External monitoring (with consumer gear!)

[Ian Stark]

For the time being I am stuck with using a reasonable quality domestic TV to monitor. I understand the limitations of doing this.

Sadly at the moment I have a conflict caused (I think) by my external WD firewire drive which prevents me from using my camera as a DV-analogue converter for the purpose of previewing in Vegas (see the "cheapest external monitor" thread in the Vegas forum), so until and if this is resolved my question is purely academic!

I don't have S-video on the TV itself, but I do have a SCART adapter with an S-video socket (I used to use it to connect the TV to the TV-OUT on my graphics card). I appreciate that S-video offers better quality than RCA.

My desire would be to connect as follows :

Camera (Canon XM2/GL2) via S-Video to SCART adapter on VCR which is then connected to the TV via SCART cable.

Do you think this would offer better image quality than using the cams RCA outs direct to the VCR or am I introducing too many devices/connections in the series that may negate any S-Video quality benefits? Would your advice be to take the VCR out of the loop or would you be confident that it isn't adding any degradation to the signal?

Any thoughts or pointers would be appreciated!

[Mike Rehmus]

I think you have too many variables about which we know nothing to answer your question. IF the VCR doesn't interfere with the S-Video signal then that path should be OK.

The only way you will know is to try it.

[Ian Stark]

Hi Mike

Unfortunately, as I mentioned in my post, I can't test it out until such time as I can resolve the issue of the Canon/firewire drive conflict, otherwise I certainly would have done!

I was really interested in knowing whether there were any general rules about the number and type of devices/connections on the signal path and whether they caused any degradation.

I am more familiar with audio equipment, and I know from experience that adding too many devices in a signal path can introduce unwanted noise. My guess is that in the video world, as soon as you move out of the digital domain, the same is true.

In the audio world, using the smallest possible number of appropriate connections can help reduce this degradation and that's why I was interested in whether using a SCART adapter with an S-Video socket (which I have) was as good as going direct into an S-Video equipped TV/monitor (which I don't have).

As you quite rightly say, the only way I will know is if I try it - but until such time as I CAN try it, does anyone have any insights?

Thanks . . . Ian . . .