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Re: is component always better than S-video?

12.36.118.4

Posted by JonMarsh on November 27, 2000 at 08:38:14

In Reply to: is component always better than S-video? posted by jeff in kc on November 25, 2000 at 10:03:58:

GPB enumerated what is usually the correct order, with a caveat noted below, but what really, is the difference? And what about those who seem to prefer their S-Video feeds to component? Is that justified, or at least explainable?

The big difference all comes down to resolution- and not simple "luminance" resolution (which is what is quoted for TV sets), which is just black and white, literally, but color resolution. Imagine, instead of having alternating black and white test stripes, you use alternating color stripes, say, magenta and yellow, or cyan and red. Just like B&W patterns, there is a point in which the separate stripes disappear, and it turns into "gray", or "mud", in the case of color.

Now, a tyipcal Composite NTSC decoder will produce a color image capable of resolving about 50 color lines horizontally. A really good Faroudja grade decoder will muster 75-80 from a composite signal. S-Video will produce at best about 100 lines. Component video from DVD will produce a little over 300 lines.

On a 27" TV, it is theoretically possible to resolve those differences; on a 29" presentation monitor, they're quite, QUITE obvious. Also, on larger RPTVs in good calibration, and FPTVs, the degradation of color resolution from component to S-Video is very obvious, in the loss of fine detail in images, such as textures on the surface of cloth, concrete, painted walls, etc. However, depending on visual acuity, a lot of veiwers may not notice that. And video processing used by default in many TV's, including DNR, SVM, edge enhancement, all strategies to eak out a little more "puch" from a low res signal, all work to the detriment of a true high res signal, such as a well mastered DVD is capable of providing. As a result, many friends who have said "Oh yeah, S-Video is great, don't need that component stuff", have a different veiw after seeing how good a component signal looks on a larger display; and if you run both signals through a scaler, such as a Faroudja, then the difference is even more obvious. A deinterlace/scaler with only S-Video input (such as the DVDO) is unfortunately crippled for really decent displays. Mind you, I'm even talking about sets in the $3K and less range, also.

Another consideration for S-Video, is being careful to chose WHERE you have the Y/C separation done, because often the Y/C filter in an LD player or VCR (tuner output) is poorer than in the TV or projector; in that case, you can actually wind up getting a better image using the composite connection to the "advanced" comb filter in the TV.

Regards,

Jon

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