Be Prepared For DVD! - 5 Types Of TV Video Input
Mar 14 '00 (Updated Mar 24 '00)
I hear that you want to enter the 21st and purchase a new DVD player! I congratulate you and wish you luck on your digital video journey!
However, there is much to understand about the video signal between your TV and your DVD player, as well as the audio connection between the DVD player and your Dolby receiver. Both are very complex subjects, but this article will deal only with the video portion of the interface.
FIVE TYPES OF VIDEO CONNECTIONS
There are five different types of video connections. Your television may only have one or two of these. Perhaps your TV will have all five, but that is very unlikely – it will perhaps have only two. The five types are UHF/VHF wires (for antennas), coxial cable, composite video (RCA-type), super-video (S-Video), and component video. I will briefly describe each of these to provide you with necessary background information.
1. UHF/VHF Antenna wires
Some TVs are still made with these adapters, but not many. These connectors are designed for hooking up your TV directly to an antenna. Both mono audio and video are transmitted by these wires to the television combined into one signal.
2. Coxial Cable (R/F connector)
This is the standard insulated cable wire that provides you with your 200 channels of regular or digital cable. Virtually every television manufactured within the last decade will be equipped with this connector. Also, every VCR that I have ever seen has this connector. This format compresses both stereo-audio and video into one signal, giving you minimal digital quality.
3. Composite Video
This is the RCA-type video connector. It is normally yellow in color to identify it as the video portion of RCA audio/video connectors (red/black/yellow). This method of signal transfer takes a major step in separating the audio and video into different channels, but still compresses the video into one signal. Every VCR that I have ever seen has this connector, but many televisions do not, it depends on how “cheap” of a TV you purchased. Some low-end televisions today do not even have this connector, unfortunately.
4. Super-Video
Super video (or S-Video for short) was developed to be used with the first digital movie format -–the laser disc. This format significantly increases the quality of the video signal over the previous methods. . The higher video quality is accomplished by separating the black and white video information from the color information. This results in improved color reproduction and a reduction in video noise that is common with the other formats. However all the color signals are still being combined into one “plug”. This is very nearly a “true digital” signal and will provide you with a truly exceptional DVD picture. Unfortunately a majority of people’s TVs and VCRs do not have this feature, because consumers do not realize how important it is. S-Video still has not become popular – in shopping for a new TV last year I had to search and search to find models that had this connector. It is also difficult to find Super-VHS VCRs and A/V receivers with this connector, and they are quite pricey, so be prepared.
5. Component Video
This is a brand new video format, recently unveiled to improve the video quality of DVD players. Component video further enhances the S-Video format by using three separate video cables: green, blue, and red. With the video output separated into three distinct signals it provides a near-perfect digital image on a television that is component-video equipped. While nearly all DVD players are capable of this video output very few televisions and receivers are ready for it.
WHICH CONNECTORS DO YOU NEED?
The Minimal: Now that you know the five types of video connectors the question remains: “Which do you need?” The minimal requirement to use a DVD player is (3), the composite (RCA) video connector. If your television does not have at least the RCA video input, then you should not bother getting a DVD player at all. First consider upgrading your television and then jumping up to a DVD player.
The Recommended: While a RCA video connection will provide you with excellent video, making the jump up to Super-Video is astounding. If you are in the market for a television, purchasing one that supports S-Video will be about a $50 jump in price, but well worth the money. I have been able to test the RCA video and S-Video connection on my TV, and the difference is quite noticeable.
The Best: I actually hesitated to even mention the newer component video. I have never met anybody who has a TV and/or receiver that is equipped with this high-end feature. If you have the monetary means to purchase such a pricey TV, then I encourage you to do so. This is the best that is available – so keep and eye out for this feature when shopping for a TV and/or receiver when building your multimedia masterpiece.
CONCLUSIONS
I hope that you have leaned ALL about video formats in this article. Knowing what you are buying and what you are capable of using is very important before buying something new and hi-tech such as a DVD player. Make sure that your TV is ready for your DVD player or you may find yourself very disappointed when you get it home and cannot plug it in. Talking to the associate at Wal-Mart this is unfortunately a quite common occurrence.
Remember that video is only half the battle! The audio capabilities of your receiver are the other major factor in determining which DVD player you should buy. I will soon be writing a review in that category, as it is just as important, in my opinion, as the video, and just as complicated – keep and eye out for it!
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