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S-Video with VCR, and other newbie questions (1 Viewer)

BrandonRM

Auditioning
Joined
Dec 8, 2002
Messages
8
I am considering getting a Sony FD Triniton Flatscreen Wega (24" - 27") and an S-Video VCR. Here is my dilemma and questions:
I have a bunch of game consoles all plugged into a Pelican switchbox. They currently use composite cable but when I get my Wega I will upgrade all the cable to S-video (the switch box does support S-video)
I want to be able to record from the game consoles (cinemas and in-game recording and such. I have no desire to record DVDs, just video from the games) and as such I will run the Pelican switchbox into the VCR, and the VCR into the TV.
As long as all my ables are S-video (well, except the coax/RF line coming in for the cable TV itself), will this work? Will the VCR record from the game consoles, and will the games show up on my TV? I just want to make sure that all S-video going tinto a VCR would be output through all of its S-video outs.
And, perhaps more importantly, will this retain the quality of S-video? By going through the VCR will the advantage S-video offers still be there? I know little to nothing about this stuff, so I just need to make sure.
BTW, what difference would "pass-through S-video" make? It's really really rare to find on a reasonably-priced (under $200) SVHS VCR, so I'm not considering getting it; just wondering.
If I need to elaborate or clarify please let me know since I tend to kind of ramble.
The highest thanks to any help you can offer. I don't want to buy this stuff only to find out I can't record from the games or that I only get composite quality and thus it was a waste to go all-out S-video.
Brandon
 

Wayne Clark

Agent
Joined
Dec 28, 1999
Messages
39
Brandon, yes this will work. You might be gaining some interference by porting through the VCR, but I would expect very little. The thing you need to be aware of is that you will have to have your VCR on at all time when playing video games. Otherwise the signal will not get passed on to the TV. I think that is what you are talking about with you comment of "pass-through S-video". If you had that feature, I would expect you to be able to play video games with the VCR off and only need to turn it on when you are going to record because the VCR will "pass" the s-video along regardless of off/on status. I hope this helps and if I'm wrong I hope someone will correct us. Wayne.
 

BrandonRM

Auditioning
Joined
Dec 8, 2002
Messages
8
Alright, thanks :D ; sounds good. By the way, on a 27" TV, is the difference between S-video and composite significant enough to warrant going out of your way to get it? On a 27"?
Brandon
 

Wayne Clark

Agent
Joined
Dec 28, 1999
Messages
39
Brandon, I think highly of S-video. I used it with a 27" system I put together for my parents last year for Christmas. So I would say yes, but other may think it's overkill for that size TV. Like so much of HT, it's an opinion. Wayne.
 

Allan Jayne

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Nov 1, 1998
Messages
2,405
Can you recognize dot crawl? On a news or sportscast look at the red and blue border around names or headlines at the bottom of the screen.
First compare the picture from each video game using composite versus S-video connected directly to the TV. If your TV has a mediocre comb filter, there will be obvious dot crawl on both horizontal and vertical color boundaries that will not be there when you uss S-video going into the TV. Unfotunately I do not know of any non-S-VHS VCR's that have S-video connections. Even non-S-VHS tapes play better if you have an S-video output.
Also try recording the game with your existing VCR to see how it looks. I think that most S-VHS VCR's including my relatively low end JVC HR-S3911U S-VHS do not add obtrusive dot crawl. But S-VHS will not give you finer or crisper color edges, and color will alwyas be noticeablly more smeared compared with playing the game directly.
If your TV has a good comb filter, it is hard to tell whether your 27 inch TV will show better tape playback of your game playing in S-VHS before you get the S-VHS VCR and actually try it.
Video hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr
 

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