Super Video Technology also Known as S-Video

standard 4-pin S-Video Male connector standard 4-pin S-Video Female connector

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Alrighty then let’s get to the guts shall we?

For the benefit of my entry level readers today the Maxman is going to give you a wee bit of a history lesson on S-Video also known as Super Video or Separate Video depending on who you talk to.

For the sake of keeping it real I’m just gonna refer to it as S-Video. OK?

S-Video

This technology has been designed to transmit an analogue video signal in two parts. The first being for color and the second is for brightness this gives a much better picture on your TV than a standard Composite cable (which transmits the signal as one).

Because the signals are transmitted separately the S-Video keeps more of the original video signal intact resulting in a better picture. You see TV’s have been designed to display separate signals known as Luminance (Y) and Chrominance (C).

So just in case you were wondering another name for S-Video is Y/C video. The highest resolution that can be carried by one of these cables is usually 480i or 576i also known as standard definition.

Have I confused you yet? Stay with me folks, there’s more.

Connector

Although the type of S-Video connector used can vary from place to place the most commonly used form would have to be the 4 pin mini-Din (shown above) there are approx 7 varieties of mini-Din available.

S-Video uses 4 pin mini-Din connector

These pins can be damaged easily which can affect the color and delivery of signal so take care when handling the connector and make sure the cable and device connectors are compatible with each other e.g. 4 pin male to 4 pin female.

The 4 pin mini-Din is commonly used on TV’s, VCR’s and DVD players; there is also a 7 pin connector that tends to be used with computers. The 7 pin connector can accept the 4 pin but it has a longer locating lug so great care should be taken when connecting otherwise permanent damage will result.

Other Uses

As mentioned above the S-Video connection is very common on TV’s, VCR’s, DVD players, digital receivers and video game consoles like the Sony Play Station or the Xbox. But because of the lack of bandwidth S-Video is not really suited for high definition a better choice for HD would be a component video connector (which still transmits the signal in analogue) or a HDMI connector (digital). Also I almost forgot to mention that S-Video does not carry an audio signal, so you will need to use another cable for audio. A TOSLINK connector for sound would be a good choice.

Summary

So I have given you a general overview of what S-Video is now it’s up to you to figure out what you really need. If you are looking for a good sharp picture or connecting devices such as video cameras or DVD players to your TV then S-Video is a good choice for all of these applications and more.

Another thing the Maxman likes about this type of connector is it is relatively user friendly in that it’s almost impossible to mix it up with any other connector because nothing else looks like it.

That’s it from me today folks.

Maxman Out.