What's better - Coaxial cable or composite? (1 Viewer)

[Mark Kasprzak]

I've got my digital cable box outputting svideo, analog audio and digital audio to my receiver (so that the receiver can auto-switch when I'm on a cable channel with no digtal signal). The only option left to output to my VCR is the coaxial cable out from the cable box. Am I losing any signal by doing this?

 

[Michael Reuben]

Yes, you probably are losing some signal, since the cable box has already done the work of extracting the video and audio signals, and now the VCR has to do some of that all over again. But since it's VHS, there probably isn't enough resolution to pick up the difference.

M.

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Mark,

Does the cable box have a composite video out in addition to the S-video out? If so, there is a good chance it is active along with the S-video out (at least it is with my S-VHS VCRs). Try running the composite video to the VCR. For audio you could use “y” splitters on the analog audio jacks (of the cable box) and send one side to the VCR and the other to the receiver, as you already have done.

Regards,

Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Mark Kasprzak]

For audio you could use “y” splitters on the analog audio jacks

good call - I can't believe I didn't think of that. Is there any signal strength/quality loss from doing this?
Mark

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Not enough to matter. That’s why we have volume controls.
Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Allan Jayne]

Depending on the quality of the comb filter in the cable box (needed to make S-video out of analog channels) the video via the antenna output may be better than via S-video for analog channels, if any! But don't bother to use the antenna coax output if there is a composite output jack.
Try it both ways and see. You will have to keep the S-video cable connected for best viewing of video that was never composite in its earlier lifetime.
Video hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/video.htm