VHS and sVHS

[sasaki kojiro]

Is it worth it to spend the extra dollars for a VHS player with S-Video connection? Will there be a noticable picture quality improvement?

What do I need to know in looking for a good plater?

[botrytis]

For about 75.00 bucks you can get a stereo 4-head VHS with both connections. THey are just dirt cheap now. That is all you will need.

Since, VHS is SDTV quality, I am not sure you will notice the difference between S-video and an analog connection.

Dave

[axel]

Sasaki,
Not sure it would be worth the trudge - your signal will be down-sized (the Y and C mixed down-) to composite anyway...

Botrytis,
The S standard ('87/'88, named Y/C, S or Yoshiden) is analog, too :-)

[botrytis]

I know it is - I meant the std. RCA phono jack for your TV.

Dave

[sasaki kojiro]

I'm not too clear on the workings of the various types and combinations of types of input and outputs.

I was planning to connect to the s-video input on the receiver (Pio 1014), and from there to the s-video input on the plasma screen (Panasonic 37PD).

If there is an improvement to be had, I will return the player I have now, and find one with an s-video out. If not, I'll be happy to keep what I have, and use composite. Sorry for not being clear in the first place.

[colortrakker]

A standard VHS deck doesn't have enough resolution to warrant an S-video connection. An SVHS machine does, though. Best advice is to pop for an SVHS-ET machine. For under $100 you'll get your S-video output, and inputs up front and in back. Plus, you get SVHS resolution on a high-grade VHS tape. This JVC (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=279408&is=REG) is a nice entry-level ET deck.

Don't know if the signal will survive conversion to 480p, but it might as well be good to start with.

[sasaki kojiro]

Thanks, I will use the player exclusively for watching older movies that have not been transfered to DVD.

[colortrakker]

So the resolution won't be there anyway. Still, if you ever do decide to time-shift, an ET machine will be worth it.

[House de Kris]

I'm not sure resolution is the sole advantage for using S-video in sub-NTSC bandwidths, which is where both VHS and S-VHS fall. As I see it, the most compelling reason to use S-video for video tape playback is to preserve the quality of the interface. Since luma and chroma are recorded as separate signals on VHS, it is best to keep them separate all the way to the receiver. To invoke a composite interface means you must combine the luma and chroma signals at the VCR, then separate them later in the receiver. Why go through an extra encode/decode process? No extra processing is always better than using even the world's best extra processing.

[axel]

IIRC, S-VHS allows a 5MHz chroma bandwidth to be recorded, while VHS stops at 2MHz - not sure about the exact numbers anymore but it should be on that order of magnitude... Huge visual difference anyway.

I have about 200 S-VHS tapes and must transfer them all to DVD since S is going down (...never really went up in Europe...) and finding someone servicing the decks themselves is now getting really difficult. Ahhhh, formats :-(