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General discussion

RGBHV vs HDMI

Apr 20, 2009 1:13AM PDT

I have a new aptartment pre-wired for a home theater with all the components to go in an adjacent closet, leaving just the tv and inwall speakers in the living room. Thing is, the installers wired it with RBGHV.

Does anybody know how this will effect my TV's performance and how it should effect my choices of tv, av receiver, and video player? The installer said it would support 1080p. Another company said only 480p. Can that be right?

Read a lot of reviews and articles, but haven't got any clarity of where I go from here. Anyone else using RGBHV? Would really appreciate some shared knowledge.

D.

Discussion is locked

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Repull the cable . . .
Apr 20, 2009 4:42AM PDT

and replace it with HDMI. Otherwise you'll need a converter on each end of the RGBHV cable. By definition:

RGBHV cables provide an easy solution for breaking out the individual lines of signal to BNC connectors for easy adapting to displays with BNC inputs.

The key word is BNC which is an analog signal. Modern components will have HDMI ports. You'll have to convert the digital signal to analog, then back to digital.

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/basics/284911-hdmi-rbghv-resolution.html

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Yikes! Pull the Cable?
Apr 20, 2009 6:33AM PDT

Thanks for the answer.

But let me ask this: Does it have to be HDMI to get the 1080p resolution? Can it not be RGBHV too. And I ask that because the installer (came with the apartment) e-mailed me this:

"The cable between the closet and the TV location is a RGBHV cable (component video + audio). That cable supports 1080p... The downside to HDMI is that 99.9% of AV receivers do not support HDMI 1.3 and the ones that support 1.1 or 1.2 have handshake issues with sources like sat/cable receivers."

So he is implying that it's ok and even preferable. (I dunno about that...)

So if I can, let me ask really explicitly: can I view 1080p resolution on a 1080p panel connected by RGBHV to an av receiver and a blu ray player?

I appreciate all assistance to someone new to the game with system that seems a little out of place. Happy

Thanks.

D.

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If you can find a component . . .
Apr 20, 2009 4:06PM PDT

Blu-ray player, TV, receiver with RGBHV ports it might work. RGBHV is an analog signal. HDMI is a digital signal. Two problems to start. Whether it supports 1080P, I do not know. I'd be surprised if it did. If it does, you're back to the beginning of my reply.

I once had a rear projection HD TV with the same type of connector. The RGB corresponds to the Y, pB, and pR of component video (pre-digital), and the HV is Horizontal sync and Vertical sync. I never did find a converter.

Let me just one more time make this clear. No modern TV, receiver, DVD player has these connections. If you want to use the cable you are going to have to find a converter that will convert the digital HDMI signal from your Blu-ray player or satellite or cable box, to an analog signal. You'll then need another converter to convert the analog signal on the RGBHV cable back to digital HDMI.

I think the installer is blowing smoke.

Tie an appropriate length HDMI cable to the end of that RGBHV cable and on the other end, pull the new cable into place.

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Convert the BNC to Component video
Jan 9, 2011 7:55PM PST

Just convert RGBHV to Component video with sound, use RGB for Component video and HV for sound.
You just need to get BNC (male) to RCA (female) connectors or a Component video cable that has the BNC connectors built into it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/simdude2u/5342720322/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/simdude2u/5342115847/ (Component Video to RGBHV Diagrams)

Component video does support 1080p

If you have a Motorola cablebox you have to go into the BIOS, and tell it to run the YPbPr as 1080i/p. (Press power, then the menu button)

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=bnc+to+rca&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=10546853561807035384# (BNC (male) to RCA (female) connectors)

http://www.computercablestore.com/6_FT_Python_Component_Vid_PID2805.aspx (3 BNC (male) to 3 RCA (male) cable )