Wii on an HDTV

Drez

So...

I recently purchased a gigantic HDTV and I want to reconnect my Wii.

I know there are Wii HDMI connectors on Amazon but there are roughly a million of them (no exaggeration) and they all have reviews that run the gamut.

Any thoughts?

Essee

I seem to remember from previous discussions that the Wii on HDMI may or may not look better than the Wii on component cables, considering the fact that the console's output is never better than 480p widescreen. Using either option WILL, however, look way better than it does with the composite cables that come with it. So depending on the cost of the adapter and how many inputs your TV has, you could try a composite cable instead. Plus, some composite cables (like the ones they sell at Gamestop for $15 or whatever) are set up so they have plugs for multiple consoles... I've been using the same cable for both my Wii and my PS2, for example. So there's that.

Drez

I was considering that, but it doesn't look like my TV has anything but HDMI inputs. There's a note on my TV specs about 1 shared component/composite input which requires a dedicated adapter, but I don't think it came with the adapter and I can't seem to find it as a product anywhere, including Panasonic's site.
I guess I'll call them.

I think the HDMI connector would be a "neater" option, though, cable-wise.

Essee

Yeah, like I said, depends on your inputs. Dunno which option is cheaper for you, but yeah, if you want fewer things to plug in, HDMI is the way to go. I'm surprised there are so many TVs that don't have composite or component at all now though, since there's still a lot of stuff out there that uses it. Well, I don't have any personal knowledge of the adapters involved here, so this is all I can say, haha.

MushroomStick

What specific model of tv do you have? As tvs get thinner, the component hookups on tvs are starting to look like headphone jacks that have adapter cables to plug your component/composite cables into.

Drez

MushroomStick wrote: »

What specific model of tv do you have? As tvs get thinner, the component hookups on tvs are starting to look like headphone jacks that have adapter cables to plug your component/composite cables into.

Panasonic VIERA 50ST50

shadowane

The component adapter didn't come with the tv? There wasn't a huge bag of cords? I'm pretty sure my version came with some but it was the previous generation so maybe they stopped providing them.

maximumzero

Back when I moved my Xbox 360 to my iMac and needed the component connections on my HDTV for my PSP Go dock, I picked up the Wii2HDMI and it works wonderfully.

EclecticGroove

The panny's should come with a bag of adapters that turn the RCA plugs into a single DIN connector (like headphones).
Mine came with 3. 1 for composite, 1 for component, and the last was just stereo sound.

Drez

shadowane wrote: »

The component adapter didn't come with the tv? There wasn't a huge bag of cords? I'm pretty sure my version came with some but it was the previous generation so maybe they stopped providing them.

Actually...maybe I just missed it.

Drez

EclecticGroove wrote: »

The panny's should come with a bag of adapters that turn the RCA plugs into a single DIN connector (like headphones).
Mine came with 3. 1 for composite, 1 for component, and the last was just stereo sound.

Is that something I can use for, say, headphones?

EclecticGroove

Well, depends what you mean. If you mean can you plug headphones into the panny? Sure, but it's not there to output audio.

If you mean can you use the stereo adapter to plug into a headphone jack and then hook speakers with RCA plugs? Yes. I used one on the headphone jack of a portable system to run the sound through my home theater system.

MushroomStick

OK, if the diagrams I found online were the right ones: the adapter should definitely be included, has two prongs, and the plug it goes into on the tv faces down (as opposed to out the side like all the hdmi plugs.)

Lord Palington

With the Wii2HD, does it output the Virtual Console games? I got a component set up for my Wii, and I have to switch to composite to get any VC games to even show up. The sound comes out, the game starts up, but there's no video.

Essee

Lord Palington wrote: »

With the Wii2HD, does it output the Virtual Console games? I got a component set up for my Wii, and I have to switch to composite to get any VC games to even show up. The sound comes out, the game starts up, but there's no video.

That's odd... I use component all the time and I've never had any trouble that I can remember. I think I may have heard of issues depending on the game, but definitely not all VC games.

Edit: Okay, from googling this is a common issue with some games on PAL Wiis connected to certain TVs only (it looks like). I admit I haven't played much Virtual Console on a PAL Wii (although I have actually played some). From just googling the issue, there's a button combo that allows you to try a different mode to fix it (the posting is from 2007 so maybe they've tried to fix it since then, I dunno): "The mode can be enabled by accessing the operations guide of the game, and (with the Nunchuk attached) pressing the buttons Z + A + 2 simultaneously. A sound is played if the mode is enabled correctly. Several older games also have updates available to enable the feature, such as Super Castlevania IV. The mode can be disabled by using the same method, but with the button combination Z + A + 1 instead."

Aaaannnd here's a link to games that it can work on.

Drez

OK, yeah, I'm an idiot. It did come with the adapter cable. Thank you so much

Lord Palington

Thanks Essee.