A video color format that combines all three YUV video signals into one channel. The first video signal to include color, composite video transmits brightness/luma (Y) and colors/chroma (U and V) over one cable. NTSC, PAL and SECAM television sets have composite video inputs. Most new sets also include S-video and component video connections, which provide a sharper image than composite video. See YUV, S-video and component video.
Back to the 1950s
Composite video was created when color was added to black & white TV in 1954. The color signal was multiplexed with the monochrome signal and transmitted in the same TV channel (see NTSC).
Composite Video Jacks
The yellow RCA jack is the composite video socket found on every consumer video device. Professional equipment may or may not support composite video.
Signal Comparison
The top diagram shows how composite, S-video and component video signals are related. The device on the bottom shows the actual ports from an NVIDIA display adapter. Most equipment supports composite video as it was the first video color format. (Bottom image courtesy of NVIDIA Corporation.)
Back to the 1950s
Composite video was created when color was added to black & white TV in 1954. The color signal was multiplexed with the monochrome signal and transmitted in the same TV channel (see NTSC).
Composite Video Jacks
The yellow RCA jack is the composite video socket found on every consumer video device. Professional equipment may or may not support composite video.
Signal Comparison
The top diagram shows how composite, S-video and component video signals are related. The device on the bottom shows the actual ports from an NVIDIA display adapter. Most equipment supports composite video as it was the first video color format. (Bottom image courtesy of NVIDIA Corporation.)
 | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2009 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
- BenQ V2400 Eco
- With the Samsung SyncMaster XL2370 ($300) costing $50 less than the BenQ, there is simply no good reason to purchase V2400 Eco. Overall, the Samsung monitor has better performance, facilitated by its wider viewing angle and brighter screen. The BenQ gets points for its unique, stark white aesthetic and the...
- Product reviews 2009-11-25
- GoPro Motorsports HD Hero
- GoPro had a hit on its hands with the first-generation GoPro Hero. The small camera combined decent video quality and rugged reliability in a small package that was easy to use in action-based scenarios. However, the Hero wasn't without its flaws. Finicky battery choices that often cut recording sessions short...
- Product reviews 2009-11-24
- ViewSonic VP2365wb
- The ViewSonic VP2365wb can be found online for about $350. For that price, you get a 23-inch E-IPS monitor with plenty of ergonomic options, five USB ports, and good performance. The performance would be better if it wasn't hampered by low brightness, unfortunately. Also, the display has a chintzy-feeling chassis,...
- Product reviews 2009-11-20
- Vizio VO320E
- Photo gallery: Vizio VO320EVizio chose to adorn its VO320E 32-inch LCD with claims of environmental consciousness, saying the little set exceeds Energy Star guidelines by 15 percent. But that's not a very high standard, and according to our tests the Vizio, while definitely no power hog, sips just...
- Product reviews 2009-11-16
- Toshiba 32AV502U
- Photo gallery: Toshiba AV502U seriesWhen we say the Toshiba AV502U series can produce relatively deep black levels, the key word is "relatively." It's perhaps more accurate to say that its shade of black outdoes most other less-expensive, lower resolution small-screened LCDs we've seen by a narrow margin. It...
- Product reviews 2009-11-16
- Boston Acoustics Duo-i plus
- Editors' note: The Boston Acoustics Duo-i Plus is nearly identical to the Horizon Duo-i we reviewed a year ago. Not a lot has changed since then aside from the addition of full support for iPhone playback. While the Horizon Duo-i worked with the iPhone, the device had...
- Product reviews 2009-11-13
- Dell UltraSharp U2410
- About $600 for the Dell UltraSharp U2410 gets you a 24-inch, H-IPS monitor with great performance in games and movies, a host of connection options and ergonomic features, and a robust OSD. Unfortunately, its RGB presets are marred by dithering when viewing dark gray images and the screen has a...
- Product reviews 2009-11-12
- WD TV Live HD Media Player
- The first few rounds of network media streamers we tested weren't necessarily recommendable. Sure, this was partially because most of these devices depend on Windows Media Center for connectivity and content, but we also had issues with their interfaces and performance.Fast forward a year and it's safe to say that...
- Product reviews 2009-11-07
- Viewsonic introduces $100 VMP70 HD media player without network connectivity
- Viewsonic is best known for its computer monitors, but it also offers HDTVs, mostly through online retailers. Now it hopes to expand its living room presence with its first media player, the VMP70. The good news is that it can handle 1080p HD, though that's...
- Blog posts 2009-11-05
- 2010 Infiniti QX56
- Photo gallery:2010 Infiniti QX56Compared with sporting and agile cars such as the Infiniti G37 and FX50, the 2010 Infiniti QX56 is an odd throwback, a journey into yesteryear before the first hybrids strode the earth. Built on a truck frame, it rides like a railway car. The engine, big enough...
- Product reviews 2009-10-30
- HP LP3065 30-inch monitor
- The most appealing selling point of the 30-inch HP LP3065 is its super-high 2,560x1,600 resolution. Gamers with powerful enough video cards to run at that resolution will not be disappointed. With its great color preproduction and wide viewing angles, movies also look great on the large display. Professional graphic artists...
- Product reviews 2009-10-29
- A Forrester interview with Steve Ballmer about the SharePoint Business
- I had the pleasure to sit down with Steve Ballmer for an interview at the Microsoft SharePoint conference in Las Vegas this week. My research team at Forrester spends a lot of time thinking, researching, and writing about the future of information work. So getting Steve’s view on SharePoint’s decade-long...
- Blog posts 2009-10-22
- NEC MultiSync P221W
- The $490 22-inch NEC MultiSync P221W is a great performing alternative to the super high-end and superexpensive professional monitors such as the $1,450 Eizo ColorEdge CG222W. The NEC has wide viewing angles, a robust and easy-to-use onscreen display, accurate colors, and several useful ergonomic options. However, it only includes DVI,...
- Product reviews 2009-10-19
- Western Digital adds networking capability to WD TV Live HD Media Player
- It was nearly a year ago when storage giant Western Digital rolled out its WD TV HD Media Player, which consisted of mostly a tiny box with a USB port and HDMI and composite-video output and a remote control. The idea was to attach your external hard drive to the...
- Blog posts 2009-10-13
- HP TouchSmart 600
- The HP TouchSmart 600 shows how getting an early jump on unproven technology can pay off. HP was first to market with a touch-based all-in-one PC more than two years ago. Now that Windows 7 has spurred almost every major desktop vendor toward multitouch, HP has the advantage of years...
- Product reviews 2009-10-13
- SAP and Oracle going head to head
- This week gives SAP and Oracle watchers an opportunity to see these giants go head to head in the entertainment stakes as each holds major conferences. SAP is in Phoenix with TechEd while Oracle takes over the Moscone Center and a lot of the surrounding area...
- Blog posts 2009-10-12
- Netgear Digital Entertainer Live
- The first few rounds of network media streamers we tested weren't necessarily recommendable. Sure, this was partially because most of these devices depend on Windows Media Center for connectivity and content, but we also had issues with their interfaces and performance. Unlike the company's previous solutions to home...
- Product reviews 2009-10-08
- AOC V22 Verfino - LCD display - TFT - 22"
- The AOC V22 can be found online for $353. That's about $50 more than the expected price of the Samsung SyncMaster XL2370, the best LED-based monitor we've reviewed. The AOC offers a built-in Webcam and microphone, but its advantages over the XL2370 stop there. The AOC has no DVI...
- Product reviews 2009-10-07
- Sylvania LC320SLX
- Surprisingly, it won't work with Dish or DirectTV remotesThe Sylvania LC320SLX flat-panel LCD television is a great value for the money EXCEPT for a glaring problem which should be advertised on the box - remotes for the Dish and DirectTV satellite TV systems won't operate it. If I had...
- Discussion threads 2009-10-04
- USBVision 1.4.2 (Mac)
- The USBVision software offers Mac OS X support not only for XLR8 InterView, but also for a wide range of new devices including Belkin VideoBus and VideoBus II, iRez USB Live and CapSure, Global Village VideoFX, Alpha Data USB Video Adapter, Hauppauge USB-Live and many others -including those originally sold...
- Software downloads 2009-10-04
Neighboring Terms
Premier Vendor Content Whitepapers, webcasts & resources from our Power Center Sponsors
- Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online - Free Six-Month Trial for Eligible Organizations
-
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online provides fast online access, simple contact management and better sales performance for a low monthly cost - the best value on the market today.
- Learn more about the free, six-month trial offer>>
- Keep Up With The Latest In Document Management with The DocuMentor.
-
Doc delivers the scoop on today's enterprise content management, printer maintenance, and all other issues related to document management. It's the DocuMentor Blog.
- Learn more >>
- New Online Dashboard for IT Leaders
-
Read about top issues IT decision-makers face every day, plus get cost-effective solutions to real-life IT problems.
- Learn more >>
Popular Sanity Saver Videos
