Is S-VHS superior to RCA cables for DVD? (Really)

[extreme]

Nicap: I can't thank you enough, thanks man you're a life saver ;-)

Man, is this gonna be great or what!!!

regards,
eXTREME

[xortam]

No problem KilroY, I'm glad I could be of help.
Now if the industry could only settle on which connections to use for HDTV. What a mess.

[Hodge Podge]

NTSC...

Never
The
Same
Color

[CMB]

Wait till you all get your RGB going and you'll se what im ravig about
YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and SVHS DREAMCAST?????
Surely you should be playing it on your now defunct monitor since RGB tv output is so good :O)
lol
seriously though.. My DVD output is great.
looks better then my old DXR2 card, and even a friend with a DXR3 agrees that compared to G400 his 'sucks ass'

[Nicap]

Just for the record:
99% of all european TV's wich have SCART input are able to recieve RGB signals.

[ph0rk]

Suuuuuure, CMB I'm know my friends won't mind playing Soul Caliber on a 17" screen instead of a 32" one. heh.

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"The iMac is for conformists who think they are non-conformists. They are also for morons."
John Misak

[Easty]

About European Tv's

Correct they all support RGB Scart made within the last few years.. But It's only normaly in a single port. So if your TV has multiple Scart sockets.. Try them all if the first one doesn't work...

Is the Point here being made that Scart(RGB) is better than SVGA Socket??? Or did I miss read it!! I use the SVGA option .. It's crystal on games and DVD Is perfect on a 32" Wide.. But when res is turned up above 640X480 in windows text does get a little un readable!! .. I use the powerstrib font changer for File name text ect.. Works a treat..

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Ath 650,G4MAX,MSI Mobo, Vortex 2, Maxtor 6880+, 256(100)

[Darin]

Kilroy,
Before you get too deep in your s-video runs, you might want to do a little more research. I have read numerous times that s-video signals are much more prone to degradation on long runs than composite. I don't have any personal comparisons to give you, just this caution based on my memory of my research when I was doing the same thing.

I'm using a cheap rat-shack line level amplifier that takes a standard composite video & L & R audio, and gives you three amplified outputs. I use it to get from my main system to various places in the house, with surprisingly good results. In my main system, I can see a very noticable difference when I A/B between composite & S-video, but that's on a 41" screen.

For me, the added cost & difficulty didn't justify the use of s-video just so I wouldn't miss anything on my 20" kitchen tv while making popcorn, especially considering that the info I was getting indicated the results may actually be worse at those lengths.

[CMB]

Hey Is RGB better then SVHS
yes thats a big yes
i was amazed at how much better
it just looks a lot crisper
i have my desktop at 800x600
and the text is perfectly readable
1024x768 is great too
still clear text, but smaller clear text :O)

[xortam]

All right Darin, I guess that's my cue. S-Video cables are usable up to 100 feet. If I may quote myself from an earlier thread ...

As far as video, for most TV, you're better off using the Y/C input vs. RCA (composite). The exception to this would be if your TV/projector supports VGA (D-sub or RGB) inputs (some now also support component interconnects). I now hear that you can buy pricey, top-of-the-line Monster Y/C cables that are suitable up to 100 feet. I like to use the RG6/QS for long runs and use a pair with the Y/C-F adapters. As the distance goes up, you'll spend less money with the coax and have less noise. You don't need that for a 20 foot run and you're better off with a good Y/C cable. The quality of your TV may dictate how much you want to spend on quality interconnects. The NTSC signal only delivers up to 450 lines so you won't be gaining anything by purchasing a TV that can handle more lines but only has composite or Y/C inputs. If you can connect your TV/projector through VGA, you will bypass NTSC and be able to run at much higher resolutions (probably only limited by you're display) and this would exploit those extra lines (and deserve the best interconnects).

Also check out these other threads I posted in earlier:

Computer / TV Integration - I Have A Dream

RCA or S-Video

[Kristian]

Sooo you wanna get complicated eeeh?

Ok S-VHS is obviously not the way to go if you have some distance to your tv...
But what is distance really? Are we talking 6 feet, 9 feet, 25 feet???
When does the degradation become so noticable that its no longer warranted to use a S-VHS over the RCA?
Im going to have around 25 feet (8 meters) to my TV when my rearranging is complete - what should I use for the MAX, S-VHS or RCA???

regards

Kristian

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Striving for perfection

[Darin]

xortam,
Thanks for the info. I only knew enough to throw in a caution, and was hoping someone else here could help further, or Kilroy could find more difinative answers. As I said, my extended runs weren't that critical, since 95% of my viewing is in my main room anyway, so I didn't spend too much time researching the long length S-video issue.

[Nicap]

Well, you can make a 25 feet RGB Scart cable?

[xortam]

Kristian, You want it simple ... your best bet is to go out and buy a mid-line Monster Cable S-Video cable (may cost a bit more than $25). This assumes that you don't have a VGA, SCART, RGBHV or similar connector on your TV.

S-Video becomes less desirable when you're running greater than 50 feet and that's when you should consider top-of-the-line Monster Cable or some such (which maxes out at 100 feet) or use the RG6 coax pair w/ S-Video/F connector adapter. I went with the RG6 solution because I ultimately want to reuse these cables for HDTV (...soon).

[This message has been edited by xortam (edited 25 February 2000).]

[xortam]

RGB is always superior to RCA (composite) or S-Video, regardless of length. You can use a normal RGB cable for a 50 foot length. You're better off splitting up the RGB signals (RGBHV) across five RG6 coaxes for extended lengths (don't know exactly at what point you should go to coax). I understand that production studios use RG6. I don't have any experience with SCART so one of our European colleagues will have to help you with the cable. Nicap had previously mentioned he had specs for a homemade cable. I don't know if any ready-made cables are available.

[This message has been edited by xortam (edited 26 February 2000).]