Gamecube component video questions... please advise!

[Electric Rain]

[Disclaimer: I know this post is long, but I really really really need help you guys… please?]

Okay, so I'm more-or-less in on the organization of a Super Smash Brothers: Melee tournament that's being put together in my area. It will be held at my brother's college, the same place the anime club meetings are held at that I (try to) go to every Wednesday and every other Saturday (for games, WOO!) It's probably going to end up being held "under" the club, as well.

Anyway, we'll be playing on nice, big projectors, and I'm... a bit of an Audio/Videophile. I want to play with the best possible video connection, because whenever we play with just standard composite video on big projection screens, well, you guys can imagine the horrible blur, color wash-out, and contrast problems that would occur, no? It's so bad, that it actually tends to be quite distracting from the gaming. It kinda hurts my already bad eyes. So, since this tournament is actually going to be one that's taken seriously, unlike most events organized by anyone associated with the anime club, I want it to be... "nice," for lack of a better word. I'm talking entry fees, judges, flyers all over, maybe newspaper ads, and if we're lucky, a Wii for the grand prize!

Despite how much I know about A/V and how much I like to show off how much I know, few people are interested in hi-def Gamecubing (doesn’t help that it only supports up to 480p), so there's not much info to be found on the matter around the web. I need your help, guys. I don't have a component video cable for my Gamecube, yet. I'm thinking about buying one just for this tournament. My questions:

1. Just to confirm, Super Smash Brothers does NOT support progressive scan, which means that its max resolution, no matter what connection is used, is only 480i, correct?

2. Despite this, a higher quality video connection type, such as component, (compared to, say, standard composite) will still provide much more clarity OF that 480i resolution, yes?

3. There’s a digital component cable, an analog component cable, and a VGA cable for the Gamecube. The VGA cable I know only supports progressive scan games… what about the component cables? I use a component video cable for my PS2 for ALL games, I’m sure THEY’RE not all progressive scan compatible. I was never aware there was a digital and an analog component video. I thought they were all analog. But, the most commonly known component video cable for the Gamecube, the ub3r expensive one (because of the special chip in it), plugs into the “digitalâ€

[Jongamer]

Your doing Excatly what We are doing here in Ohio.

http://www.Gaming.tmumods.net

Sites not completely done, but its being worked on, theres no Gamecube, its all Gonna be Halo 2 and Gears of War, we are even going to have a Camera team Takeing pics during the matches.

EDIT: Well thats gay they Suspended it hmmmm wonder why.....

[PenguinMaster]

1. Super Smash Bros. Melee DOES support Progressive Scan, I use it all the time with my VGA cable.

2.Component will always look better than S-Video, S-Video will always look better than Composite, no matter what resolution.

3. Despite what being called a "digital out" port, it is analog component. Component is always analog. All Gamecube component cables (and VGA cables, which are just modified component cables in this case) use that "digital out" port. There is only the "uber expensive one", there are no 3rd party Gamecube component cables.

4. The Gamecube CAN output component and composite/s-video simultaneously as long as you haven't turned on Progressive Scan.

5. Wavebirds signals would easily reach to the back of a movie theater. I've tested them in a friends really long back yard.

Very informative first post, don't you think?

[Electric Rain]

SWEET! That helps me SOOOO much, man, you have no idea. I was leaning towards everything you said ('cept SSBM supporting progressive scan, since it doesn't say so on the back of the box, like many other games do), but I HAD to be sure. So... here's my problem now... should I go for progressive scan, and forget about recording? Or should I just keep it interlaced (with component video, still) so I can record via composite? I can't decide what will be more worth it now... AGH! I want the best of both worlds!

I'll have to check to see if the projectors there support component video. The ones in the rooms that we usually watch anime in don't... VGA and BNC RGBHV are the only "high-quality" connections those take. But I think we're going to be in a room with a much bigger, higher quality projector, and more A/V equipment overall. I would like to be able to use component video, so that when I take the cord back home with me, after the tournament, I can use it for games that don't support progressive scan, since the VGA one doesn't... except... I don't even have a display that supports component video "in high def," only my standard definition TV. So... maybe I should get the VGA one anyway? Ahh.... okay, okay, how many Gamecube games would you say actually support prgressive scan? Thanks again.

Rain

[bgnome]

there's a pretty good list of 480p gc games at the AVS forums:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=649817

if you are into the whole av thing, thats a great place for advice. personally, i wouldn't worry a whole lot whether i get the hacked vga or component version of the cable. they aren't that easy to get (for a decent price anyway) to begin with so i would focus on getting one first. it is easily hacked either way. i have hacked mine to have both component and dsub connections, with a switch at the connector.

another thing to consider is using a wii. if you already have one or access to one, that would save you a lot of trouble cable-wise as components are easily available now. they will enable 480p for compatible gc games, although vga hasn't been figured out yet.