On a 480p 1080i HDtv will HD DVD and or Blu-ray play 1080i through component?

Answer 1

i was actually able to find the answer myself. component cable red green blue can handle 1080 p and i, and 720 just fine. the problem is all DVD upconverters and blu ray players will only allow true hi def signals thru hdmi and dvi as a encryption protection method. way to screw the consumer. theres a handful of upconverters that will do hi def like signal thru component but none of the new ones. except the Helios h2000 and h4000 and there other models. this still sometimes doesnt work on the newer discs were youll see an hdcp lock when trying to play the movie. but firmware updates help this not be an issue on some DVD content.

By component, you are probably referring to the three phono / RCA connectors that take an analog component signal. Almost all of these types of connector will only handle SD signals (480i) because HD analog component is virtually non-existant. Playing an HD disc using the component out will very likely produce a down converted signal. However, the only way to get a definitive answer is to read the manuals for the player and the display to see if they both support HD analog component signals.

If you have HDMI connectors on both, it's probably best to use them as it avoids a digital to anlog conversion and an anlog to digital conversion, both required if you try to use an anlog link in the signal path.