SCART Vs S-Video Vs Component Vs Composite

[PH001]

Sorry if this has been covered before, I did a search but I still couldn't quite find the answer to my question.

I have a Panny AX100E and am trying to figure what cables to run (10m) over my celing to my sources. My sources aren't very flash at the moment, they are:

PC with DVI out Gfx card
Toshiba SD230E DVD player with Scart, S-Video & Component out
Sky digibox with only SCART out

I'm not entirely sure what is the best way to connect all this up.

I'm obviously going to run a 10m HDMI cable and am considering buying a 10m S-Video and a 10m Component cable as well. I have a slight dilemma with the Sky digibox though, what would you say is the best way of converting the SCART output from it? I have seen some SCART to S-Video converters for very little money, would that result in better quality than say a SCART to composite converter?

I also have a rather more general question that maybe you could help me with. I understand that all the signals that I mentioned in the title are analogue, but which of these offer component video signals and which of them are composite video signals. If SCART is component (i.e RGB) and S-video is likewise, why is S-video regarded as superior and why are SCART to component converters so expensive if it is already in component format?

Also, I've seen many SCART to composite converters for very little money, so I guess it is very easy and cheap to convert a component RGB SCART into a single composite video signal? I thought that would be quite involved. Or do I just not understand any of this properly at all !!!

 

[djt111]

why do you have every thing so far away from the TV?
your not going to get the best pic quality running 10+ m cables!

pc go with dvi
if you want the best pic go with Component to Component for the dvd
as for sky you may as well run an arial cable to the tv!

Component - 3 cables red, green, blue
you will also need 2 rca for sound!
composite - all 3 colours on 1 cable (avoid this if you can)
its better to keep the colours seprate

scart and svideo are about the same for quality!
some tvs do look better with svideo but it depends what the source is!
as it being regarded as superior dont think it is?

also with scart make sure you have the source set to RGB and you have it in scart 1 on your TV, as on most tvs the other scarts are not rgb enabled!

 

[phillfyspoon]

RGB and component are NOT the same. component carrys the chroma and luma signal. Component is sometimes mistaken for RGB as it has red,green,blue connectors but does not carry the same siginal as a rgb scart.

RGB means RGB+SYNC, normally sent down a scart or a cable with four connectors being red,green,blue plus a yellow cable for sync (very rare to find in europe as we use scart) and component is RGB down 3 connectors coloured red,green,blue but the chroma and luma are seperated for a better quality siginal.

Scart is a cable used in europe that can carry any analouge signal be it composite ,svideo, rgb or component. But allmost every scart output only outputs composite or rgb only a few very special sources will carry component out of a scart socket.

A sky box will only output RGB or composite, RGB being the best but not the same as component.

With sky there are a few options what you go for depends on budget.

Output scart to scart thus being RGB
Output scart into a component converter, this will convert RGB into true component.
Buy a sky HD box and output with HDMI or component

Hope that makes sense tried to make it easy to understand, dont know if i have lol

 

[jhjerpe]

why do you have every thing so far away from the TV?
your not going to get the best pic quality running 10+ m cables!

I would have thought 10m is quite normal for a PJ setup. With good cables and a little planning quality wouldn't be an issue.

 

[PH001]

Thanks everyone. Projector is ceiling mounted so 10m is certainly not out of the ordinary - all the audio stuff is together with the source so it is only the video to the pj that is of concern. Obviusly Sky HD would be nice but that will have to come later in the year when the missis has got over the shock of the price of the PTAX100E!

On my Sky digi box I can set the output to PAL or RGB, am I to assume that PAL refers to composite then?

I have it set to RGB at the moment which is definitely the better picture, so I just need to convert this into a signal that the PJ can handle. If we ignore composite, my options are S-Video or component but since I'll be running the DVD player on the component it would make sense to use the S-Video input. Am I to assume then that RGB via SCART and S-Video would typically carry exactly the same signal, albeit via a different connector? This would explain why the converters are so cheap as their is no processing involved?

 

[Deano@Dublin]

Can you get a Pace v2 Sky box and use the svideo output? It’s a hell of a lot better than composite. Check eBay.

Get yourself a new DVD player and use either component or HDMI (if you’re not going to get SkyHD).

Yes, you’ll have to spend a bit more, but what’s the point in putting bicycle tyres on a Ferrari?

 

[PH001]

Thanks. I know I could get a better solution by spending more money but that's not really something I can do at the moment - that's why I am running a HDMI cable now so that I can upgrade later and not have to run more cables.

I'm pretty happy with the performance of the Tosh DVD via component I think, and I can't wait to play Oblivion on the PC on a 6 foot screen (I only need a simple DVI - HDMI converter for that). It's only the Sky digibox that's an issue but I won't be watching day to day TV on the PJ anyway so won't be a huge problem, maybe just the odd film or football match. I agree composite is pants but S-Video may be acceptable.

I would be very interested if anybody could respond to the S-Video Vs RGB SCART question. Is this the same signal?

 

[phillfyspoon]

RGB and svideo completly different, i know some sky boxes can output svideo though. To which is better it is very close some prefere one over the other depending on source. So a scart to svideo cable will not work if the box isnt outputing a svideo siginal. a rgb to vga or component converter (not cable) would be best if you dont want to use a normal scart.

 

[PH001]

Thanks Phil. You said that S-Video is completely different to RGB SCART, could you expalin in what way?

I don't have any options with the output from the Sky box, it is SCART only, but you can selsct either PAL or RGB in the box settings. If as you say a SCART to S-Video converter is not going to work I'm stuck with crappy composite then as the component connection is going straight to my Tosh DVD. (The PTAX100E doesn't have SCART input).

 

[phillfyspoon]

Thanks Phil. You said that S-Video is completely different to RGB SCART, could you expalin in what way?

I don't have any options with the output from the Sky box, it is SCART only, but you can selsct either PAL or RGB in the box settings. If as you say a SCART to S-Video converter is not going to work I'm stuck with crappy composite then as the component connection is going straight to my Tosh DVD. (The PTAX100E doesn't have SCART input).

A converter would work, something like this...

http://www.av-sales.com/JS-RGB-SVID-139-30.htm

I meant a scart to svideo cable wouldnt work because the sky box doesnt output a svideo signal via scart.

As for the difference between svideo and scart, svideo seperates chromo and luma (brightness and color) and are sent down separate wires, were rgb sends the red green and blue without seperating into chroma and luma. Both better then composite. component combines the best of both by sending choma and luma but sending each down 3 cables.

another option which personally i think is the very best way with RGB is to convert the siginal to VGA with this

http://www.av-sales.com/JS-RGB-VGA-139-30.htm

this works very well becasue vga is actually RGB but with sync. I should of mentioned this before as it is the best way if u dont have a scart socket.