swolfer

I have a VCR with only RCA (white, red and yellow) output connections which I am connecting to ADS Pyro A/V Link (firewire to PC). I am transferring old VHS tapes from VCR to PC. Is there a meaningful difference in video quality with using component versus RCA connection? If so I may purchase a VCR with component connections. If so can you recommend a good VCR with component connections? Thanks for any help!!

X

I don't know of any VCR with component connections. I think s-video is as good as you'll get.

Brian Shannon

Yes

I am not aware of any that exist and even if they did the limit of the output would be determined by the media not by the connection. Even SVHS was only 420 lines and regular dvd is 480

swolfer

I am currently borrowing a friend's VHS/DVD recorder combo unit and it has component connections on it, and I have been using component connection from VCR to video capture device (AVS Pyro link). My VCR does not have S video and neither does hers. So are you saying there wouldn't be a difference in video quality between the two units?

Brian Shannon

I may be wrong but I believe that the component connections are for the dvd portion of the unit.

Even if the entire unit is passing video through the component connections, there is no magic being performed, vhs has a resolution limit and using a different type of connection wont improve the quality of the output.

swolfer

Well I was confused because it said in the manual when hooking up to a VCR to use component connection first if available, then s-video and then RCA in that order, stating that component gives best quality.

X

It's possible that if the VHS comes out as component it's better quality than s-video. I've never seen any comparison of the two due to a lack of VHS units having component.

But the source material doesn't even tax s-video so it's hard to see how component would improve it much, especially given the form the signal would probably be in before it got converted to component.