Hi all - I'm sure this has been asked before.
I just bought my new HDTV LCD. I currently have Charter HD cable and I am using Component to connect the two. The quality is great, but my question is this,
When I move into my new house and am able to get Dish Network, should I connect via HDMI, or is my component connection fine. My A/V does not not have HDMI connections, so I would only be using the HDMI for video and then connecting the audio via another source.

Thanks ahead of time,
Don

Let me preface this with the standard warning when dealing with AV interconnects: what one person thinks is great, another will think stinks. Also, I've had a couple brandies this evening, which means I'm a bit more loquacious than normal.

Now that we have that out of the way, I have a Dish Network 942 (which is obsolete at this point; if you subscribe now, you'll end up with a VIP622 if you want a DVR; I'm not absolutely certain of the non-DVR version numbers, but I think they're either 211 or 411), and my HD monitor is a Samsung HLN567W. The 942 has both component and HDMI outputs, but my TV only eats DVI inputs, which is not a problem as far as video is concerned since the signal for video sent over HDMI is exactly the same as for DVI; an HDMI to DVI cable is all that's needed.

I did quite a bit of A/B comparisons of the picture quality of component versus HDMI-to-DVI on my set using the 942. My opinion was that the color saturation of component was a touch better over component, but the picture seemed a bit fuzzier as well, and both blacks and whites appeared more compressed (meaning that in extremely bright or extrememly dark scenes, there was less apparent detail). This was based on the default calibration levels for that particular component input and the DVI input on my set. After properly calibrating both the component and DVI inputs, I felt that both color saturation and the overall picture quality over HDMI/DVI far exceeded the quality over component. Generally speaking, I think that if a digital HD monitor is used (i.e. DLP, LCD, or plasma) then the best image quality will be experienced when using a digital transport such as HDMI/DVI if properly calibrated. It's been my experience that manufacturers set the default calibration for component inputs to pop primary colors more than other inputs, because vivid primary colors draw attention in a showroom and most video sources present in showrooms are over component; but for prolonged viewing, such settings are quite fatiguing, and don't necessarilty represent the best visual quality possible for the set in question. So, I use the HDMI output of the 942 for video, and the toslink output for audio, and things work great.

Hopefully that both made sense and was somewhat intelligible.

Very good read, worth checking out.

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/articles/dvihdmicomponent.htm

I'm using HDMI from my new Dish 622 DVR to a 55" Hitachi Plasma with no problems. I also have the 211 going to a 50" Samsung plasma over HDMI with no problems. Works as good as component. If anything HDMI is sure simpler. Just one cord and you're done. I use optical to run to my pre amp for HT. But when just watching TV it's all HDMI. However there seems to be a lot of folks with problems. HDMI is new and going through changes. All the quirks have yet to be worked out. If it works it's great...but it can be a PITA. Here's a couple of boards to check out if you're seriously thinking of Dish Network. And yes Direct TV has the same issues. Take notice of all the HDMI issues. Good luck, there's a ton of info at these sites if you haven't already found them.

http://www.dbstalk.com/index.php?

http://www.satelliteguys.us/index.php?

I too have had mixed results with HDMI. I have a Vizio 50" plasma that has two each of HDMI, Compontent, S, etc. I also have a Pioneer A/V with all of these as well. I have DirecTV's HD H20 which has HDMI and Component for video.

HDMI from the H20 to the plasma was great. It was also good via the Pioneer but whenever I changed input sources, the H20 would go bananas, endlessly rebooting.

HDMI from the Pioneer to the plasma seems to be great no matter what the input source is on the A/V. But to avoid the H20 problem, I run Component to the Pioneer which routes it to the plasma via HDMI.

I just returned an Oppo 'up-converting' DVD player. It has a DVI output which is compatable with HDMI but doesn't include the audio. Oppo to Pioneer via DVI->HDMI worked but the Pioneer expected there to be audio on the HDMI input and ignored everything else, including the optical I tried to use. Component worked but then I don't get the Oppo up-conversion feature.

So I tried DVI-to-HDMI directly to the plasma and got little specs like snow on any of the up-converted formats (720p or 1080i). After several cables and swapping connections I gave up.

Kinda long, I know, but for me HDMI is a mixed bag and I have yet to be disappointed with component picture quality.

-Brian n8wrl