S-Video Connector
Separate Video - a connector that carries analog video in a single connector. It carries a medium quality signal that separates out the chrominance (colour) and luminance (brightness) parts of the signal.
S-Video connections produce a medium quality signal by splitting the brightness (Y) and colour (C) information into separate signals, so they are sometimes referred to as Y/C connections. The connector is now standardised on a 4-pin mini-DIN (Deutsches Institut für Normung e.V. - the German Institute for Standardization) connector. Splitting the brightness and colour signals reduces the interference problems found in composite connectors and improves the overall signal quality. On a computer, the S-Video connection is usually referred to as 'TV-out'.
S-Video and SCART
The SCART standard has been extended to include support for S-Video formatted video, but not all SCART devices support the updated standard. Also, S-Video and RGB connections are mutually exclusive through SCART, due to the S-Video implementation using the pins allocated for RGB.
Advantages of S-Video
- Provides a medium quality signal, superior to Belling-Lee and Composite connectors.
- Common connector found in most TV's, VCR's, and computers.
- The unified cable reduces the number of cables needed to join devices.
Disadvantages of S-Video
- Does not carry a digital signal.
- Not all SCART devices can support an S-Video signal even with an S-Video to SCART cable.
For more information about other connectors see here.