is there a difference? for example the Pioneer DV-380 has an independent S-Video socket but reviews have claimed a better picture from, say, the Sony DVP-NS30. However with only a scart connection with S-Video capable would it fall back when connected with a Scart -> S-Video cable?

These are 2 player I'm considering for the moment but am having to connect via S-Video. So which one do you think would deliver the better picture? Is there another better S-Video player for the price these two hold?

Any help much appreciated
Thanks
Alex

[stevelup]

The two options are electrically the same, and they are both equally crappy when it comes to being able to properly terminate them in an impedence matched manner.

There really shouldn't be any difference between them.

Bear in mind that magazine reviewers often live in an alternate reality to the rest of us...

[neilmcl]

I would have said the S-Video connector is a lot less crappy than a similarly priced scart.

[stevelup]

Sorry, you misunderstood.

I mean they are both crappy connectors for correctly terminating two pieces of decent quality 75ohm coax into.

There is no doubt that you can get better S-Video cables than you can get SCART>S-Video ones

If a particular player can only offer S-Video over SCART and doesn't have a dedicated S-Video socket, you'd be better off sticking a SCART>S-Video adapter in the SCART socket and then using a decent quality S-Video cable.

I recommend the VDC cables as being high quality without being overpriced / overhyped nonsense.

They are available from CPC to end users in a wide range of lengths.

Link here

Steve