BNC composite better than S-Video?
 

Can anyone confirm for me if BNC composite connections are better in quality than S-Video?
If not better than S-Video, then a more stable image than RCA composite?
I tried BNC connection using BNC adapter to RCA composite cable and the image from my AG-1980 seemed stronger---or should I say solid ---no waviness, just a stable image.:congrats:::

Composite is composite no matter the connector. BNC cables tend to be higher quality (usually coax) compared to typical RCA plug wires, otherwise its still chroma and luma mashed together. Stick with S-Video, although given the description of your video problem, its likely the AG-1980 needs some electrical TLC.

A BNC connector, properly made up, provides a better, more reliable, electrical connection than an S-VIDEO connector.

As described above, the S-VIDEO signal is generally better than a composite version of the same video. At least it has the potential to be a better signal.

S-VIDEO playback from a healthy AG-1980 should be better. However, other factors in the equipment chain and connections can have a significant effect, including cables, how the signals are derived, and the quality and condition of the source and destination electronics. For example a low quality s-video cable might pick up interference that a high quality composite cable does not. AG-1980 electronics often need some rehab and that could result in better composite signal behavior with a specific unit. There are several threads here on the symptoms of that issue.

s-video and composite are the format of the video signal.

BNC is just the physical head -- either BNC composite or BNC s-video. BNC is not a format.

And s-video (separated video) is far superior to composite (not separated). The luma and chroma is what's "separated" on s-video, while it's mashed together on composite. Smushed together chroma and luma has crosstalk, and leads to dot crawl, among other errors (color bleed, etc).

Are you saying your 1980 looks worse as s-video? If so, it may have bad capacitors on board, and needs repair.

No it's not like that. I happened to discover when I hooked up an s-video cable I have had for quite a time to a recent refurb AG1980 that the picture output was a solid B&W ----no Color/BW switch in wrong position. Based on the advice I received on that problem to switch out cables, that first I used RCA composite using BNC adaptor that picture & colors were vibrant. I used another s-video cable and the picture was not B&W. but about even quality wise with the composite using BNC adaptor.
In my times of utilising a Lite-ON/ilo dvd recorder using RCA composite that the picture would have slight waviness even in terrific sources fed to it, that when using s-video with LiteON/ilo the picture showed no waviness. Just my surprise with the AG1980 composite signal looking solid like the s-video output signal.

NJRoadfan and Lordsmurf are right. S-video is superior if the vcr works properly. The BNC is just the connector type (you can get an adapter that connects to RCA cable).

Ok....the reason for my even starting this thread that the BNC connector/adaptor to RCA Composite was putting out a solid, color vibrant image worthy of digital capture, which rivaled the same signal coming through using the s-video cable. No fault of the machine---recent refurb machine from a true professsional ---TGrant Photo --who specializes in the AG-1980 restoration----who I am 200% percent satisfied with in my trade in of a faulty AG-1980 --no color output & interference lines for a completely refurb unit ---that also goes through 7-10 different VHS tapes types to ensure condition. No I am not Tom Grant ---just a very satisfied customer. I found his info here on this forum from user sanlyn.

That VHS source tapes look essentially identical whether viewed via composite or s-video connections is not surprising. The difference is more likely to be seen when using S-VHS, Hi8, DV, or cable sources.

The reason: The video signal from a VHS source has limited bandwidth (equivalent to about 230 lines of video resolution) compared to a S-VHS, Hi8, (about 400 lines) or live SD broadcast signal (about 330 lines). Thus the video from a VHS source has fewer signal components at overlapping frequencies that can produce the artifacts (e.g., dot-crawl) that are avoided by use of s-video. (This is part of why s-video connections are rarely found on VHS gear.) Second, a good viewing system (the TV) should have excellent signal separation circuits (e.g., comb filters) for the composite signal that will minimize these artifacts.

The main downside to VHS via composite connection is the need for extra processing to combine the signals at the source and and then separate the signals at the display, and not all equipment does an honest job of the processing.

Good to hear that you received great service on you AG-1980.

Useless thread and also more like an advertisment to me. You know there are quite few threads about professionals. There are better qualified and certified techs that can do more than just one simple vcr in which the main problem is few capacitors that dry out. You want to make it look like brain surgery but it is not, but than again for some it is.

C'mon on now, be nice. :wave:

You need to view it from another perspective. Simple isn't always simple. :wink2:

For example, I'm not a hardware repair tech. Building/fixing electronics is not my specialty -- using them is! (Though for VCRs, I do usually know what/why/how it's broken, complete with knowledge of the fix.) So if I have to pay a few hundred to get a VCR back in working order, so be it. That's how I am with VCRs, cars, lawnmowers, etc. It's just not my thing.