Connecting Video to a Media Center PC

All Media Center PCs have to be connected to a television display (or computer monitor, for desktop systems). This is the case even if you're using your Media Center PC strictly for music, not to play or record television or videos. The reason why is simple: You need to see the Media Center interface to control the Media Center PC, and the interface is displayed on your television set.

The type of video connection you make depends on three factors: the types of video output jacks available on the Media Center PC; the types of video input jacks available on your TV set; and whether or not you're using your Media Center PC to view DVDs, standard-definition analog television, or high-definition digital television.

The best possible video signal is a digital one. A digital video connection not only has minimal (if any) signal loss, it's also capable of transmitting high definition video signals. There are two types of digital video connections available today. The preferred connection is HDMI, which is a pure digital connection that delivers the highest-possible video quality. It is also capable of transmitting both HDTV and progressive-scan DVD signals.

Unfortunately few PCs today have HDMI outputs. (Most newer widescreen TVs have HDMI inputs, however.) Instead, most PCs have a DVI digital video output. So if you want to establish a digital video connection, you may have to use a DVI to HDMI converter to connect your PC's DVI output to your TV's HDMI input.

If your equipment doesn't have HDMI or DVI connections, or if you don't like spending the bucks for an expensive HDMI cable, you can still transmit high definition video signals via an analog component video connection. A component video connection uses three coaxial cables with RCA-type jacks on either end. The three cables separate the luminance (Y), red chrominance (Pr), and blue chrominance (Pb) information of the video signal, which produces high-quality picture signals with improved color accuracy and reduced color bleeding over other analog video connections.

However, not all PCs have component video connections, nor do all TVs. If you have a lower-priced Media Center PC or an older television, you might be forced to use an S-Video connection. An S-Video cable is a four-pin connector that separates the luminance (brightness) and chrominance (color) in the video signal, thus providing slightly higher quality than a single-cable composite video connection. Know, however, that S-Video has lower picture quality than component video, cannot be used to transmit HDTV signals, and also cannot transmit progressive-scan DVD signals.

If no other type of video connection is available, you can default to a single-cable composite video connector. (This is the type of connector typically labeled "Video.") The picture quality with composite video is the least sharp of all the connectors available, because it mixes the luminance and chrominance information into a single video signal. Still, it's good enough for displaying the Media Center interface when you're playing music, even if you wouldn't want to use it for much of anything else.

The following table summarizes the preferred types of video connections for different uses.