Introduction: Best (retro) Console Image Quality.
How to enhance your video image quality by using knowledge :)
Step 1: Composite V.s. Component
Here it's all about channel width; 'component' gets more channel width by divided streams, whereas 'composite' gets only one single small stream.
's-video' is slightly better than 'composite'
For example; it slightly makes gamecube image quality a bit sharper; but nothing really exciting.
Step 2: Interlaced V.s. Progressive
With moving pictures 'interlaced' looks horrible.
Step 3: High Resolution Interlaced V.s. Lower Resolution Progressive
Sometimes a lower image quality progressive is better than a higher one witch is interlaced.
Step 4: Conclusion / P.S.
1. Higher resolution = better image quality.
2. Component lets trough more colours than composite.
Stíll; your image quality can be bad!
- Sometimes the source material is bad quality (pixely); in this case it sometimes might seem preferential to take composite over component because it makes everything look smoother. (but this will make you loose colour)
- Some consoles are set to progressive when you use composite/scart/s-video
And switch to interlaced as soon when you attach component to it
- Make sure your source material (software) isn't interlaced only!
So nothing is definite; I just hope I made you understand why things look the way they do.
For the Playstation 2, its not just a matter of choosing a cable, but also unlocking Progressive Scan capabilities in games that support it. For some games it is an in-game menu option. For others, you have to hold a button sequence (X + Triangle) as the game boots to force it into this mode. The game will typically give you a prompt asking you whether you want to proceed with this action.