S-video to RCA question

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vprasad007

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#4769 25-Aug-2005 17:20

Are the s-video to RCA converters on the market worth it? Ive already setup my mini-home theatre using 3xRCA-3xRCA cables but want to convert to s-video now(while keeping the existing cables since i spent half of my weeks pay on cables!). If I use the s-video<->RCA adapters, will I see any worthwhile change in picture quality?

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#19119 25-Aug-2005 17:26

Any translation involves loss of quality. One type of connection is the best you can have, and changing from RCA to S-Video will not give you S-Video quality...

tonyhughes

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#19120 25-Aug-2005 17:32

Like any electrical connection, a junction or converter (unless boosted in some way) could only serve to degrade signal further.

In my experience, quality RCA cables beat bad s-video any day.

Find a connection method that suits you best (preferably the highest common connection specification you have over your whole system), and spend as many dollars as you can spare on good cable.

Whether audio or video, you dont have to be an 'audiophile' to hear the difference between a $10 cable and a $50 cable.

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#19121 25-Aug-2005 17:36

if you wanna upgrade from RCA. best go on to component. and if you want, you can do the cheapman version by using the composite (RCA) connection with component Yr/Yg/B. then when you got the money to spend, get the Monster Cable's component cable.

otherwise just get S-Video to S-Video, RCA to S-Video is still RCA video signal anyway.

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vprasad007

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#19136 26-Aug-2005 08:27

I would go with component, but i want output from my sky decoder to projector and it only has RCA and SCART outputs.

I think I will stick with RCA-RCA for now. Buy better quality cables maybe.

How does SCART compare to S-video and component?

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#19156 26-Aug-2005 12:21

now i dont fully understand scart but from what i read on Sony's DVD-HDD recorder, SCART is both input and output and intelligent connection. if the tv support SCART, the Sony DVD-HDD can tell the tv to tune/change to the right channel and start record. I presume the same technology can be used together with Sky Decoder, so when you programmed the timer, and the recorder will tell Sky Decoder to change to the right channel and the recorder will record from the right channel.

otherwise, SCART is just a video-audio input output connector, passthrough scart. I really like to see TelstraClear using digital decoder soon, and hope they have SCART connection, then I can use it together with my sony DVD-HDD recorder and experiment with SCART connection.

I hate so many different conenction ports, the only standard connection is RCA but it's consider less quality than Component.... grrrrrrr

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#19157 26-Aug-2005 12:28

I have a Benq DVD recorder (no scart), but I have Sky Digital.

Are you saying that if i upgrade to a DVD Recorder that has scart, it will tell my Sky box to change channel at the right time automatically?

That would be wonderful...

sti8u

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#19865 8-Sep-2005 23:06

vprasad007: I would go with component, but i want output from my sky decoder to projector and it only has RCA and SCART outputs.

I think I will stick with RCA-RCA for now. Buy better quality cables maybe.

How does SCART compare to S-video and component?

SCART is a physical cabling specification that does not actually define how you "encode" video signals. In other words, SCART can support composite, S-Video and RGB. SCART as far as I am aware does not support Component output.

If you have a newer Sky decoder, you can configure the SCART output for composite, S-Video or RGB signal. If your projector has RGB inputs, then you only need a SCART to RGB converter which is cheap. If your projector does not support RGB but supports S-Video, you can buy SCART to S-Video cables relatively cheaply (e.g. $20), which will still give you much better picture than composite (RCA).

In my case, I actually purchased a SCART RGB to Component converter and set the Sky decoder to output RGB - cost me about $200 from Jaycar electronics but gives excellent picture quality on my Plasma. I did try S-Video output with SCART to S-Video cable, however I got some bad color bleeding (not sure if this was poor quality cable).

To answer your picture quality question:

RGB > Component > S-Video > Composite

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hometheatregeek

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#21001 4-Oct-2005 15:41

From my Sky decoder you can't tell the difference between S-video and RGB on my 50 inch plasma. And either is far sharper than composite video. I think you had a dud S-video cable.

I run everything on S-video thru my home theatre amp so I don't have to keep changing inputs on the plasma. (Except the DVD which is HDMI and you can't beat that!)

I sourced composite video to S-video converter filters from the UK for my VCRs, they DO NOT improve the picture quality but for $15 each it means everthing is connected by S-Video.

Picture quality on everything (except old VHS) is good to superb.

And the top of the picture quality tree is HDMI. It's digital and way ahead of the others which are all analogue. So it's HDMI, Component, RGB, S-Video and Compsite.
And then there is interlace/progresive scan that also affects the picture quality.

sti8u

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#21551 15-Oct-2005 01:33

Some people reckon the difference between S-Video and component/RGB is 5% so most people won't notice any difference...

I agree on HDMI - being digital it is far superior to any of the analog technologies - blacks are blacks and colours are much more natural and realistic. Picture is also sharper...

I await the day Sky release decoders with HDMI for a true digital experience...