I have tested; certainly nothing worth complaining about to me. It's damn close to using component cable. All 'conversion' solutions have black bars of some sort that I have had to live with or adjust the monitor to suit (Wii2hdmi and component-to-VGA).

 

[Lacius]

We can all agree that component cables are best.

That being said, HDMI converters and composite cables are both bad for different reasons. Composite cables result in an interlaced signal that decreases video quality, washing out the colors and causing motion blur. HDMI converters lose picture quality during the signal conversion, also washing out the colors and brightness. My personal opinion is that, particularly in video game environments that are darker, the composite cables are better than HDMI converters.

 

[tswntk]

no one is stupid enough to invent something (the HDMI converter) that cost you extra money but work worse than something (the composite cable) that comes with the console. That just make no sense - they will go bankrupt in no time. You must have very special eyes.

 

[Lacius]

no one is stupid enough to invent something (the HDMI converter) that cost you extra money but work worse than something (the composite cable) that comes with the console. That just make no sense - they will go bankrupt in no time. You must have very special eyes.

In some ways, I would argue it works worse than the composite cables (the HDMI signal conversion washes out the image and dramatically reduces the quality). In some ways, it's better than the composite cables (the HDMI signal isn't interlaced). It's also one's only option if he or she doesn't have composite or component ports. In addition, consumers see "HDMI" and think, "Oh, HDMI. That's the best. I should buy that," when they're actually buying something comparable to composite cables.

It's not rocket science. There's still a demand for the product, despite the HDMI converter being about as good as composite cables.

 

[tswntk]

In some ways, I would argue it works worse than the composite cables (the HDMI signal conversion washes out the image and dramatically reduces the quality). In some ways, it's better than the composite cables (the HDMI signal isn't interlaced). It's also one's only option if he or she doesn't have composite or component ports. In addition, consumers see "HDMI" and think, "Oh, HDMI. That's the best. I should buy that," when they're actually buying something comparable to composite cables.

It's not rocket science. There's still a demand for the product, despite the HDMI converter being about as good as composite cables.

Yeah, we customers are all stupid.
Isn't progressive alone is way better than interlaced video? or are you still running in 480i with an hdmi converter?
Seeing is believing:
(not uploaded by me)

 

[Lacius]

Yeah, we customers are all stupid.
Isn't progressive alone is way better than interlaced video? or are you still running in 480i with an hdmi converter?
Seeing is believing:
(not uploaded by me)

The Wii's progressive mode is obviously better than an interlaced signal, but the HDMI converter loses quality during the signal conversion. Component cables are the best choice.

 

[tswntk]

did I said anything about component?
You said the HDMI converter is worse than the composite cable

 

[hii915]

wouldn't a frammiester be helpful?

 

[Lacius]

did I said anything about component?
You said the HDMI converter is worse than the composite cable

I said in some ways, they are. In other ways, they're not.

 

[Deleted User]

You could always use a high quality HDMI to component + component to Wii; they'd be more expensive but could look a lot better.