DVD hookup - Compnent AND s-video???? (1 Viewer)

So, I get this call from a friend who was asking me questions about hooking up his new SONY HD tv, SONY 5.1 sound system, and HD/Digital cable.

I answered all of his questions, but he threw me for a loop when he told me that the SONY salesperson said to hook up the component AND the s-video conections into the TV. He said that she said this would improve the picture????

Is this true? It can't be! I know it sounds like she was either giving him misinformation or that he maybe misinterpreted her and explained it to me wrong, but I still thought I'd double check here in case there was some validity that I may possibly be missing.

Not true, Mark.

Sure it will improve the picture, as long as you are using the component video connection The TV can only display from one type of connection for a given input, so how would having two of them connected make any difference?

Either the salesperson was mistaken or your friend misunderstood what was said.

I knew I wasn't crazy in not knowing what this woman was talking about. or trying to get an extra comission from the purchase of an s-video cable

My Scientific Atlanta STB is connected to both component and S-Video on my RCA HDRPTV. However, the S-video cable is connected to my second S-Video port. The S-video connection is used to view regular STD channels and the component is used to view the HD channels. This is the only time I would use both the component and S-Video connections from one source.

I was going to meniton that PIP could be a situation where two connections might be useful, but that would still mean you'd be getting the same signal in both cases, if the player even sent the signal via both types at the same time (some do not).

I hate to say it, but I've recently seen the same thing when working on a system. The person was told to get a cable that connected to each output from his HD CATV box, which resulted in a lot of additional, unnecessary cost. The end result was, he was able to return one rather expensive cable that was doing nothing for him.

I think that was a typo, even if was spoken. (A word-o?)

Anyway, I think the word we're looking for here is composite, not component. Then it would all make sense.

Glenn

That is just flat out embarrassing.

Sorry for the typo in the title, but it was definitely Component. My friend was definitely talking about s-video and component. He never said component, per say, but he did say "the red, blue and green cable".

and how would the s-video connection make the composite source look better?

The S-video is better than the yellow composite.

I didn't mean that you had made a typo. Quite the contrary; your friend or the source probably had a slip of their tongue.

However, I have heard people swear that composite is better than component, but it is just that they got their words crossed. It is really a shame that composite and component are so similar.

Glenn

yes, but even if my friend confused composite and component, still, if you are using one of the DVD outputs to go to your tv (now matter which one it is) how would hooking up another one of the other 2 outputs (that you aren't using) make the one you're using "better"? That's what threw me.

Yes, I see your point, but we are talking about a little error in words, and with one, more are likely.

If you were to connect the super and the red/white/yellow, from the DVR to the receiver, you'd get the picture signal (which is all analog) via the super, not the yellow composite. This would result in a better picture.

S-video isn't that well known in some circles. If you plugged a regular VCR into your receiver too, you'd only have the composite set, and you could have the picture go to the TV via the S-Video cable(with the composite quality, of course).

The yellow cable wouldn't be used, but more than likely the cable would not have the yellow separate.

At least, that's how it was explained to me once.

Glenn

Glenn, I think I see what you're saying, so let me reiterate and let me know if this is what you mean.

The woman was probably referring to the fact that my friend would hook a VCR (or something with only composite outs) into his stereo. Since the stereos do video mixing, he would then get a better picture if he went out of the stereo via the s-video instead of using another composite cable to go to the tv?

I can see where that would be better (If that's what she was really talking about), but who really knows.

Right. The composite signal would not get improved but the S-Video from a DVD player would. In other words, the quality of the composite signal is stuck where it is, but this method avoids running both a composite AND an S-Video cable to the TV.

Glenn

Well.. while it wont improve the picture, I have sometimes recommended connecting both.

Here is the trick: Run SVideo from every component through your receiver, then 1 SVideo to the TV.

Lock the TV onto the SVideo feed and let the receiver remote control all the device switching. This creates a easy-to-use system for the wife and kids.

But then for more critical movie/HD watching, you grab the TV remote and flip to the higher-quality component feed.

Most of the time the spouse/kids wont want to go to this trouble just to channel-surf. (And frankly - most of the network/CATV channels really dont look so good even through the HD CATV box).