+ Reply to Thread
Results 1 to 14 of 14

Thread: S Video in Black and white

  1. #1
    Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Newcastle, UK
    Posts
    28

    S Video in Black and white

    hello,
    I Have just bought a PCTV Pinnacle Deluxe USB TV Card. I Have connected it to me video thru scart and S Video.(S Video lead goes into a scart box).
    However, all i get is a black and white picture. If i use the Video Input port (yellow round hole) i get colour.
    I Was under the impression that S Video was better quality, but it is in black and white.
    Has anyone got any suggestions??
    I Am using PAL thru my PC and think i have set it all up properly. I Have also used 2 S Video cables so that cant be the problem. I Have even tried them in both ways, but still no colour with S Video.
    the software i am using is "PCTV Deluxe Vision" which came with the card.
    Plz help
    Quote Quote  

  2. #2
    Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2002
    Location
    The State of Frustration
    Posts
    8,974

    I do not know how you set up your input video source, but it seems that either your composite video or your S-video is set to capture in either PAL or NTSC when it should be set to capture in the other. Check the video source of the composite (yellow plug) and change the S-video to the same setting.
    Hello.
    Quote Quote  

  3. #3
    Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Newcastle, UK
    Posts
    28

    i have tried to capture in ALL sources, NTSC, PAL SECAM and with S Video they are all B&W.
    Also, If i try to capture with VDUB or Windows Media Encoder it doesnt find the device, However everything works fine with the Pinnacle software.
    It is a USB 2.0 and 1.1 device, and i have USB 2.0. Could this be why?? I Thought the only difference would be the speed.
    Quote Quote  

  4. #4

    Few, if any, standard VCRs have s-video output. You need an SVHS VCR for that. So it all comes down to how much money you are willing to spend.
    Quote Quote  

  5. #5
    Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2000
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    1,620

    FReeFall, here in the US we are not familiar with SCART connections. Can you please educate us on how this connects to your VCR or TV?

    I can tell you that Svideo carries the color info on a seperate wire from the brightness info. My first guess would have been the cable, but you say you've tried two.

    My next guess, is a bad connection at the S connector on the Pinnacle box or the S connection into the Scart. If the color pin is bad you'll get no color.

    To test, get ahold of a camcorder that has an Svideo input. Connect the Pinnacle to the camcorder through the Svideo connection and play the video from the computer.

    If it records in the camcorder in color, the Scart is suspect.
    If it records in black & white, the Pinnacle connector is suspect.


    There is also the possibility that your settings are inncorrect, but I'm not familiar with the Pinnacle software.
    I don't have a bad attitude...
    Life has a bad attitude!
    Quote Quote  

  6. #6
    Member
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Phoenix, AZ
    Posts
    134

    My S-Video turned black and white when one of the pins in the S-video cable was broken.

    Howard
    Quote Quote  

  7. #7
    Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Newcastle, UK
    Posts
    28

    i have a SCART connection in the back of my tv and video, so i connect this to 1 of them:

    As you see, you set it to output and then put in the S Video cable along with the audio cables and there is a composite video (yellow) hole aswell.
    Then the S Video goes into my Pinnacle box and that to my pc. S Video comes out B&W and when i switch to composite it goes to colour.
    I Would try with a camcorder, but it doesnt have S Video
    I Dont think its something wrong with the scart because i have other scart devices that work in colour (like my PS2 & XBOX), and i have tried 2 of the above scart to S Video boxes and both are B&W.
    Quote Quote  

  8. #8
    Member
    Join Date
    May 2001
    Location
    Bolton, UK
    Posts
    272

    Hi,
    I see reading through the post that a little point needs to be clarified.

    That is do you own a S-VHS video recorder or device which is capable of outputting a S-VHS signal?

    If not no amount of playing with the cable or software is going to let you output a S-VHS signal only B/W. (You can't get a quart out of a pint pot)

    If you do own a S-VHS video which is being connected to the computer in order to output S-VHS over scart you have to navigate through your "on screen menus" and select something like S-VHS on L2 or something equivalent according to your manual.

    For all those not in the know heres a website I found about the "Peritel SCART" connector

    http://utopia.knoware.nl/users/eprebel/SoundAndVision/Engineering/SCART.html
    http://www.hardwarebook.net/connector/av/scart.html

    As you can see S-vhs and composite output a dual functions on scart so a software setting, implementing a wiring change has to take place in the device i.e. vcr to enable s-vhs output/input on scart.
    Quote Quote  

  9. #9
    Member Redd's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    CA
    Posts
    413

    Appears to be a Pinnacle problem. I use Studio 8 with BoB. My analog video capture from my Sony Hi 8 with s-video is balck and white, so I use regular RCA jacks for analog capture. Regular analog capture and DV firewire capture is ok.
    Geronimo
    Quote Quote  

  10. #10
    Member
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Peterborough, England
    Posts
    2,210

    Quote Originally Posted by FreeFall
    i have a SCART connection in the back of my tv and video, so i connect this to 1 of them:
    I've fallen into the same trap. Just because you are using the S-Video connection doesn't mean you'll get an S-Video signal. Only high spec video recorders output S-Video signals, on a normal video (even 6 head, Nicam, HQVHS, etc) a connection such as you are using will give you a black and white picture.

    You have two choices, use composite or buy a new video recorder.
    Quote Quote  

  11. #11
    Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Newcastle, UK
    Posts
    28

    yeah i think this may be why.
    I Will be getting a new tv soon, so i'll just make sure that it has s video on it
    Quote Quote  

  12. #12
    Banned
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Americas
    Posts
    1,080

    Try another s-video cable. Fixed this problem for me. Don't know if possible but I still have an s-video cable thet gives just that: B&W picture, it seems like this particular cable is one way only. All other cables give me color (have about 6 of them...). Maybe that will do?
    Quote Quote  

  13. #13
    Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    Italy
    Posts
    1

    Re: S Video in Black and white

    Hi all, I answer a question of 2002 on 2014 year!!
    As far as I can test in my house the problem is with Pinnacle and I explain why.
    I want to convert all oooooldest VHS tapes in mpg and so keep my old pinnacle with external av source to keep the signal from VHS Player.
    The player is old as we'll so it has only SCART. I first attached a splitter to SCART output so from SCART I have audio left right (red/white plug), composite (yellow) and SVideo (4 pin and a bar plug).
    With pinnacle I attached audio and SVideo and can see video in black and white as well as audio. Changing to Composite I have colours.
    If the splitter in the fake SCART I bought is not broken... Nothing changes because input is always from VHS reader through SCART splitter. Composite is with colour and SVideo B/W. Is it clear or am I loosing something?
    Quote Quote  

  14. #14
    Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Posts
    59,225

    Re: S Video in Black and white

    The composite signal and the s-video luma (greyscale) signal share the same pin on a SCART connector. So the source and the sync have to be configured for composite or s-video. It sounds to me like your VHS deck isn't configured to output s-video.
    Quote Quote  

+ Reply to Thread

Similar Threads

  1. only black & white from S-Video
    By Victor Hen in forum Newbie / General discussions
    Replies: 11
    Last Post: 23rd Jul 2012, 20:40
  2. Connecting with s-video = black/white
    By InthaHouse in forum Capturing and VCR
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 10th Aug 2010, 02:13
  3. black pixels on white video?
    By huttonhenrysfinest in forum Software Playing
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 23rd Feb 2008, 06:01
  4. video capture in black and white only
    By oldboy29 in forum Capturing and VCR
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 13th Jan 2008, 17:54
  5. HELP, every video on my PC is Black and white ?
    By shammi in forum Newbie / General discussions
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 19th Jul 2007, 07:52

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts