HD Link for Wii

5 Comments

1. Jamey Carter says:

   September 8, 2010 at 3:49 am

   Some people are reviewing that they can tell the difference between the standard A/V cable that comes with the Wii (Red/White for audio signal, yellow for video signal) and this component cable (same Red/White for audio signal, but three separate video signal cable)…

   So I thought I’d explain quickly the different. With one loan video signal cable (stand Wii, out of the box) your highest attainable resolution is 480i. The “i” stands for interlaced. What it means is that the video signal is interlaced into odd and even number vertical lines. You TV displays the odd lines first from top to bottom, then on a second pass, displays the even numbered lines from top to bottom. Then the cycle continues to repeat, refreshing the lines odd, even, odd even and you see “motion.” All CRT TV (ones that have a Tube) the display is always interlaced video.

   Now, in 480p, the “p” stands for progressive. In a progressive scan the entire image is refreshed top to bottom every pass. Today’s LCD and Plasma screens always display progressive video. Because it only takes one pass to complete the entire video image, progressive scanned video tends to have slightly higher refresh rates. In video gaming, this can translate to slightly better image quality and less lag between the controller and the results on the display.

   So here is the kicker: for a CRT to accept an incoming progressive video, it has to translate it (internally) to interlaced video. This translation takes time, which in turn adds lag and can slow down the reaction time in gaming. Because of this, any Wii hooked up to a CRT (or Tube) TV should be set to 480i. EVEN if you use component cables.

   For LCD and Plasma TVs, any interlaced video incoming to the TV must be translated to progressive video. Like the reverse for CRT TV’s this translation takes time and adds lag. The only way to get the Wii to send a direct progressive scan signal to a Plasma or LCD TV is to use a component video cable (2 audio connections, 3 video connections). But once this cable is attached, you must change the Wii options to send in 480p resolution. Once that has been done, you fancy flat display will not need to translate interlaced to progressive.

   I’ve simplified this quick explanation. For the true tech geeks out there (like myself)… please accept that I have tried to put this in non-geek speak (best I could) without going into great detail.
   Rating: 4 / 5
2. D. Garber says:

   September 8, 2010 at 6:25 am

   I decided to give these cables a shot since they were half the price of the official Nintendo component cables, and audio/video cables are a product well-known for some companies (you listening, Monster?) seriously trying to rip off consumers. I found these cables to work wonderfully; despite some other opinions, I think they make a significant improvement in picture quality, well worth fifteen bucks if you have an HDTV to hook your Wii up to. When compared to the composite cables that come with the system, object edges are really sharpened up. You don’t need to pay $30-$50 for quality component cables. Highly recommended!
   Rating: 5 / 5
3. Nick Alward says:

   September 8, 2010 at 8:27 am

   I bought these cables due to them being cheapest at the time, and they work fine.

   To those stating they can’t notice a performance difference, it’s true that the picture quality is almost the same. However, if you’re going to play your Wii on an HDTV, I would highly recommend component cables due to the fact that using the AV input on an HDTV requires it convert the incoming signal, which adds lag to the display. Not noticeable usually with something like a DVD player, but with games the added latency is very noticeable between your button press and the reaction of the HDTV. The difference between AV and Component lag was very noticeable in my experience (I tested this with Mario Galaxy on a ViewSonic 19″ HDTV).

   Although, if lag is your biggest concern, best to just use an old crummy non-flatscreen TV, as they still have the quickest response times (even vs. component) in my experience.
   Rating: 5 / 5
4. Rockster says:

   September 8, 2010 at 9:21 am

   I recently purchased a Wii System and decided to look for an HD cable to get better video on my HDTV when I used the Wii. Prices for these cables are very expensive and I almost decided to forget it until I ran across this particular cable which was reasonable in price and appeared to have decent ratings from other users. So, I gave it a try.

   Basically, it works as advertised. I did not see a lot of difference in using this cable over the component cable that came with the Wii except for games that have some kind of water content – like the golf game that comes with the Wii. With the component cable, the water does not look very realistic – pretty fake in fact. With the HD cable, the water looks like water and gives the game a little more realism. I do not have many games yet for my system so I cannot comment on other game differences with the 2 cables in comparison. My thought is that for $20, I got a cable that improved the graphics (water scenes) enough that I can better enjoy some games that are available with the Wii.

   Note that when you replace the component cable that came with the Wii system with this cable, you have to go back into the Wii video options menu and change the screen resolution to take advantage of this cable’s better properties.
   Rating: 5 / 5
5. P. Galloway says:

   September 8, 2010 at 10:03 am

   I have a 40 inch HD widescreen and this has improved the picture sooo much. With the original cable that came with the Wii, a lot of the video was fuzzy. With things I bought on virtual console (like Zelda Ocarina of Time) everything was way too dark on top of the fuzzy.

   As soon as I plugged in this cable I noticed everything looked much more crisp and virtual console games were much brighter. It’s not as crisp and clean as my PS3 but I didn’t expect it to be.

   I wonder if some of the other people who don’t notice any difference have changed the Wii’s screen settings to 480p yet. Just a thought.

   Anyway, if you have a bigger screen I really recommend getting this cable, it works great for me.
   Rating: 5 / 5