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S-Video Digital or Not?

parrothead

parrothead

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
I was having a discussion at work today and the question came up whether or not S-Video is digital or not. My guess is that it is digital, otherwise what would be the benefit of using it over the typical yellow RCA type plug.
 
parrothead said:
I was having a discussion at work today and the question came up whether or not S-Video is digital or not. My guess is that it is digital, otherwise what would be the benefit of using it over the typical yellow RCA type plug.
Click to expand...


Not digital, the only advantage is that it seperates the luma (?) and the chroma (?) unlike composite (yellow cable). Not higher resolution either.
 
It separates brightness from color. It's a tad better than composite.

My preferences for video

1. DVI
2. Component
3. S-Video
4. Coax
5. Composite
 
Pretty much too old to be digital. It was a Sony-developed enhancement for their Super Beta VCRs in the mid-1980s. However, the Atari 800 computer used a similar monitor connection and that debuted in 1979, so Sony's work wasn't really unique, only their connector and that's not so different from DIN (Deutsch Industrie Norm) connectors of the time.
 
bousozoku said:
Pretty much too old to be digital. It was a Sony-developed enhancement for their Super Beta VCRs in the mid-1980s. However, the Atari 800 computer used a similar monitor connection and that debuted in 1979, so Sony's work wasn't really unique, only their connector and that's not so different from DIN (Deutsch Industrie Norm) connectors of the time.
Click to expand...

I think the original Sega Genesis also used the same ideas behind s-video in its connector.
 
As others have said, S-Video is not digital, but it does offer a significant amount of image improvement compared to composite.


Lethal
 
carletonmusic said:
It separates brightness from color. It's a tad better than composite.

My preferences for video

1. DVI
2. Component
3. S-Video
4. Coax
5. Composite
Click to expand...

New tvs here in Japan have the hdm interface... run across this? I think it's DVI + extra junk. What were all those D1 to D4 interfaces? They are digital I believe... <sigh> 😕
 
parrothead said:
I was having a discussion at work today and the question came up whether or not S-Video is digital or not. My guess is that it is digital, otherwise what would be the benefit of using it over the typical yellow RCA type plug.
Click to expand...
FYI, an S-video cable is interchangeable with an Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) cable. As to whether or not it is digital, it is most definitely not digital. For the better part of two decades, S-video (aka Y/C) cables have been used to connect DVD players and S-VHS VCRs to TV sets.
 
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