S-video cable

  • Thread starter Thread starter nurburgring
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colnago
If the picture looks good, go for it. I spent the same money for a 20", Non-flat screen. :dunce:

As far as the cable, I'd go with the "MAD CATZ", as it seems to have more sheilding and appears more durable.
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Thanks for the advise colnago. đź‘Ť
 
i gotta say, i've never been happy w/ Monster Cables. i know i know... my buddy loves them and uses them for all his car audio, but i've bought some and thought they sucked.

i'm a taper (live shows) and been through 3 1/8 mini to RCA cables!! they all develop NASTY crackling and poping if you just TOUCH the cable (flexing it) these particular cable are terrible. i've had decent luck with the RCA to RCA cables but ya pay out the @$$ for em... not really worth it. Radio Shack's gold plated's are almost just as good.
 
sleepyhollow
g-man can you please post your setup?
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I use Monster Component Cables to my 43" Hitachi HDTV monitor(which has a native resolution of 1080i), I bought the Madcatz s-vid cable for travel purposes or to hook up S-video to my 27" bedroom TV (I can hookup in most hotels, since the cable also has the standard RCA composite hookups as well)

I haven't tried the VGA box yet, but I've been contemplating and researching it for the past year. Maybe it's about time to do so to get a review on here. I just have't had the need to yet, as I control all viewing on the bigscreen.
 
sleepyhollow
Oh what the fudge, you made it sound like you used your pc monitor.
Well thanks for nothing.
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Come on, I've been reading other's experiences on this issue for the past year on other forums ;) besides, I'm a professional in the home entertainment industry.

All I need to do is buy the VGA box, it has a passthrough for the monitor to be hooked up to the PC so you won't have to switch that around every time, and I'm halfway there with my Monster cables (they just hook up to the VGA box that the monitor will be hooked up to) Here's a link to the box I would get. there's even a diagram showing this simple hookup. (this is the method that only supports 480p or 1080i games, though)
 
i got an even cheaper brand than madcatz called Hip Gear Universal S-video Cable, connects to xbox/gamecube-n64/ps2-ps1. Bought it from an electronic store called Micro Center for 7.99, with Ca tax it comes up to $8.65
its 1 hell of a deal, im not going back to normal cables!
 
Flerbizky
Absolutely... The SVHS cable makes a world of difference... I will NOT, However, recommend the Monster ones... I tried 2 sets of Monsters, and none delivered the quality of my noname model (which I assume hides inside eg. the MadCatz cable as well)
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Just a word about MONSTER cables, i was in comet the other day (they sell all monster crap) they had a "DEMO" setup of two tv's side by side to show the difference between monster cables and "other" cables, however, the tv with the monster cables was using a scart cable(RGB) and the "other" setup had a dirty great yellow composite cable sticking out the front of the tv, and this is supposed to be a comparrison? But, the ironic thing was that the tv's were so small that the one with the composite feed actually looked better than the one with the Monster scart cable, own goal, bottom line? steer clear of monster overpriced crappy cables, every one i have ever had has broken, mostly just phono leads, and be very weary of Comet, some of their pricing policies are seriously wierd, Like last years plasma tv's costing more than this years? go figure.

I have switched to IXOS cables, proper professional ones, not cheap crap priced like professional gear, come on guys, why else would they be sold in a high street electrical retailers? they're for people in off the street who don't know any better, and as for the guy who's a home entertainment "expert", no your're not, or else you wouldn't be recommending rubbish cables to people.
 
i have the official sony s-video cables and it works wonderfully
but i have it going to my reciever and then some cheap generic cables going from the reciever to my tv
so i dunno if it actually negates the quality of the official ones (if there's quality to be had)
i'm using a sony reciever btw (STRDE698)
should i even bother upgrading my generic cables?
i need something that has s-video on both ends, right now i'm using sony speakers off of a mini-system (ghetto i know but it works)
planning to either replace them or getting a sub
i want DTS/dolby damn it
 
I'm using the Sony PS2 brand component video cable and I've found it delivers a 100% better picture on my TV (a Sony KVXA25M31 (59cm/25in wega)). It's definitely up to scratch compared to the more expensive SCART/component cables.

I reckon S-video is ok, but only if the cable is high quality. Component always has better colour, but clarity is only a smidgen better.

It all depends on your rig though, some TV's don't show any improvement from composite to s-video and so on.
 
redline1975
Just a word about MONSTER cables, i was in comet the other day (they sell all monster crap) they had a "DEMO" setup of two tv's side by side to show the difference between monster cables and "other" cables, however, the tv with the monster cables was using a scart cable(RGB) and the "other" setup had a dirty great yellow composite cable sticking out the front of the tv, and this is supposed to be a comparrison? But, the ironic thing was that the tv's were so small that the one with the composite feed actually looked better than the one with the Monster scart cable, own goal, bottom line? steer clear of monster overpriced crappy cables, every one i have ever had has broken, mostly just phono leads, and be very weary of Comet, some of their pricing policies are seriously wierd, Like last years plasma tv's costing more than this years? go figure.

I have switched to IXOS cables, proper professional ones, not cheap crap priced like professional gear, come on guys, why else would they be sold in a high street electrical retailers? they're for people in off the street who don't know any better, and as for the guy who's a home entertainment "expert", no your're not, or else you wouldn't be recommending rubbish cables to people.
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Whoa, slow down there, redline1975.

I never said I was an "expert", I merely said I was a professional; which means I get paid to configure people's home entertainment equipment. I think I would have to work in the commercial entertainment industry in order to be an expert on the matter and what's available.

Second, I never recommended Monster cables, I only stated that I use them for my PS2. I don't use Monster for any other Component hookups in my system, such as HD tuner, DVD player, XBOX, etc.

Take a little time and read more carefully, please.
 
Won this on eBay for under $10. :sly:

ps2component.jpg
 
Yeah but what's the picture quality like? Who makes the cable?

I've been fooled by "gold plated" stuff before :(

I'm also weary of cables that are very cheap looking and made in China (usually the ones that come in just a plastic bag and no box).
 
Ikari_San
I'm using the Sony PS2 brand component video cable and I've found it delivers a 100% better picture on my TV (a Sony KVXA25M31 (59cm/25in wega)). It's definitely up to scratch compared to the more expensive SCART/component cables.

I reckon S-video is ok, but only if the cable is high quality. Component always has better colour, but clarity is only a smidgen better.

It all depends on your rig though, some TV's don't show any improvement from composite to s-video and so on.
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mine shows a huge ass improvement from composite to s-video
everything is blurry and there's quite a bit of color bleeding (using official cables here)
u can even see the vertical sync (quite annoying) u don't see it though with s-video
 
SirWaWa
mine shows a huge ass improvement from composite to s-video
everything is blurry and there's quite a bit of color bleeding (using official cables here)
u can even see the vertical sync (quite annoying) u don't see it though with s-video
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Yeah, I guess I should've said in just about all cases it will improve the picture quality by heaps. I've only seen 1 TV that showed no difference between composite and s-video, it was an old Sony.

But generally speaking PAL tends to look a lot better with composite than NTSC does, way less dot crawl, cross luminance, and better colour (hence Never The Same Colour).


People, rule of thumb: always use the highest quality connections on all your devices
 
Only problem with S-video is that if you ever play PS2 on a TV that isn't using it (I hook mine up at my mom's once in a while) I can almost gaurantee you'll be sitting there squinting at the TV wondering why the heck it's so blurry! :D

Also, only bad thing about the cables that will hook up all systems at once (I have a GC and PS2) is that since the PS2 doesn't actually turn OFF any time I go to play my GC I get video, but no sound. So I have to either unplug the PS2's power or the video connector. :yuck:

So much for great ideas, huh? I actually thought I'd be able to spend 10 bucks and hook all my game systems up with S-video without any problem... silly me. :rolleyes:
 
I'm using 2 AV selector switches (switches between 4 sets of 3 RCA plugs), on one of them I use the three plugs for the component video of each device (I'm using 4 slots, a PS2, GC, PS1 & STB), and on the other I use 2 of the plugs for the audio of each device.

I've seen a few selector switches with s-video on them, but they are harder to find. Would that solve your problem?
 
ok so my old piece of **** monitor blew up yesturday, and i have just bought (cheers dad) a new 17" LCD monitor, crystal clear picture. Had a thought that i could run my PS2, GT4 and maybe down the track my TV through it. Now ive had a read through the thread and the basic things i need are.......

a VGA box
TV card inside my comp
S-Video cable

is this correct???
 
ls2_297
ok so my old piece of **** monitor blew up yesturday, and i have just bought (cheers dad) a new 17" LCD monitor, crystal clear picture. Had a thought that i could run my PS2, GT4 and maybe down the track my TV through it. Now ive had a read through the thread and the basic things i need are.......

a VGA box
TV card inside my comp
S-Video cable

is this correct???
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a VGA box and component cables for true HDTV or 480p only(will not be able to see anything else, such as standard definition TV or PS2 games that don't support 480p),
OR a video capture card or USB video capture device and a s-video cable
 
I have an HP media center PC with the new pentium D chip in it. I have a Samsung 19 inch LCD monitor. If I get the S video cord for the PS2 will it allow me to view it on the computer? I have the model 7160n in case you need than info. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
 
OldschoolGT
I have an HP media center PC with the new pentium D chip in it. I have a Samsung 19 inch LCD monitor. If I get the S video cord for the PS2 will it allow me to view it on the computer? I have the model 7160n in case you need than info. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
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As far as I can tell from HP's website, YES. All I could find on HP's website was the m7100e series, so I'm assuming your's is included. It says it has two S-video inputs in the front, so you must have selected this option for your HP. If you do have s-video on yours, you will not be able to enjoy 1080i or 480p :(
 
Thanks for the help g-man. I have two composite video inputs on it and an s-video connection on the front and the back. What exactly would I need to get 1080i or 480 p and what's the difference between that and what you'd see with S video? Sorry to sound like a newb...but your help would sure be appreciated. Thanks!
 
I saw those in a quick scan on Ebay! Just junk huh? Does anyone know if there are any lag problems with playing the PS2 on a LCD monitor? I tried hooking up my system with the included cables and noticed about a 3 second difference between when I'd do something with the controller and when it showed up on the screen. Thanks again for any help you can provide!
 
There's a lag on my laptop screen and 18 in. lcd at home but I have an old usb 1.1 t.v. tuner card with a S video connection. I feel like unless you really spend a lot you're always going to have a lag. By that time it's better to have just gotten a decent T.v. or portable screen IMO.
 
OldschoolGT
Thanks for the help g-man. I have two composite video inputs on it and an s-video connection on the front and the back. What exactly would I need to get 1080i or 480 p and what's the difference between that and what you'd see with S video? Sorry to sound like a newb...but your help would sure be appreciated. Thanks!
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the only way to get true 1080i or 480p on a computer monitor is to get a component to VGA adapter, commonly known as a VGA box. But then you will only be able to play games that support these modes, such as GT4, Socom 2, ATV offroad fury 2, to name a few.

The VGA box will run you around $50USD, but like I said, you'll be getting true 1080i on your monitor. this also requires you to have some sort of PS2 component hookups.

The difference is that s-video can only send a 480i signal, or 480 interlaced vertical lines that make up what you see on a standard TV. Component cables allow you to send the higher resolution signals of 480p and 1080i to whatever you hook them up to, assuming it can display these formats.
 

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