What is SVHS

[harrymj3]

I am unclear on this. If a VCR has svhs output does that mean it has an s-video outlet? Or does it mean something else. If it has an s-video outlet will the capture be at higher quality that from the composite video (RCA)
outlets? ...... harrymj3

[ironwood321]

It will capture better if your recording is on S-VHS tape.

You might be able to get a slight improvement for VHS tapes if the filters in your device are better but you will not get a clearer picture only a picture comparable to the original pre-recorded material.

Your output with a VHS cassette on a s-vhs machine will be more precise but not necessarily more accurate representation of the original signal.

[hoyboy]

If your video is a Super VHS machine it should have a S-Video socket output. It should enable you to have a more precise picture than using composite signal, however it all depends on your source. If the original is not real good. s-video can't make it that much better. There is a good post on this subject in one of the forums that I was reading the other day, can't find it at the moment but if you can find it it is worth reading. Explains all about S-Video.

[FulciLives]

S-VHS or SUPER VHS is a format that has higher resolution and overall better picture quality than regular VHS. For instance regular VHS has a resolutoin of about 240 lines whereas S-VHS has about 400 lines. Plus it just has an overall better quality for a variety of other reasons. Less "video" noise. Less color smearing etc.

In short, S-VHS is to VHS as the Hi8 format is to 8mm video.

However, to get that extra quality, you need to record on a S-VHS VCR using a special S-VHS blank tape. Playing a normal VHS tape in a S-VHS VCR will not really give you any better quality than playing back that same normal VHS tape in a normal VHS VCR. You might get a very slight increase since S-VHS has the S-Video output but any quality you might gain would probably not even be noticeable by the human eye.

A S-VHS VCR can play and record VHS and S-VHS. You cannot play a S-VHS tape though in a regular VHS VCR. Most just do not work that way. A few normal VHS VCR units will be capable of playing back a S-VHS tape but the quality will suffer ... altough it would most likely look better than a regular VHS tape it will not be full blown S-VHS quality. The point being is if you record in S-VHS you will only be able to play that tape back on a S-VHS VCR.

So getting a S-VHS VCR is really not that great an idea unless you tape alot from cable or whatnot and what to benefit from the superior quality of S-VHS. For instance not only does an SP S-VHS recording look MUCH better than SP VHS recordings but a SLP/EP S-VHS recording is about on par with SP VHS but at least you are getting 6 to 8 hours on one tape.

However, now a days with stand alone DVD recorders comming down in price you might as well just get that rather than a S-VHS VCR. Although a S-VHS VCR can be much cheaper than a stand alone DVD recorder you will pay more per S-VHS blank than a blank DVD-R disc. In very short order the cost of blank S-VHS tapes will cause you to actually spend more money (in the long run) unless you only buy a few tapes for time shifting and use them over and over and over again.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman