what is the best video cable??

faster100 · July 2003

I posted this somewhere else and decided to put it in my own thread,

so what is better s-video, composite or componet?? those last two seem to get confused.. composite is single RCA (yellow) and componet is the three red,green,blue correct?? which is better,

My TV wont do the 3 colors type cable, and i have a good s-video cable ( i think) and a better composite cable(single yellow RCA) which is a master series AR with screw on ends and those large what evers inline on the cable on each end.. would this be better then the S-video??

ken brydson · July 2003

Composite (single RCA)- Good
S Video- Better
Component- Best
As I understand it anyway

faster100 · July 2003

Thats what i thought, But then Mantis mentioned in another thread composite as good so maybe he meant component??

pjdami · July 2003

Agreed with Ken.

If your DVD player has component out and your tv has component input (3 wires Y/R-Y/B-Y or Y/Cb/Cr) then that is the way to go. I believe that is how one can get the 480 progressive resolution. A progressively scaned video signal (if your DVD player has progressive scan) allows one to view the highest quality picture with less "flicker" as they call it.

PJ

faster100 · July 2003

Nope my 46" RPtv only does S video and single RCA video...

I knew the component was the best but after seeing that thread i was thinking twice

mantis · July 2003

Let me shed some light on video.

It's not always the kind of cable your sending the video feed.It's what has a better way of displaying video.S-video I feel stinks.It's a good Idea with the color seperation but a high quality composite(yes composite feed yellow allday)Can reproduce a better looking picture.I have seen it look better on Plasma,Front and rear projection tvs and even glass.
Now for what can be transmitted.Component needs to be used for HDTV and DVD progressive.S video and compsite can not pass the progressive or HDTV signals.

For years I thought as you guys did.I thought S video would be superior in every respect.I found out otherwise.If you have a tv of 36 inchs or smaller,Svideo composite and component ran in interlaced does no justice for the set.Now the quality of the sourse and the quality of the wire going there does.Combo filters need to be learned and explored more in here.This forum is all about the audio.Video really never gets talked about.

We really should go down that road more often.I enjoy talking about it.

To some it up a bit generally,S video isn't really the better cable.It depends on the wire,source and TV on which one looks better.I perfer composite more times then S.(don't be confused with component,thats another story to tell)

pjdami · July 2003

faster,

The 'S' video cable should be better unless it is an entry level 'S' video cable. The really cheap ones go for like 5 bucks. I'm using an Acoustic Research 'S' video cable which is like $15. On the digital cable channels I have it is very clear and better than a regular composite cable (single rca). For DVD, I have a relatively newer tv and use the component.

I would look into getting a better quality 's' video cable and compare. Definitely worth looking into.

Quote from website:

Hi-Resolution S-Video Cables are constructed with dual 75ohm coaxial cable that delivers high-quality video images. The dual coax design keeps the black and white (Y) signal separate and combines the color signals into a single color signal (C) allowing for better picture quality than a composite cable.

Paul

gidrah · July 2003

I noticed quite an improvement going to S-video. It's just a cheap S, but the composite was cheap to.

pjdami · July 2003

Interesting read Mantis,

I didn't know that either. I have always thought 'S' video was better because that is what industry has told us..

Paul

faster100 · July 2003

Thanks everyone, I have all AR cables... MY S video is a pro series about 25$$ cable. But i have a master series composite AR cable which is about a 60-70 cable originally.. so if that is better i would try that, to see what looks better.

faster100 · July 2003

this is the composite video i own, generic pic for demo use only

faster100 · July 2003

and this is the S video cable i own

faster100 · July 2003

and i also have a set of these if i ever get a tv with component video, my dvd has it, just not my TV

danger boy · July 2003

i have to disagree with mantis. S-video is better than composite.

"S-video cables feature round, 4-pin connectors, and transmit the chrominance (color) and luminance (brightness) portions of a video signal along different paths. As a result, they provide better color accuracy and detail than either RF or composite connections do."

"component video connections deliver better detail and color accuracy than you get with RF, composite, or S-video. They do this by splitting the video signal into three parts, with each part transmitted via its own cable. Unlike the other three types of connections, component video is capable of passing high-definition and progressive-scan video signals."

Plug in a composite cable then a s video cable into your TV set and you'll notice a difference all right.

*quotes taken from the Crutchfield web page

mantis · July 2003

danger boy,
in theory I agree,in real life I disagree.The rule doesn't hold true all the time.

JohnnyCanEHdian · July 2003

Component is definately the way to go if your equipment can handle it, but do yourself a favour, and don't skim on the cables. I had cheap component wiring for a while, and thought it looked great. I just upgraded to monster, and WOW, colours and images are much sharper and clearer. I also upgraded from RCA to optical for my audio out. Another must although from what i've read, coax is just as good.

begbie · July 2003

Argeed for both cases. I find that an S-video cable sucks for digital broadcasts. Not the fault of the cable so much but of the satellite provider. The picture is compressed to the point where it looks as if the sharpness is turned up to a 100%. (tip- keep your sharpness around 30% for ideal p/q ) . An s-video only enhances the poor digital signal and makes it worse.

In this case try the composite cable but in the end, do a comparison test and go with what looks good to you. Most cases an s-video cable should be the better cable.

Faster100, I'm also using a couple of Master series AR cables and they're more than capable of doing the job. Right now I'm using the component series and are very good !

ChrisDurano · July 2003

I don't have an HD yet...but I thought component video or DVI was required to get digital reception. I didn't think composite or S-Video was good enough for that. Or are you guys just talking about regular analog?

jdavy · July 2003

I say use the composit if it is your best cable. Later you should upgrade your tv. HD sets will be cheaper in the fall. Don't you have a HDTV set on your christmas list? I do.

PETERNG · July 2003

the one that caary everything over and leave the garbage out

:eek: :eek:

I use MC reference componnet viedo cable, works great, I replaced the last TV in the house without the component inputs early this year. Good bye to S-vidoe and composite inputs (well occasionally, I use RGB and S-vide connection from the digital camcorders)

TonyPTX · July 2003

Most calibration DVD's have a video calibration process as well that will help you make a judgement call. I personally saw an improvement going to S-Video over composite video w/ my TV (27" Sony Trinitron). If you see a checkered B&W pattern showing rainbow rings, you're experiencing Moire pattern or distorsion which shows that the filtering in your component can not decode the single color transmission of a composite cable properly. In theory, as Dan stated, high quality components shouldn't have this problem in which case it would be a moot point between S-Video and composite. But hey, sometimes we can't control what kind of quality goes into the individial components of a TV and thus we need to go back to the basics.

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what is the best video cable??

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