Best Composite and S-Video Cables I can buy!

[El Enmascarado]

I was looking today at the store and saw all brands and types of composites and s-video bundles and singles but I feel that in order to make the perfect purchase I need to consult with you first... first I want to know if it makes a difference what composite or s-video cable I use are they all the same? my VCR has composites and s-video outputs and my ADVC110 has the same for inputs is not like there is a fiber optic option... so what can you tell me... can it get any better? :angry:

[Blue_MiSfit]

Cables only make a difference to a certain extent. If you are running a long distance, then big fat cables are mandatory. If you are just doing a standard 6 feet or so, the difference between a decent quality store brand cable like the Radio Shack gold series and something absurd like a Monster Cable will make little to no difference. This is especially true of a low resolution source, like VHS.

Get a good composite and a good S-Video cable, and try both - sometimes your capture card will have a better comb filter than the VCR - which means that composite can actually look better.

Don't get cheap cables that look like strings. They aren't shielded well, and will have signal loss.

[setarip_old]

Hi!

In addition to good shielding, unless something's changed in the world of cables, gold connectors make for better quality...

[El Enmascarado]

Cables only make a difference to a certain extent. If you are running a long distance, then big fat cables are mandatory. If you are just doing a standard 6 feet or so, the difference between a decent quality store brand cable like the Radio Shack gold series and something absurd like a Monster Cable will make little to no difference. This is especially true of a low resolution source, like VHS.

Get a good composite and a good S-Video cable, and try both - sometimes your capture card will have a better comb filter than the VCR - which means that composite can actually look better.

Don't get cheap cables that look like strings. They aren't shielded well, and will have signal loss.

I bought some philips Stereo Audio + S-Video Cable it cost me like 15$ they say to have 24k of gold... how good are they against the monsters?

[Blue_MiSfit]

You will not notice a difference.

I'm sure the Philips / Radio Shack gold cables are very similar. You should be just fine - especially with a VHS source.

[Revgen]

Cables can affect quality quite a bit on LCD monitors. I actually noticed a difference between a regular S-VHS cable and a Gold connected one.

It shouldn't make much of a difference on a CRT though.

[hanfrunz]

if you really want to learn about cables read this book:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0071386211