S-Video - Can you help?

Question

I have a Panasonic DMR-EX78EB DVD Recorder (DVDR). I am trying to connect up my Digital Camcorder (DC) which is also a Panasonic (NV-DS27). The Camcorder is a few years old but still very good.

The manual for the DVDR suggests connecting the video link up via S-Video as against using the yellow plug on the AV cable set, (it still tells you to connect the red and white, which I have done).

All this I have done, but I'm not getting a picture. Am I missing something?

When I connect the yellow plug the picture comes up, so something isn't right or correct with what I'm doing with the S-Video cable.

I don't think there's a fault with the S-Video cable because it's brand new and never been used!

Help!

Answer 1

Some electrical items have a switch to switch s-video on. I have a DVD player and there's a switch for you to select either scart or s-video. Is this the same with your equipment?

Answer 2

I still connected my yellow RCA video jack, just to CMA in my case. I personally don't see a bit of difference using the S-video cable vs. the regular RCA video cable. Use both. Try at least plugging both in then once you have all working as it should then try unplugging the RCA video jack, go backwards. Works for me when going the way the instructions....like who really reads them anyway? Me if nothing else works!! But at least I'm familiar with all this so usually not necessary......but keep anyway!!

Good luck. Sometimes just getting that damned S-video plugged all the way in on both is more difficult than you think therefore it's not actually all the way plugged in.

As I say, plug everything you normally do in AND the S-video, make sure everything works the way it's supposed to, good pic & all that, then try unplugging the RCA video to see hope with fingers crossed that you still have the picture!!!

Good Luck

Answer 3

The red and white leads are for the audio - the yellow is composite video, which can be replaced by the S-Video and should give a better picture.  I think the DMR-EX78EB has 2 S-Video sockets - are you sure you're using the right one?  I wouldn't lose much sleep over it - there's not much difference.

But haven't you got the option of connecting via firewire? That would give you the best quality.

<edit>

Firewire's another way of connecting devices, rather like USB.  It's a good way of transferring video from tape because  it has a means of guaranteeing the necessary bandwidth will be available all the time. You've got a MiniDV camcorder, which has a 4 pin firewire socket and the DMR-EX78EB also has a firewire socket.  I don't know whether it's 4 pin or 6 pin though - if it's the same as your camcorder you need a 4 pin to 4 pin cable, otherwise it'll be a 4 pin to 6 pin cable.  

Unlike the S-Video and composite video cables, firewire transfers both the video and audio.