S-Vid or RCA Monster?
 

Right now I have an RCA monster cable goin from my dvd player to my WEGA TV for video.

Ive noticed that it has an S-Video input.

Now, I have an S-Video cable, but its the flimsy one that came with the DVD player.

So which one is better? The Monster Cable RCA or the regular S-Video cable?

Thanks

Regular S-Video.

But get a better one.

is this the widely held opinion?

thanks

In short, yes. Go to RS and pick up a gold series s-video cable.

s-video is so much better than composite (it sends the Y and C signals separately, as opposed to composite which sends them together) that it even a really shitty s-video cable would look better than a high end composite rca cable. a gold connector s-video cable from rat shack should be adequate.

How about that connection that uses the 3 rca-looking cables(i think blue and green and some other color). Are those better than S-Video?

Thanks for your input.

BMoore09 - That's known as Component connection. It is supposed to be better than both S-video and composite. However, most believe the jump from s-video-->component, shows less of a picture difference than going from composite-->s-video.

If you have the ability to use component, then use it. Radio Shack has the 3 gold series cables for like $15

The switch for s-video to component is much more noticable on a larger projection set than it is on a direct view tv.

If you have a projection definately use component if you have that option on both your TV and DVD player.

If you have a direct view, calibrating it correctly will make more of a difference than switching from s-video to component.

HQ s-video... i wouldn't go with monster just get something nice

Use in this order for the best picture quality:

1.Component, if you have it.
2.S-video
3.Composite(RCA)

I agree that calibration will make a hugh difference. Get a copy of Avia or VE. This is well well worth the investment.

www.bettercables.com has great cables at a excellent price.

The flimsiest(but not broken) S-video cable will give much better picture quality than the most expensive RCA cable.....

Now...a high quality S-Vid cable will give a small improvement over the flimsy one.

Are Monster S-Vid Cables worth it?

How do their prices compare to other brands?

Depends on what you mean by 'worth it'. Monster gets broadbrushed as being overpriced across the board, even though they have several levels of products at varying price points.
If you have a $99 Apex DVD player, and you buy a $69 Monster S-video cable, no it's not worth it. If you have a quality player and good quality monitor, <b>IMHO</b> a well-made cable can make a difference in signal quality. Well-made is not necessarily synonomous with expensive, but it has to be taken into account that 'expensive' is a relative term. If your cables cost more then the rest of your gear, you've got issues.
Of course, YMMV.

I whole heartly agree with this. I know people who have spent major bucks on a setup and are using the cheapest cables they can lay their hands on. Or they are using video cables for audio or audio for video to save a few bucks.

IMHO, if one spends good money on a system, the least one can do is buy decent cables and calibrate one's system using a setup disc.

Bettercables has their prices on their website. They are well priced for high quality cables and have received very good reviews. They also have a six month satisfaction guarantee.

Thanks for your input. I have a new Sony DVD player ($250 range - no more using my PS2!) and a 35" Sony Trinitron (along with my HT system. I know my set-up isn't too fancy, but it's decent). I use Monster speaker wire for my satellites, but I wanted to see if there were comparable S-Vid cables other than Monster. I checked out the Bettercables website and it looks like they run for about the same price as Monster. I'll choose one of 'em soon. Thanks again. :)

monster cables are not worth it. If you are going to spend that much on a cable get some other HQ brand online for the same price. I used to know alot of people into fansubbing and they had monster cables that broke more often than other brands. I use mainly the "solution" cables you can find at best buy, you can get these online and they are good cheep and they actually have gold tips. they are about 10 times as fat as the flemsy stuff your equpment comes with. I am not saying they are better than monster or prolly not as good. but you seriously cannot tell. Try a monster cable if you want and have someone set up a test for you to tell the difference just make sure you get the cables from a store that will let you return it. And don't ask advice from people at the stores they will tell you monster cables rock, I used to work at best buy thats what i told people b/c thats what the boss told me to say. Also don't ask people who use moster cables b/c after spending hundreds of dollars on cables they will always say it looks better.

there are many levels of cables that are between the monster and the flimsy stuff your gear comes with, find a happy median.

I bought some knock off monster cables at Circuit City (i know, the salesman was cool and threw them in for next to nothing) I also have a monster S-video cable...in retrospect, i'd rather get the knock off brand for 1/2 the price. If you have invested quite a thousand in your HT, go with Monster. I have a decent converted HTB system on a college budget, so i took the cheaper alternative.

-pedagogue

A basic rule is to spent 10% of your budget on cables. In that aspect, a $250 DVD-player should have $25 cable. This always worked for me.