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component video - technical definition

A video color format that maintains the three YUV video signals in three separate channels. Component video provides a sharper image than composite video and S-video. See YUV, composite video and S-video.

Analog Component Video
Component video may refer to "analog" component video (YPbPr), especially with regard to the Y, Pb and Pr cable connectors on devices such as DVD players, set-top boxes, receivers and TVs. See YPbPr.

Digital Component Video
Component video may refer to "digital" component video (YCbCr), which is the norm for tape formats such as MiniDV, DV and Digital Betacam. Digital component video (YCbCr) is also natively supported by many nonlinear video editing programs (NLEs). See YCbCr and chroma subsampling.

RGB: Digital or Analog
Sometimes, component video refers to RGB signals rather than YUV. It may refer to "digital" RGB, which is the native graphics format in the computer, and it is supported by all nonlinear video editing programs (NLEs).

Component video may also refer to "analog" RGB, especially with regard to a three-cable RGB attachment to a studio monitor or high-end video camera. See YUV.

Analog Component Video (YPbPr)

Component video often refers to the three-cable attachments to consumer and professional equipment such as DVD players, receivers, set-top boxes and TVs. Digital component video (not shown here) uses only one cable.

Signal Comparison

The top diagram shows how YUV signals are mixed and distributed to outside connectors, and the device on the bottom shows the actual ports from an NVIDIA display adapter. Note that the red, green and blue sockets are not the red, green and blue of RGB. (Bottom image courtesy of NVIDIA Corporation.)

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