What is S-Video or Super-Video?

S – Video, which is more commonly known as Super Video is actually termed as Separate Video and is also sometimes known as Y/C Video. It is an analog video signal used today in most of the audio visual consoles. The specialty of it is that the luminance signal or the Y signal which defines the black and white portion of the video or more simply; carries the brightness information and the chrominance signal or the C signal; which carries the color information are transmitted separately in order to achieve superior video and picture quality.

Previously in case of the traditional video or the composite video, both the signals were sent together. But as all the video output monitors are designed to display the chrominance and the luminance signals separately, the composite signals should be separated before displaying. But in the composite videos the signals overlap at frequency range higher than 2.1 MHz and when they cannot be separated entirely, it creates a disturbance in the video output. The remnants of either of the signal in the other are responsible for either the dot patterns in the output or the rainbow effect, also known as the “cross – color” effect. Thus to minimize these problems the S-Video or the Separate video or the Super video came into the play. It was first used by JVC in the year 1987 and since the late nineties S-video began to show up in big screen television sets, DVD players, Gaming consoles and graphics cards, TFT monitors, digital TV receivers, high end video cassette players and several others.

Today it is commonly used in most of the audio visual gadgets that we use in our daily to daily course. They are also used for the computer to TV output for official or personal use. S-video uses a mini DIN plug and an S-video cable to transmit the video output signals. While transmitting the signals, they are divided into two different channels; one is luminance which carries the brightness information and the other is chrominance which carries the color information. The S – Video cable does not carry audio information and only transmits video of 480i or 570i resolution. But however it must be kept in mind that both the devices must be S-Video compatible in order to connect the two devices through the cable.

The 4 pin mini DIN connector is most commonly found among the current devices; although 7 pin or 9 pin and 10 pin mini DIN connector are also available in the market. Today S – Video is used widely and popularly in most of the DVD players, television sets, gaming consoles and graphics cards digital cable connectors and home theatre systems. The S – Video has proved to be much economical and efficient as compared to the other digital connectors.