Which are the best cables to use?
Which are the best cables to use when connecting a VCR to a DVD recorder, a cable/satellite box etc.? S-Video, component, or composite? Just figured I'd ask to inform us all.
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From best to worst...
VHS and S-VHS are natively "separated" with the luma and chroma signals stored separately on the video cassette. For the purpose of converting VHS to DVD (or other streaming formats), the best image quality will almost always be through the s-video connection, assuming the VCR is good and the tape is undamaged. While rare, note that some VHS tapes can have so much cross-talk in the signal that only a composite connection will yield the best quality image (something we've only seen maybe a dozen times in the past 10 years). Exception! Laserdisc is natively a composite format, and the comb filters that allow for s-video output are often subpar. When converting Laserdisc material, it is suggested that you test your signal quality before making a decision on the connection type for making a transfer to digital formats (DVD, streaming, etc). In most cases, composite will yield the better image, with less dot-crawl or chroma/luma noise. |
As far as cables go, just quality shielded cables.
Gold is not necessarily the best conductor, so gold-plated wires are not necessarily better. Indeed many copper wires work much nicer, and can be far more costly. Skip electronics stores, find your wires at Lowe's (yes, the hardware store), or Radio Shack. Monster makes nice thick cables, but Philips tend to be just as good, and often at half the price. Philips can sometimes be found in Walmart or even Big Lots. Use the shortest cables you can, too, not long cables where you lose your signal in the coil on the floor. Audio is not as picky, you can use the free cables just fine. It's the video that is more subjective to wiring quality than is audio. |
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