Coaxial vs. S-Video

[xtknight]

I would just go and try it, but it would take me a while to find a coax cable in this house.

 

[n7]

I think the max rez s-video can properly handle is 800x600, so i'm guessing coax is better, but i dunno.

Does anyone know the max rez supported for all cable types?

I know the quality order would be:

composite
s-video
component
hdmi (DVI)

& for PC:

VGA
DVI

But what about max rez for all those cables?

 

[Auric]

Originally posted by: n7
composite
s-video
component

Coaxial can be used for all these at least, from the nastiest RF VCR to DVD and HD cable/sat even though it is not standard for S-Video and would thus require custom connectors but in any case the point is the limits are not so much from the cable but the interface specs. So the question is whatchootalkinboutxtknight? ...as far as what yer connecting.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Auric

Originally posted by: n7
composite
s-video
component

Coaxial can be used for all these at least, from the nastiest RF VCR to DVD and HD cable/sat even though it is not standard for S-Video and would thus require custom connectors but in any case the point is the limits are not so much from the cable but the interface specs. So the question is whatchootalkinboutxtknight? ...as far as what yer connecting.

Oh, well, I'm in a bit of a tough position. I have an external HDTV OTA (ATSC) tuner. The outputs available are:

Coax out
S-Video out
HD Component out (YPbPr)
Composite video out
Composite audio out
Dolby digital optical out
DVI out
VGA out

The audio is acceptable for me but the video is less than stellar. I notice smudge with S-Video and salt and pepper with coax cables. I'm told HD component input devices cost a couple thousand dollars. S-Video looks slightly more clear than composite, but not by a lot. What I want to do is get the HDTV video to my PC so I can record it. I'm not convinced to get another internal OTA-only HD tuner at this point.

 

[Auric]

Salt 'n' Peppa, eh? I don't have any experience with PC recording and am not quite following but what is the device? Is it a tuner if so is it designed to accept a signal output from another tuner? Using good quality RG-6? Are there splitters involved and if so are they high frequency (>= 1GHz)? You may try avsforum if no one jumps in with more suggestions here.

 

[hans030390]

S-video is better than Coax hands down.

 

[xtknight]

The external HD tuner: Samsung SIR-T451

Inputs RF (over-the-air HD via antenna), demodulates 8-VSB (US ATSC standard), and outputs S-Video, composite, component, RF (coax), DVI, and VGA.

Right now I'm feeding the S-Video out (from HD tuner) to an S-Video input device (ATI TV Wonder USB 2.0). Obviously I'm not using the TV Wonder USB 2.0's RF tuner in this situation. I then record the S-Video with ATI Multimedia Center. Yeah, I probably should have gotten an internal HD tuner PCI card, which I may in the future, but for now I want to find the best way to record this data. In fact, I was trying to build an HD tuner box (trying to learn electronics), but have the hardest time trying to find 8-VSB demodulator semiconductors (in stock). So I'm back where I started. I bought the external HD tuner because I'd like the ability to hook up to other HD YPbPr-inputting LCDs as well (not just an internal PC-only card).

Oh and what is RG-6? Is that the "real" name of coax cable? No idea about the quality of the coax, I just found it laying around, and the composite/S-Video cable came with my HD tuner.

No splitters here. The distance from my HD tuner to my S-Video in device is just a couple inches. They're sitting on the same desk.

Thanks

 

[imported_Truenofan]

i got a different question, same kind of topic, im tryin to run component to my tv, but for some reason it looks like svideo/coaxial when you have the res too high, i'v tried changing the res but nothing changes, any tips, i got a radeon x800xl.

 

[Auric]

Ah so, xtknight. I was kinda confoozled about a PC device inputting coax on what I assumed was only for cable/sat. routed to its own tuner 'cause I couldn't imagine a situation where RF coax would be a video signal source without at least composite being an option.

So in that case RF is expected to be the worst since even at best it implies an additional conversion step (modulation?) after tuning/decoding as with a VCR where composite is therefore the preferred output to TV (in the absence of s-video). In any case, an HD source will prolly be downsampled to 480i for any of those three outputs even before the cables or PC have a chance to mangle-ate it; so it seems s-video remains your best option 🙁

If a dodgey old RG-59 cable and connectors was used that could explain the SnP although a good one should be fine but it's all academic now 😉 RG-59 is used for lower frequencies while RG-6 with a larger conductor and more shielding is to accomodate the higher too as with sat. Either, but especially the former are also for composite video and digital audio.

Truenofan, later drivers reportedly have better options for component output. Have you tried 'em? Check out the rage3d forums.

 

[imported_tss4]

The worst is coax. Going in order from worst to best:

coax, composite, s-video, component, dvi/hdmi

Its important to note that you will only get 480i out of coax through s-video no matter what (even if your using HD equipement). The difference between s-video and and component (HD) will be, by-far, the most dramatic since it enables HD. Some people feel that when recording digital video signals, coax can sometimes perform better than s-video because the noise it introduces can make the digital artifacts less noticeable. I've never experienced that though.

 

[rbV5]

The best you can probably hope for is 480i from whatever input you have on your rig. The high bandwidth connectors (DVI, YPbPr) carry uncompressed HD data streams after it leaves the tuner, so you won't be capturing that anytime soon. Everything else is 480i..period.

S-video will keep the Luminance and Chrominance components seperate, so it will be your best bet in your situation.

Frankly, I'd get an internal OTA tuner if you want to record the material. You'll be doing an analog capture, just like off your regular broadcast with all of its dropped frames and A/V sync issues...quite the shame after you have a bit perfect transport stream right there up to that external OTA Tuner.

 

[knyghtbyte]

in europe/UK it goes composite, s-video, SCART, component, HDMI.....that SCART is actually a very good connector, can be bought reasonably cheaply for a long length and still hold a good picture.....can also be bought as just picture, or just sound, or both combined......not sure tho if it can handle a HD signal, might not be able to.

 

[xtknight]

Thanks all.

OK I've decided then to get an internal HD tuner soon. I wish they had HD component-in devices just like composite-in is all over the place. Guess that would require much bandwidth and I'd have to drop 2/3 (or more) of my frames if I calculated right (if I can write to HD at 60MB/sec).

What I really wonder is which (S-Video or coax) induces noise that I'd be more likely to remove? S-Video looks smudgy and blurry for me, and if coax is not smudgy but just 'salty', then salt is a lot easier to remove than blur. Well in this case, I'll do some testing, and report back with screenshots.

 

[xtknight]

Weird, I can't get the coax output to work. Antenna/CATV tuning with channel 3/4 (like a VCR) doesn't work. I can pick up noisy regular antenna TV somehow with this connected to my HD tuner, so I don't know what's going on, lol.

 

[Fox5]

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: Auric

Originally posted by: n7
composite
s-video
component

Coaxial can be used for all these at least, from the nastiest RF VCR to DVD and HD cable/sat even though it is not standard for S-Video and would thus require custom connectors but in any case the point is the limits are not so much from the cable but the interface specs. So the question is whatchootalkinboutxtknight? ...as far as what yer connecting.

Oh, well, I'm in a bit of a tough position. I have an external HDTV OTA (ATSC) tuner. The outputs available are:

Coax out
S-Video out
HD Component out (YPbPr)
Composite video out
Composite audio out
Dolby digital optical out
DVI out
VGA out

The audio is acceptable for me but the video is less than stellar. I notice smudge with S-Video and salt and pepper with coax cables. I'm told HD component input devices cost a couple thousand dollars. S-Video looks slightly more clear than composite, but not by a lot. What I want to do is get the HDTV video to my PC so I can record it. I'm not convinced to get another internal OTA-only HD tuner at this point.

Your TV doesn't have component input? Anyhow, if you don't have component input, dvi input, or vga input on your tv, I'd be more worried about getting a new TV then the cable quality.

 

[xtknight]

Fox5:

Sorry if I didn't mention it, but I'm using my PC, not an HDTV. That's wayyyy beyond my budget. 🙂

 

[Fox5]

Originally posted by: xtknight
Fox5:

Sorry if I didn't mention it, but I'm using my PC, not an HDTV. That's wayyyy beyond my budget. 🙂

Ah, well I haven't heard of component, DVI, or VGA input for PC, though maybe the ATI HDTV Wonder has component? It's capable of recieving ATSC signals, and I think uses coaxial to do that? Or does it do it with an internal antenna?

Not sure of any way you could record it and keep it HDTV quality, maybe hook it up to an external recorder, I think some of those are capable of streaming data to a PC using ethernet or firewire.

 

[Sonikku]

S video is superior to Coax. Of this there can be no doubt.

 

[Auric]

Originally posted by: Sonikku
S video is superior to Coax. Of this there can be no doubt.

Correction: "Y/C component" is superior to "RF modulation". Coaxial cable itself is superior (i.e. overkill) to that used for S-Video. Again, 'tis the signal spec (or format) which limits the quality before the physical cable is a factor.